Men Hockey India – : Defending champions Shrachi Bengal Tigers may not have performed as per their conditions but did enough to register a 3-1 win over JSW Surma HC in the Men’s Hockey India League at the SDAT-Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium here on Sunday. Later, in an entertaining contest, Vedanta Kalinga Lancers put in a top-class performance – it came back from the deficit twice – to beat Ranchi Royals 4-2, with drag-flick specialists Alexander Hendricks and Gursahibjit Singh scoring two goals each to secure full points. A case of mediocrity What was expected to be a high-quality encounter between the previous season’s champions and a third-placed team that could rarely rise above mediocrity.
Both sides struggled in the attacking cycle, squandering possession and promising situations, as the game lacked purpose without seriously testing either goalkeeper. Especially poor finishing was seen in the first half.
Surma’s talisman Jugraj Singh – last season’s top scorer with 12 goals – failed to convert all three of his penalty-corner attempts. The Tigers were also weak up front and were unable to convert the advantage into clear chances.
After the break the tigers finally started roaring. In the third quarter, Tom Grambusch’s penalty-corner drive took a slight touch off Sukhjit Singh’s stick to break the deadlock.
The goal boosted the spirits of the Tigers, who began to move forward with great purpose. Soon after, Abhishek showed why he remains one of the most dangerous forwards in the league. With Jeremy Hayward blocking him, Abhishek moved the ball wide and fired a powerful backhand which went past keeper Vincent Vanash to double the lead.
Surma threatened a late comeback when Prabhjot Singh fired past Jamie Carr with six minutes remaining. Feeling it was a race against time, Surma took back Wanasch in a last-ditch attempt to score the equaliser.
However, the Tigers took advantage of the empty goalmouth and Gursewak Singh grabbed the equaliser. Result: Srechi Bengal Tigers 3 (Sukhjeet 33-pc, Abhishek 45, Gursevak 60) bt JSW Soorma HC 1 (Prabhjot 54). Vedanta Kalinga Lancers 4 (Hendricks 9-pc, 28-pc, Gursahibjit 16, 26) bt Ranchi Royals 2 (Boon 1-pc, Mandeep 9).