Sub-junior men's hockey nationals: Haryana, Jharkhand in final

Jind (Haryana), March 24 (IANS) Haryana and Jharkhand will lock horns in the title clash of the 11th Sub-Junior Men's National Championship here on Thursday.Haryana booked their place in the summit event with a resounding 7-0 win against Manipur in the first semi-final match. Prikshit Panchal (7th minute, 29th) scored two goals while Jeetpal (15th), Sumit (24th), Amit Khasa (46th), Sukhwinder (58th) and Amandeep (60th) scored a goal each in Haryana's commanding win."We prepared very well before the start of the tournament and I couldn't have asked more from the boys in the semi-final against Manipur, who are a good team. Today, we showed a lot of fight. We need to be wary of Jharkhand's threat in the final. But I am confident that we can win the title," Haryana coach Gurvinder Singh said.In the second semi-final match, Jharkhand beat Uttar Pradesh Hockey 3-1 in a shootout after the regulation time ended in a 2-2 deadlock.Jharkhand were in control after taking a 2-0 lead in the first half through goals from Nmit Dohdray (3rd) and Abhishek Tigga (16th). Uttar Pradesh pulled one back in the fourth quarter with Raza Ali (50th) scoring a field goal. With just one minute left for full time, Shahrukh Ali (59th) scored to level scores 2-2. Jharkhand goalkeeper Duga Munda saved three of Uttar Pradesh's attempts in the shootout."Our target was to reach the semi-finals, but I'm delighted that the boys held their nerve today," Jharkhand coach Adam Horo said after his side's thrilling win. "I am delighted that we have reached the final. Honestly, I was nervous before the shootout as we didn't get enough practice time but our goalkeeper was fantastic. As a coach, I am proud of my boys." The third place match between Manipur and Uttar Pradesh will start at 9 am on Thursday while the final match will commence at 4 pm.
--IANS qma/