IA staves off a resolute Bengal

By Abhijit Sen Gupta

CALCUTTA, NOV. 26. Indian Airlines kept its victory march ahead, beating a resolute Bengal 2-0 to continue to top the pool E league in the 60th National hockey championship being played at the Khuman Lampak hockey stadium, Imphal on Sunday, according to information reaching here.

Following close behind was host Manipur which also got its second consecutive victory downing Orissa 3-1 to match the fancied airlines team on top of the table with six points.

In the last match of the six-team pool Nagaland got the better of minnows Assam 3-0 while earning its first points. Bengal and Nagaland have three points each while Assam and Orissa and Assam are yet to open their account.

The star-studded Indian Airlines team, following its 14-0 drubbing on Assam on the opening day on Saturday, found a gritty customer in Bengal whose spirited defiance checked the former's goal-rush.

Olympian Sameer Dad got the airlines team ahead in the 16th minute, while another international Dilip Tirkey converted a penalty corner in the last minute of the first session to fetch the insurance goal. Indian Airlines successfully preserved its scoreline in the second session thwarting the opposition's attempts.

For the host team, Orissa produced an early shock as Ranjit got the visitor ahead in the 17th minute. But Manipur collected itself well to bring up the equaliser through Santa Kumar in the 27th minute.

With the first session ending 1-1, Manipur commanded the second session, getting Chittaranjan and Birjit scoring in the 39th and 53rd minutes respectively to ensure the team's win.

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Section  : Sport
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