Jharkhand reasserts supremacy
February 11, 2019, Kollam
Reference: https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-sports/jharkhand-reasserts-supremacy/article26233361.ece
Jharkhand seized its chances in the second half to defeat Haryana 2-1 and retain the title in the National junior women’s hockey championship at the Hockey stadium here on Sunday.
Haryana controlled the pace of the contest from the start and its domination of the midfield saw frequent forays into the rival D. However, the Jharkhand defence was alert to prevent these moves from getting dangerous.
In the second quarter, Haryana wasted a chance to go ahead as Deepika failed to score after receiving a good centre from Manju.
After a subdued first half, Jharkhand scored twice in space of five minutes to turn around the contest. It drew first blood in the opening minute of the third quarter when Haryana conceded a penalty corner. Captain Reshma Soreng scored with a direct hit in the 31st minute.
Haryana regrouped after the reverse and its aggression forced Jharkhand to be defensive. But it was Jharkhand which scored again against the run of play. A quick break caught the Haryana defence napping and Dung Dung Priya scored in a goalmouth melee in the 39th minute.
However, Haryana continued to attack and Chetna with a reverse flick reduced the margin off a penalty corner drill in the 44th minute.
Jharkand slipped into defensive mode in the last quarter to preserve its lead as Haryana looked dangerous whenever it penetrated the D.
Deepika missed an easy chance to equalise in the 52nd minute. Having latched on to a loose ball, she had the goalkeeper at her mercy but blasted out her attempt. The ultra-defensive Jharkand managed to hold on to its lead and win.
Earlier Mizoram finished third after defeating Uttar Pradesh 2-0 in the loser’s final.
The results:
Final: Jharkhand 2 (Reshma Soreng 31, Dung Dung Priya 39) bt Haryana 1 (Chetana 44).
Loser’s final: Mizoram 2 (Lalrinfeli 23, Lalawmpuii 19) bt Uttar Pradesh 0.
