Baljeet’s brace takes Patiala into quarters

Tribune News Service 
Chandigarh, January 15 

Baljeet Singh’s brace helped Hockey Patiala edge past Delhi Hockey 4-3 and qualify for the quarterfinals of the 9th Hockey India Senior National Hockey Championship 2019 (Men) B Division in Chennai on Tuesday. 

Baljeet put Patiala in lead in the fifth minute, but their celebrations were cut short as Rajiv helped Delhi draw level in the very next minute.

Patiala, however, regained the lead in the seventh minute when Rajveer Singh scored through a penalty corner. Baljeet then struck again in the eighth to make it 3-1 for the side. 

Patiala boys then tried to slow down the pace of the match and in the process offered Rajiv to score another goal for Delhi. 

Jaswinder Singh successfully converted a penalty corner in the 43rd minute to add to the Patiala tally.   

Trailing 2-4, Rajiv was once again in the thick of action as he completed his hat-trick in the 46th to keep Delhi in the hunt. Patiala, though, tightened its defense and did not allow their opponents to score in the remaining part of the match to eke out a 4-3 win.

Bengal, Tamil Nadu win

In another match, Bengal Hockey Association drubbed Hockey Rajasthan 5-1. Nitish Neupane (18th, 50th) and Abhishek Pratap Singh (25th, 39th) scored a brace each, while Alsem Lakra (29th) struck once for Bengal. Devesh Vaishnav (42nd) scored the consolatory goal for Rajasthan.

Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu, meanwhile, registered an 8-2 win over Hockey Himachal Pradesh. 

S Manikandan (3rd, 52nd) scored a brace, while Vinod Rayer (8th), Senthil R Nayagam (11th), Senthil Krishnan (14th), V Vinodhan (36th), N Senthil (55th) and J Joshua Benedict Wesely (58th) added a goal each to the Tamil Nadu tally. 

Gagandeep (33rd) and Narendra Kumar (59th) scored for Himachal Pradesh. 

Central Industrial Security Force downed Hockey Puducherry 4-1. Harpreet Singh (6th, 30th) struck twice, while Basant Bharadwaj (21st) and Atif Ateeq (52nd) a goal apiece. E Yuvaraj (36th) was the lone scorer for Puducherry.

Hockey Maharashtra, Sashastra Seema Bal, Central Secretariat, Bengaluru Hockey Association, Hockey Patiala, Food Corporation of India, Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu and Hockey Coorg have qualified for the quarterfinals.