DOMINATING THE DAY: Railways' Saba Anjum (right) not only gave an early lead, but also played a big role in ensuring another title for it. - PHOTO: SANDEEP SAXENA

NEW DELHI: Railways produced a matchless performance by controlling the game from both the flanks and squeezed Haryana into a corner before winning the NTPC 54th Women's National hockey championship title at the Shivaji Stadium here on Thursday.

Wingers Saba Anjum and Mamta Kharab pounded Haryana with a series of forays from the start to announce their intentions early on. In a match that saw four yellow cards and a few flare-ups, Railways triumphed 3-0 to win the Lady Ratan Tata Trophy for the 21st time in a row.

In 2005 Nationals, Railways shared the title with Haryana after the two teams were tied 1-1 at the end of the regulation time. The technical bench was forced to suspend the play foreseeing trouble.

This time around, Railways left no such corners open and played with authority till the last minute. Only twice Haryana really threatened Railways through its striker Simarjeet Kaur, but the defence line of Subhadra Pradhan and Suman Bala foiled the attempts. The five penalty corners Haryana earned were wasted due to poor trapping.

Diving deflection

Saba put Railways in front with a diving deflection from the right of the post in the second minute of the match. That was the first penalty corner of the match.

A minute later, Mamta set up Saba, but she failed to trap the long cross. The way Railways team combined, Haryana found it extremely difficult to break in. Surinder Kaur put Railways on a high when she tapped the ball in for 2-0 lead. Suman Bala had set the stage through a powerful grounder, which was padded off by Haryana goalkeeper Jasdeep Kaur.

Haryana lacked the kind of vibrancy it always has shown. In the last Nationals, Haryana almost matched Railways on all fronts. But with exodus of players seeking better jobs in other states has hit Haryana hard.

Seasoned striker

Still, the seasoned striker Simarjeet sparkled, if only twice. In the 51st minute she raced solo from 30-yard line cutting through the half-line and into the Railways forte. After having beaten five defenders, Simarjeet was stopped on the top of the circle. She repeated the same attack with Saravjeet Kaur in tow four minutes before the close, but in vain.

On the counter, Sanggai Chanu set up Saba, who in turn found Sarita Lakra before finally Masira Surin charged from the centre and pumped in the third goal.

"Railways played a controlled game and they deserved to win," was how Haryana coach Baldev Singh reacted. "We could have done better, but Railways won on their vast experience," he added.

In the play-off for the third place, Delhi rallied from a goal to beat Madhya Pradesh 2-1. Neha Singh and Sushila Sharma were the scorers for Delhi. Harjinder Kaur Kamboj, one of the six players who shifted Haryana, had put Madhya Pradesh ahead.

The results: Final: Railways 3 (Saba Anjum 2nd, Surinder Kaur 16th, Masira Surin 67th) bt Haryana 0.

Play-off for third place: Delhi 2 (Neha Singh 15th, Sushila Sharma 23rd) bt Madhya Pradesh 1 (Harjinder Kaur Kamboj 10th).

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