Men’s hockey nationals: U.P, Karnataka, Maharashtra score big wins; Haryana held 4-4 by Odisha

Bhopal: Last edition’s silver medallist Uttar Pradesh Hockey and semifinalists Hockey Karnataka and Maharashtra scored big wins on Day 4 of the pool stage of the 12th Hockey India Senior Men’s National Championship 2022 here on Saturday.

Uttar Pradesh defeated Chattisgarh 7-0, Karnataka outplayed Uttarakhand 9-1 while thrashed Hockey Kerala 7-1 in group stage matches here.

In the first match of the day in Pool B, Uttar Pradesh Hockey registered a 7-0 victory over Chhattisgarh Hockey thanks to goals from Dharmendra Yadav (28′, 38′), Manish Sahani (39′, 60′), captain Arjun Yadav (58′), Suraj Singh (10′) and Mohd Sadiq (38′).

In Pool C, Hockey Karnataka began their campaign with a solid 9-1 win over Hockey Uttarakhand. The goals were split amongst Somanna BP (11′, 49′), Pranam Gowda Y.M (35′, 46′), Harish Mutagar (3′), Chelsea Medappa BN (27′), Likhith BM (33′), Deekshith SP (36′) and Nachappa IR (41′) for Hockey Karnataka. Shahanawaz Hasan (37′) scored for Hockey Uttarakhand.

In Pool D, Hockey Maharashtra surged to a 7-1 win over Kerala Hockey. Captain Taleb Shah (20′, 34′) and Romesh Pillay (12′, 14′) bagged a brace each, while Aditya Rasala (19′), Harish Shindgi (27′) and Suraj Shahi (31′) added one goal each. Premkumar P (49′) pulled back one goal for Kerala Hockey in the fourth quarter.

The match of the day was played in Pool H, as Hockey Haryana drew 4-4 with the Hockey Association of Odisha. Pankaj (1′, 33′) and Deepak (19′, 56′) contributed a brace each for Hockey Haryana. Amandeep Lakra (8′, 15′, 28′, 55′) was the star performer for the Hockey Association of Odisha, as he scored all four goals for his side.

The Pool G match between Manipur Hockey and Hockey Himachal ended in a forfeit, with Hockey Himachal getting three points along with a default 5-0 victory.

–IANS