The Hindu : Sport : Army boys have the last laugh

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Monday, Apr 25, 2005

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Army boys have the last laugh

Hockey Correspondent

— Photo: Vino John

ONE FOR THE ALBUM: M. A. Alagappan, Vice Chairman, Murugappa Group presenting the Gold Cup to C. S. Xalco, captain of Army XI, as (from left) Rajiv Reddy, organising secretary, K. Jothikumaran, IHF secretary and A. Vellayan, director, Murugappa Group look on.

CHENNAI: All the ingredients that go to make a final memorable were on display when Army XI courted success in the sudden-death phase against Tamil Nadu in the MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup hockey tournament at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in front of a huge gathering here on Sunday.

That the margin was 7-6 in favour of Army in the end underscores the intensity of the contest. The score was 1-1 at the end of regulation time, there were no goals in extra-time and it was 3-3 after the tie-breaker.

In sudden-death, Army scored three goals and substitute goalkeeper, Bikrant Tete, brilliantly stopped Ramesh Babu's flick to ensure victory and a 1.30 lakh prize for Army. Tamil Nadu was richer by Rs. 80,000.

The outcome was a result of a shining period for Army, which was a finalist at the Beighton Cup only a fortnight ago. Adept, athletic and assured, Army enjoyed complete command over the rival territory, thanks to the astute passes from Mahadik and the quick moves by Gopal Singh and Suresh Kumar.

The Tamil Nadu deep defence, guarded admirably by skipper Dinesh Naik and Muthuselvan, handled the pressure well as all the eight penalty corners, four in each half earned by Army, proved futile.

The Tamil Nadu midfield did not distinguish itself but the frontline, where Karthik, Raja and Hayath were conspicuous by their presence, confused the Army defence with its fluency and finesse.

Quick counter

Army struck early on resumption when a free hit by Mahadik caused some uncertainty in the defence line, leading to Ajit Kumar netting a goal. But the joy was shortlived as Tamil Nadu came back as Dinesh Naik converted splendidly off a penalty corner. The contest hung in the balance with both sides finding it difficult to find the target. The Tamil Nadu goalkeeper Aravind performed with a measure of assurance, effecting quite a few spectacular saves.

In extra-time, Tamil Nadu almost tasted victory, but Arumugam's shot missed the mark by a whisker. Army too came close to winning but Ajit Kumar fumbled off a lovely pass from Ignace Tirkey.

Thrilling finish

The tie-breaker was quite breathtaking. At one point, Tamil Nadu was within grasp of victory, leading 3-2. If Alfred Asis had converted the last stroke, it would have been a momentous moment for the home team. However, he pushed the ball straight at the goalkeeper and saw Ignace make it 3-3.

In sudden-death, Army maintained its scoring sequence but Ramesh Babu's effort was stopped by Tete to signal the end of an exciting contest. Suresh Kumar, Mahadik and Ignace scored for Army in the tie-breaker, while Muthukumar, Muthuselvan and Ramesh Babu were successful for TN. In sudden-death, Suresh, Ignace and Mahadik scored, while Muthukumar and Muthuselvan sounded the boards for Tamil Nadu.

Special prizes: Player of the Tournament: Dhanraj Pillay (Airlines); Best forward: Sandeep Michael (Airlines); Most promising player: Raja (TN); Best goalkeeper: Arvind (TN).

M.A. Alagappan, Vice-Chairman and Director (Strategy), Murugappa Group, presided and gave away the prizes. M. Meyappan, President, Madras Cricket Club, welcomed the gathering. S.L. Rajiv Reddy, Organising Secretary, proposed the vote of thanks.

The results: Army 7 (Ajit Kumar, tie-breaker: Suresh Kumar 2, Ignace Tirkey 2, Mahadik 2) beat Tamil Nadu 6 (Dinesh Naik, tie-breaker: Muthukumar 2, Muthuselvan 2, Ramesh Babu).

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