Bhopal: It was double joy for Hockey Gangpur-Odisha, as both the men’s and women’s teams defeated their opponents for bronze in the Junior National Championship.
In the women’s match, Hockey Gangpur-Odisha trounced Uttar Pradesh Hockey 2-1 to overcome their semi-final disappointment.
Hockey Gangpur-Odisha started the match well and scored two goals in the opening half to take 2-0 lead. Janhabi Pradhan (24′) and skipper Jiwan Kishori Toppo (35′) scored in the first-half. Though Uttar Pradesh Hockey tried to score, Mumtaz Khan could only pull one down in the 40th minute.
In the men’s match, Hockey Gangpur-Odisha defeated defending champions Hockey Odisha 6-1. Though Hockey Odisha took lead in the 16th minute, skipper Pratap Lakra scored a hat-trick (27’, 59’, 63’) to win the match. He was assisted by Sanjay Xalxo, who scored a brace (24’, 35’) and Sudeep Chirmako, who scored in the 32nd minute.
Meanwhile, Hockey Jharkhand secured the title as they came from behind to defeat Hockey Haryana 4-2 in the women’s junior national. In the men’s final, Punjab defeated Haryana 4-2.
