By Our Hockey Correspondent

CHENNAI, AUG. 17. Poise, precision and proficiency came in a right blend from the youth and old warhorses to give the sizable crowd a heady fare of competitive hockey in the Madras Cricket Club- Murugappa Gold Cup tournament at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium on Friday.

If the IHF Juniors symbolised the spirit of youth mirroring the hopes of the nation in future tournaments, the veterans' brigade, distributed between the Indian Airlines and Bharat Petroleum, conveyed the nuances of the sport providing the exquisite touch of yesteryear.

Bharat Petroleum conquered the once all-conquering Indian Airlines in Pool C by the odd goal in three. It was a pity that Airlines had to fight back to constrict the margin after frittering away a handful of chances. Veteran Mukesh played as though determined to give viewers a lesson in wing play. If only a few of his passes were utilised by Altaf or Samir, then Airlines would have finished winner.

Prompted well by Riaz in the mid-field, the Airlines attack was a one-man crusade of Mukesh doing everything without adequate support. The defence held on gamely for a brief period but succumbed to the persistent probing of Petroleum sallies carried forward delightfully by Sabu Varkey. Some of Varkey's forward passes were breathtaking and spelt danger. Amar Aiyamma and Bipin Fernandez also contributed to the strength of the frontline supported commendably in the midfield by S.S. Gill and Sandeep Somesh.

A crafty forward pass by Ravi Nayakar put Amar Aiyamma in line and the latter found the target beating Subbiah all ends up. And shortly after the break, Petroleum consolidated the lead through a penalty corner goal. A fierce shot by Raghuvanshi was stopped by Subbiah. Off the rebound Raghuavanshi tapped it in.

Down by two goals and nothing going right in the frontline, Indian Airlines looked upon Mukesh to redeem its prestige. And as always, the wily winger obliged with a spectacular reverse flick from just outside the striking circle to beat Boppanna, who otherwise had a splendid outing in the match.

Second half rally

Imposing though the margin, the IHF Juniors left many wondering why they were constrained to search for the equaliser twice in the first half. The defence was not well organised nor did the mid-field function with the efficiency expected. Only Bimal Lakra was hard working and reaped some rewards. In the frontline too, consistency and harmony were not apparent though in the end the individual brilliance of Deepak Thakur and Karthik, both of whom shot on target from the 25-yard, put the team on the victory podium.

True, Bengal was not outstanding, but there were phases when its players clearly outshone their opponents. Skipper Christopher Thomas caught the eye most as did Paulus Soy, who hoisted the lead in the early minutes. The Juniors restored parity with Jugraj Singh scoring from a penalty corner in the manner of a Sohail Abbas. Soy struck again off Christopher Thomas putting Bengal ahead again, until a blinder of a backhander from Bipin Thimmiah brought the contestants on equal terms (2-2) at half- time.

Struggling to find the rhythm for the major part, IHF Juniors broke the shackles when Bimal Lakra made capital of a cross from Arjun Halappa. This effort inspired the team as a whole, and there was a noticeable pep in the frontline sallies. Arun Rawat drove beautifully from the fringe of the 25-yard line, followed by Deepak Thakur and Karthick to give IHF Juniors full points in this Pool A encounter.

Saturday's matches: Punjab and Sind Bank v IHF Juniors (2-30 p.m.); Punjab Police v Air India (4-30 p.m.).