Hockey Jr Nationals: Sudhir Kujur Scores Hat-Trick As Odisha Beats Bhopal In Opener

Bhopal: Hockey Odisha defeated Bhopal 4-1 to begin their Hockey Junior Nationals campaign on a positive note.

Bhopal took early lead after Mushtak Ahmad scored the first goal of the match in the 31^st minute. Two minutes later, Pradeep Lakra got the equaliser for Odisha. A fine show by Sudhir Kujur, who struck thrice in the 54^th, 61^stand the 64^th minute sealed the opening match for Odisha.

In other matches, Hockey Chandigarh defeated Maharashtra 5-3. Similarly, Haryana beat Jharkhand 2-1. Similarly,

Uttar Pradesh got the better off Mumbai Hockey Association Limited by 3-0 margin, while Sports Authority of India beat Hockey Himachal 4-0.

In B division, Hockey Karnataka, Hockey Coorg, Andhra Hockey Association and Hockey Bihar qualified for the semi-finals after it emerged victorious in their respective quarter-final matches.

Results: Division B

Hockey Karnataka bt Punjab National Bank 2-1

Andhra Hockey Association bt Bengal Hockey Association 3-2

Hockey Bihar bt Bengaluru Hockey Association 5-2