The Hindu : Sport / Hockey : Varkey is BPCL's hero

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 30, 2005

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Sport - Hockey

Varkey is BPCL's hero

BANGALORE: Sabu Varkey's last-minute goal helped Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited score a narrow 3-2 victory over Karnataka State Police in the Deccan Herald Super Division hockey league here on Wednesday.

BPCL forged ahead with Len Aiyappa scoring off the team's first penalty corner in the seventh minute. The State Cops, however, fought back with Devendra sounding the boards off a penalty corner three minutes later. BPCL's lynchpin Varkey broke through the Police cordon in the 23rd minute to give his team a 2-1 lead at half-time.

KSP's Laxman Rao levelled the scores in the 54th minute and minutes kept ticking by with BPCL struggling to get the match-winner. The ninth penalty corner taken by the side in the final minute was blocked by KSP goalkeeper Arun Babu, but Varkey took the first timer off an acute angle to give his team a nerve-wracking win.

Army XI too had a match on its hands against Sports Authority of India. The SAI boys took the lead in the 15th minute off a penalty corner, Raghunath being the scorer. It held on to the lead for 55 minutes before Army found its rhythm.

First, Elizar Lakra scored off a penalty corner and Karthi struck the match-winner off another corner in the 60th minute. Army and BPCL currently head the table with 18 points each.

In the day's first match, Canara Bank slotted home four goals without reply against Centre of Excellence. Ronald Kiran scored twice off corners (seventh and 28th), with K.P. Dinesh (49th) and John Verghese (55th) notching up the other goals. — Special Correspondent

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