Indian Oil has it easy

By Nandakumar Marar

MUMBAI, DEC. 3. Indian Oil routed Tata Sports Club 8-2 in the concluding Pool D match of the National hockey championships and took a coveted place at the top of the six-team table. Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) ran into Mumbai at its best on home turf at the Mahindra stadium, struggled to assert its supremacy before two penalty corner conversions made possible a 2-0 verdict and the second place in Pool D. Both winners have thus qualified for the Nationals at Jammu later this month.

The Oilmen's display was a Sunday treat for Mumbai's hockey fans, though a local side was at the receiving end. This New Delhi- based team comprising senior and junior internationals, set a blistering pace right from the outset, but what set up apart was the silken ease when switching from defence to offence. The 8-2 verdict will put Indian Oil in a happier frame of mind for the tougher battles ahead.

CRPF, in contrast, had to sweat it out till the end against Mumbai in full cry, but showed poise under pressure to accomplish its fourth victory in five matches for an aggregate of 12 points, the same as Indian Oil (23 goals, nine against) but an inferior goal difference (16 for, three against) of plus 13. The first match of the day saw Maharashtra edge out Gujarat 3-2 to take the third place.

Inderjeet Singh gave Tatas a taste of the impending rout as early as in the fifth minute when his shot on the run saw the ball slipping past goalkeeper Mallan Gowda, only to crash into the right post and bounce back into play. A three-goal blitz followed, two field goals by skipper Deepak Thakur and a drag flick conversion by Bikramjit Singh off the second penalty corner.

Tatas, trailing by three goals within 18 minutes, pulled one back through Weldon Miranda who scored past goalkeeper Baljeet Singh. Indian Oil hit back through Kamlesh Kumar, scoring with a swerve and a shot on the run past goalkeeper Gowda, who was replaced by A.P. Girish. Raju Bagade's clever deflection off a Cheops D'Costa push off the second penalty corner saw Tatas trailing 2-4 at the breather, beaten but not disgraced.

However, the second half was a one-way affair with goals from nippy Hamza Mojtaba (two), Prabhjot and a diving strike by Inderjeet denying Tatas, missing the services of striker Claes Ferreira due to injury, any breathing time. Indian Oil, up 8-2 at this stage could have added two more through Prabhjot, but goalkeeper Girish foiled both attempts, padding away the first and then rushing out to thwart another raid.

CRPF's goals against Mumbai came through S.K. Vashist, the strapping defender stepping up to sound the boards through the direct route off the second and fourth penalty corners.

Mumbai functioned as a team for the first time in this competition, the positioning and passing an indicator of what might have been had it been more consistent, instead of skipper Sabu Varkey and Cheops D'Costa taking on the entire team's workload. The host was further hit by reliable defender Callistus D'Souza ruled out due to a finger dislocation.

In the first match, Maharashtra scored through Anup Topno, Sachin Godse and P.D. Barla to defeat Gujarat, for whom regular goal- scorers Nisar Garasia and Shashi Gorade once again were on target.

Punjab tops Pool G

JAMMU, DEC. 3. Fancied Punjab overcame Border Security Force (BSF) 2-0 to top Pool G with four straight victories in the preliminary league matches of the Senior National hockey tournament here today. Despite the defeat BSF also qualified for the main draw of the championship as it finished second in the pool. In a tough contest, both the goals came in first half. Punjab surged ahead in the 9th minute when Jagraj Singh converted a penalty corner. Nine minutes later Daljeet Singh captalised on the defensive lapse to send the ball home for the second goal.

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