Punjab, Odisha, Jharkhand and Haryana Hockey teams enter semi-finals

Hockey Punjab, Hockey Odisha, Hockey Jharkhand and Hockey Haryana enter semi-finals of the 5th Hockey India Sub-Junior Women National Championship 2015

Ranchi, 29 May 2015: Showcasing high-level performances in the pool matches, the top teams have now reached the semi-finals of the 5th Hockey India Sub-Junior Women National Championship 2015, being played in Ranchi, Jharkhand. In the first semi-final clash, Hockey Punjab will lock horns with Hockey Odisha while Hockey Jharkhand will clash against Hockey Haryana in the second semi-final, both matches are scheduled for tomorrow.

- Hockey Haryana edge-past Hockey Gangpur-Odisha 2-0
- Hockey Andhra Pradesh drubs Chhattisgarh Hockey 4-1
- Hockey Odisha outplays Delhi Hockey 4-0

For today's games, in the first match of the day, Hockey Haryana pulled off a fine win against Hockey Gangpur-Odisha by a 2-0 and in the second match it was Hockey Andhra Pradesh who beat Chhattisgarh Hockey by 4-1. In Pool D, Hockey Odisha outplayed Delhi Hockey by 4-0.

Hockey Haryana edged past Hockey Gangpur-Odisha by 2-0 to win the opening game of the day. Both the teams attacked from the first minute and battled against each other with their skills and tactics. However, fate favoured Hockey Haryana when they were awarded a penalty corner in the 6th minute which was successfully converted by skipper Jyoti to take the early lead. In the second half, thwarting all attempts of Hockey Gangpur-Odisha, Hockey Haryana's Dimple broke through the opposition's defence-line and smashed a field goal in the 53rd minute to double the lead for Hockey Haryana. By the final whistle, Hockey Haryana won the game 2-0.

In another match in Pool C, Hockey Andhra Pradesh produced a clinical performance and beat Chhattisgarh Hockey by 4-1. Hockey Andhra Pradesh made constant forays into the rival area and their star player Maheswari Balagonda opened the score-card in the 11th minute from a field effort. However the joy was short-lived as Chhattisgarh Hockey's Anjali Mahto perfectly placed the ball into the net and scored a leveller in the 16th minute. The first goal boosted the confidence of the players and Maheswari Balagonda struck a wonderful brace in the 25th and 31st minutes to take the score-line to 3-1 before going into the break. The second half of the game saw the same spirit in Hockey Andhra Pradesh as they went on to add another goal to their tally through Varalakshmi Uippili, who struck a field goal in the 40th minute. As Chhattisgarh Hockey was unable to add any further goals to their account, the game concluded on a win for Hockey Andhra Pradesh over Chhattisgarh Hockey by 4-1.

In the Pool D match, Hockey Odisha outplayed Delhi Hockey by 4-0 with the help of Elima Minz's spectacular hat-trick. Hockey Odisha dominated the match from the first minute and Elima opened the account in the 25th minute when she stormed into the opponent's half and sent the ball into the net to take the early lead. Hockey Odisha continued their aggressive attacks, which was led by Elima from the front and she scored two more goals in 43rd and 44thminutes, taking the score-line to 3-0. In the 60th minute, Ashim Kanchan extended the lead when she entered in opponent's D by out-foxing defenders and hit the ball in the goal-box to score the fourth goal. With the attacking game-plan, Hockey Odisha registered a 4-0 win over Delhi Hockey.

Results of the day-

Pool C - Hockey Haryana 2 Jyoti (6 min-PC), Dimple (53 min-FG) vs Hockey Gangpur Odisha 0

Pool C Hockey Andhra Pradesh 4 Maheswari Balagonda (11min-FG, 25min-PC, 31min-FG), Varalakshmi Uippili (40min- FG) vs Chhattisgarh Hockey 1 Anjali Mahto (16min-FG)

Pool D Hockey Odisha 4 Elima Minz (25min-FG, 43min-FG, 44min-FG), Ashim Kanchan (60min- FG) vs Delhi Hockey 0

Schedule - (Saturday) 30 May 2015