Uttarakhand crush Himachal Pradesh, 9-2 at MHA’s Junior Boy's Nationals: Hockey Recap
Uttarakhand junior boys hammered Himachal Pradesh (HP) with an astonishing 9-2 win in the U-17 junior national hockey boy's championship held at the MHA Mahindra Stadium on May 28. The match took place on the second day of the Mumbai Hockey Association’s
(MHA) organised competition.
This Pool ‘A’ match was played between the two hilly states, but ended up in a single-handed win for the Uttarakhand. They have almost made their way into the pre-quarter finals with their two large wins of 7-1 over host team, Mumbai and now 9-2 over HP.
Since the opening minute, Uttarakhand were dominating their field with consistent attacks. However, a dozen saves from the HP’s goal-keeper, Yogesh Patel, saved them from a huge loss.
In the opening fourth minute, Raju Pal opened up score for Uttarakhand with a field goal at 1-0. As a result, Himachal’s offensive side came into action, pressurising the leading team from making any attempts at their goal. They continued to dominate for
almost fifteen minutes and levelled it with an equaliser in the 18th minute when Siva Shahu converted a penalty corner into a goal, with scores being locked at 1-1.
Six minutes later, Uttarakhand came back into action and gained back their lead with a short-hit made by Ajit Negi, breaking the score lock by 2-1.
Uttarakhand’s lead was contributed by another goal from their key player, Imran Khan, who let down two of HP’s defenders in the circle and attempted a reverse stick-shot into the net, advancing their lead to 3-1 in the 28th minute.
The first half closed with no more additions to the score-board at 3-1.
In the second half, HP began with composure and was found attacking in the defensive circle of Uttarakhand. Despite receiving a number of short corners, the team failed to add up a count into their score.
On the other hand, Uttarakhand preferred playing at offence, in order to put pressure over their opponents, making them step back from attacking their corner. During this attempt, Imran sealed another goal for his team, advancing their lead to 4-1. This
goal took place when he rolled the ball from the mid-field into HP’s defensive circle and dribbled his way near the post and tapped it in the ball, securing the fifth goal of the day at 5-1.
Himachal’s team felt defeated with this goal and lost the hope of getting the hold of the game. On the other hand, Uttarakhand kept on attempting shots into their opponent’s goal, with Imran completing his hat-trick with yet another reverse-stick shot. The
match concluded with a ferocious defeat to Himachal Pradesh team at 9-2.
Apart from Imran, Raju Pal also completed his hat-trick, equally contributing into the game.
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