Back
Sport
-
Hockey
Sultans downs Hi-Fliers
By V. V. Subrahmanyam
HYDERABAD, JAN. 27. World record-holder Sohail Abbas scored an incredible hat-trick in the first seven minutes to help Hyderabad Sultans beat Bangalore Hi-Fliers 5-2 in a crucial Tier I match of the Premier Hockey League at the floodlit Gachibowli Complex here on Wednesday night.
Sohail Abbas started straight away converting the first penalty-corner in the very second minute. Within three minutes, Waseem Ahmed was all over on the left flank and threatened to move into the striking zone when he tackled and earned his team a penalty-corner. Sohail didn't disappoint. After the two quick blows, the Bangalore camp looked out of sorts.
Lazarus Barla, then earned the third penalty-corner in the seventh minute which saw Sohail Abbas complete the second hat-trick of the League.
It was a high-voltage game by Hyderabad Sultans that saw Susan Topno, Indrajit Chadha and Sameer Dad working in tandem upfront.
Comfortable lead
With Arjun Halappa and Tushar Khandekar denied any freedom near the striking zone, Sultans comfortably led 3-0 by the end of third quarter. After such a start, the result seemed predictable.
In the third quarter, Waseem Ahmed essayed a lovely swift pass to the waiting substitute Avtar Singh inside the `D' and he pushed the ball into the goal to make it 4-0. It was turning out to be a largely one-sided affair as soon the speedy Dad showed wonderful anticipation to trap a high ball from the left by Waseem Ahmed to go in for a sliding effort to make it 5-0.
Strategy change
There was change in the strategy by Hi-fliers in the third quarter which saw them get three penalty-corners in quick time. Malaysian Kuhan Shanmuganathan converted the first one to open the account in the 45th minute. Then Mudassar Ali Khan threatened with a lovely reverse hit on the move from the left of `D' but was unlucky to see Ahmed Alam make a brilliant effort to palm it away to safety. Len Aiyappa, however, converted the third penalty-corner in the 52nd minute. Sultans earned its fourth penalty-corner but it was wasted.
After this match, Hyderabad Sultans has nine points from four matches with three wins while Bangalore has six from same number of matches.
Thursday is a rest day and the league resumes on January 28.
Decision reverted
In an unusual move, but which is said to be within the rules of the on-going league, the tournament director, H.S. Bawa, reverted the decision of the field umpire Waseem Ahmed, who showed a red card to V.S. Vinay of Bangalore Hi-Fliers for repeating his foul in the match against Hyderabad Sultans on last Sunday.
On Sunday it was presumed that Vinay would be made to sit it out for today's match.
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu