The Hindu : Sport : Delhi to meet Punjab and Sind Bank

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Friday, Nov 03, 2006
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Delhi to meet Punjab and Sind Bank

S. Thyagarajan

A six-decade old wait ends for Delhi; Indian Oil capitulates to PSB

PHOTO: RAJEEV BHATT

WELL-EARNED WIN: The Delhi team celebrates its win over Namdhari XI.

Jalandhar: As the final whistle sounded, they slid down the turf joyously like a bunch that had spotted gold. Understandably, Delhi deserved every moment of its celebration after beating the Namdhari XI 2-1. The team had waited for six decades to be part of the national hockey final, and this came to be on a pleasant afternoon here at the Surjit Stadium.

Delhi locks horns on Friday with the defending champion, Punjab and Sind Bank, which put an end to a dull contest against Indian Oil through a last minute goal by Taswarjit Singh, to fight for the Rangaswamy Cup in the event sponsored by Dainik Bhaskar and Tracer Shoes.

Two goals, each one a gem, embellished Delhi's authoritative victory. The 2-1 margin may not adequately portray the spasmodic incandescence. The spell of dominance by the Namdharis was smothered with effective work in the defence, notwithstanding the five penalty corners Delhi conceded.

Stepping it up

Predictably circumspect at the start, Delhi perceptibly accelerated, carving out forays that spun a web of confusion among the rival defence. Pramode Kumar and Prem Kumar — the scorers for Delhi in a space of three minutes midway through the first half — were bewitching. The understanding the pair displayed was exemplary, as was their proficiency with the stick. The bouts of passing they indulged in imparted an element of verve and vivacity to the Delhi attack, supported ably by Bikash Topno and Sukhpal Singh, with Gurvinder coming up with sinuous runs through the defence. So much so that never for a moment did one feel that Delhi was missing its striker, Damandeep Singh, owing to a red card suspension.

In the mid-field Rajinder was the cynosure. Almost throughout, he never put a foot wrong. Harvinder Singh and Sandeep Kumar guarded the flanks with utmost confidence. While the deep defence where Satpal Singh looked tireless, goal-keeper Jasbir Singh deserves a special tribute. Some of his saves suggested adeptness and athleticism.

Gallant in defeat

By no stretch of imagination should it be assumed that Namdharis were outplayed. If endeavour is a virtue of sport, the Namdharis probably were the best in the tournament. Amolok Singh in the defence and Gurvinder Singh in attack caused a lot of worry to the Delhi defence. The goal by Gurcharan Singh, which brought the Namdharis into the match about 10 minutes before, was a beauty after the penalty corner was almost flunked. But clearly, Delhi was a shade better.

In contrast, the heavyweight contest between the winner and runner up of last year failed to produce anything praiseworthy. It developed into such a desultory affair of missed chances. One was waiting for the end, one way or the other. Finally, a penalty corner by Taswarjit Singh ended the agony.

Neither team showed its class and calibre. If Prabhjot missed a few sitters for Indian Oil, the same should be said for PSB for whom Rajwinder Singh fumbled until Taswarjit obtained the match winner.

The results: Semifinals: Delhi 2 (Parmod Kumar, Prem Kumar) beat Namdhari XI 1 (Gurcharan Singh); Punjab and Sind Bank 1 (Taswarjit Singh) beat Indian Oil 0.

Friday's matches: Third place match: Namdhari XI v Indian Oil (10-30 a.m.); Final: Delhi v PSB (2 p.m.).

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