Punjab, Airlines make grade

By Kamesh Srinivasan

Services 2 -- J&K 2

Chandigarh 3 -- Bengal 0

Punjab 3 -- U.P. 2

Indian Airlines 4 -- BSF 1

JAMMU, DEC. 12. Punjab and Indian Airlines literally stormed into the semifinals of the National hockey championship, a day before the completion of the super-league, at the K.K. Hakhu Stadium here on Tuesday.

Though both the teams have finished only two of their three group engagements each, Punjab and Indian Airlines were able to confirm their berths as they scored consolidating victories to put themselves in an unbeatable position in the race for the qualification.

The brilliance of skipper Baljit Singh Dhillon, who converted a penalty stroke and swept home a penalty corner, helped Punjab score a hard-earned 3-2 triumph over Uttar Pradesh. The latter could have lived to fight another day, or at least make it tougher for Punjab to make the grade, but for messing up an open chance in the end.

It was Baljit Singh Dhillon who put Punjab ahead with a penalty stroke conversion in the 33rd minute, after the award was made by umpire Blaise Monteiro as a shot by Gurmeet Singh was carried by a defender.

Uttar Pradesh drew parity a minute later, Arshad Ahmed tapping home off a pass from Anurag Raghuvanshi. The team went ahead three minutes on resumption, Rajpal Singh capitalising on a cross from Arshad Ahmed.

Punjab responded gamely, converting its sixth penalty corner through Baljit Dhillon who adopted a tactic different from his usual drag flicks, sweeping the ball home into the board.

Eventually, it was Jugraj Singh who clinched the match-winner for Punjab with a carpet drive that sent the ball speeding into the target beating a diving Harjeet Singh in the goal, in the 25th minute. It was an intelligent move, giving the chance to Jugraj, as Baljit Dhillon had succeeded in converting only one of the previous nine penalty corners.

Having beaten Chandigarh in its first match, Punjab made its match in the league on Wednesday against Bengal inconsequential, as its challengers Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh, with one wins each, will not be able to overtake it. The rules specify that in case two teams are tied with equal points and same number of wins, the winner of the match between the two would qualify.

The same rule saw Indian Airlines make grade, with a match to spare, ahead of BSF, the only team that can be termed a challenger in the group. Indian Airlines can afford to lose against Services, and BSF may win by a huge margin, and yet it will be the former that will figure in the knock-out to be played on Friday.

A no-contest

Indian Airlines struggled to strike initially, but once Dileep Tirkey found the target with a sparkling hit off the team's third penalty corner in the 21st minute, the floodgates looked to have been opened.

The Airlines forwardline played like a cohesive unit with Mukesh Kumar providing the spark on the right flank along with Sameer Dad while Virender Singh manned the left-wing ably with some support from Lazarus Barla. Brojen Singh made speedy runs both as a centre-forward and later on the left flank to wean away the defenders, and Airlines struck telling blows to reduce the match into a no-contest.

Virender Singh gave the finishing touch after being set up by Brojen and Mukesh in fetching the second goal for Airlines, three minutes from half-time. Later, Brojen Singh touched home a Lazarus Barla pass to make it 3-0, six minutes on resumption, and could have added one more, but for missing the far-post after launching an attack with Virender Singh.

BSF saved some face with Harbajan Singh finding the target after a Bismobir Singh pass was relayed to him by Marianus Lakra, in the 19th minute of the second half.

Airlines was not in any mood to allow any late recovery, and Mukesh Kumar did the trick with a measured hit, sounding the board over a diving goalkeeper Jasjit Singh, converting the team's fifth penalty corner. BSF forced two of its three penalty corners thereafter but the Airlines goalkeeper Ashish Ballal was far too alert to let anything pass him.

Nothing accidental about it

Earlier in the day, host Jammu and Kashmir showed that it qualifying for the super-league was not a freak achievement by holding Services to a 2-2 draw, thus ending latter's chances of qualification for the semifinals from group `IV'.

Egged on by the vociferous support from the Jammu and Kashmir Bank football team, which watched the proceedings after a training stint in the morning, the host scored twice to draw parity after Services had shot ahead with a goal each in the two halves.

It was Manoj Lokhande who put Services in the lead with a reverse hit in the 16th minute, but Indpal Singh equalised for the host six minutes later with a solo effort that culminated in him tapping past the rival goalkeeper Deep Lakra.

In the second half, Services was a lot more organised in its attacks and forced seven of the 10 penalty corners that came its way. The team succeeded in converting one of them in the 22nd minute through Satvinder Singh.

Services' joy was short lived as John Jojo converted the only penalty corner for Jammu and Kashmir a minute later, with a direct hit. The J & K goalkeeper, K.N. Subbaiah, played a solid role in denying the Services, much to the jubilation of the local admirers who had braved chilly winds.

Chandigarh ousts Bengal

Meanwhile, Chandigarh knocked out Bengal from the reckoning with a 3-0 triumph, though eventually it transpired that Chandigarh would not be able to gain anything from the favourable result except enhance its reputation.

Saurabh Bishnoi converted the team's first penalty corner in the second minute, and Rajpal Singh converted a penalty stroke in the sixth minute to consolidate the position for Chandigarh.

Umpire Mohammed Muneer awarded the penalty as Surjit Singh was stick-checked by goalkeeper Sunil Soreng.

Navdeep Singh shot the third goal for Chandigarh with a smart scoop over the goalkeeper, converting the third penalty corner in the 18th minute.

Chandigarh was unable to make any headway thereafter, but did well to deny Bengal, especially during the five penalty corner drills, through its goalkeeper Devinder Singh.

The four super-league matches on Wednesday will only be of academic interest as the battle lines have been drawn between Railways and Punjab apart from Punjab and Sind Bank (PSB) against Indian Airlines, for the semifinals.

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