Team Herald
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MAPUSA: Hockey Uttar Pradesh clinched the 12th Junior Hockey India Sub-Junior Men National Championship at the hockey astro turf, Peddem Sports Complex, Mapusa, on Sunday.
The winners scored a staggering three-goal win over defending champions Jharkhand. Amidst the hype and cheering the match kicked off with both teams battling it out for ball possession with Jharkhand getting the better of their counterparts.
A few midfield errors from Jharkhand led to them giving away easy ball possession from which UP took over and it led to the first goal of the final courtesy Sharukh Ali in the 10th minute of the match.
Jharkhand looked to make a quickfire comeback but were met with feisty tackles from the UP lads and a counter-attack soon led to another goal for the big match player Shahrukh Ali who bagged his second goal of the game and the pressure was now on Jharkhand to put forth a comeback with 3 quarters remaining.
A second-quarter filled with aggressive play from both sides vowed the spectators but there were no goals from either side. The third quarter saw a hungry Jharkhand try their best to make a comeback but the rock-solid UP defence put not just their sticks but also their bodies on the line with two green cards and a yellow card being issued to the UP cavalry.
The Jharkhand boys kept on creating chances with the time ticking and the championship slipping out of their hands with each passing second.
As the fourth quarter begun the Jharkhand lads looked pumped up to make a comeback but their enthusiasm was cut short by another goal by Sharukh Ali who notched up a hat-trick and sealed the deal for the central Indian side.
In the third-place match earlier in the day, the Hockey Association of Odisha defeated Hockey Haryana 5-2.
Goans Hockey President Xavier Marquis welcomed Govind Gaude, Minister of Sports, Art & Culture and RDA to the closing ceremony celebrations. Secretary-General Goa Olympics Association Gurudutta Bhakta, senior Vice President Farell Furtado, secretary Benny Viegas, and treasurer Valanka D’Souza were also present.