The Hindu : Sport / Hockey : Big win for Punjab and Sind Bank

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 01, 2005

Sport

Sport - Hockey

Big win for Punjab and Sind Bank

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, FEB. 28. Punjab and Sind Bank outplayed Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Lahore, 8-1 to top the pool II super league standings of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh hockey tournament at the Shivaji Stadium here on Monday.

Indian Oil surprisingly went down 0-3 to Malaysia's Sapura Club in the concluding pool I match, though it also made the semifinals along with the Kuala Lumpur team.

In Tuesday's semifinals, Sapura will meet Indian Airlines while Punjab and Sind Bank will clash with Indian Oil.

It was an anti-climactic end to the Lahore challenge in this tournament. Not that the visiting team had displayed anything extra-ordinary so far. But it never looked that weak to be so thoroughly outclassed. The least that one expected was a fight to the finish in this last pool II match in an effort to make the last-four grade. Instead, a meek surrender by the Pakistanis was what one witnessed, beginning with the opening minute goal off a penalty corner.

Four goals each on either side of the interval must have been beyond PSB's imagination even, but then a shaky defence and a shakier goalkeeper made the task of the bank team that much easier. No. 1 goalkeeper Shehzad Farid was replaced with Ammanullah after the Pakistan team went four down by the 19th minute. The second goalkeeper could not arrest the slide, however.

Lethargic defence

The Lahore defence was lethargic. Rebounds were left `hanging', the defenders were shy of tackling inside the `D', and it looked as though PSB could score on every move that reached up to the top of the circle.

`Man of the match' Parminder Singh scored three, Mandeep Singh had two and Navpreet Singh (penalty corner), Ravi Pal and Baljit Saini one each. Zakirullah got in the solitary goal for the Pakistani team, cashing in on a Rehan Butt pass in the third minute of the second half.

The Malaysians surprised many by beating IOC. The absence of Deepak Thakur, who is still in hospital after being assaulted by Punjab Police's Kanwalpreet Singh the other day, did matter in the IOC frontline. But there seemed to be a lack of keenness to go all out since a defeat did not matter in the semifinal calculations.

Korean Kang Keon Wook scored two of the Sapura goals in the last quarter to be adjudged the `man of the match'. Skipper Kuhan Shanmuganathan had provided his team the lead by converting a penalty corner in the eighth minute.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport