Jalandhar (Punjab) [India], September 15 : Roundglass Hockey Academy (RGHA) and Sports Authority of India National Centre of Excellence, Sonipat, continued their winning run as Phase II of the second edition of the Punjab Hockey League (U-21) got underway today here at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium.
Both teams continue to occupy the top two places in the table, with RGHA maintaining their unbeaten run while SAI Sonipat remain within touching distance of the table toppers, according to a press release from Hockey Premier League.
In the first match of phase II, SDAT Hockey Academy, Tamil Nadu secured a comfortable 3-1 victory over last placed Ghumanhera Risers Hockey Academy, New Delhi, to take their points tally to 10 points in the league. S. Vishal gave SDAT the lead in the seventh minute, and it was doubled by S. Krishnan, who converted a penalty stroke in the second quarter. Ghumanhera halved the deficit with a strike from Kunal Singh Chhikara, but M. Sugumar's strike in the final quarter gave SDAT a comfortable victory.
SAI Sonipat raced to a two-goal lead in the first quarter with goals from Navraj Singh and Srijan Yadav in the second match of the day. Naval Tata Hockey Academy, Jamshedpur came back strongly to draw level with the help of goals from Ashish Tani Purti and Premchand Soy but a penalty stroke conversion by Hargun Singh and a field goal from Harpal Singh gave SAI Sonipat a 4-2 victory to maintain their second place in the table.
Roundglass Hockey Academy were pushed all the way as they edged past Namdhari Hockey Academy 2-1 in a tightly fought contest. After a goalless first half, Gurpreet Singh converted a penalty corner to give Namdhari the lead, two minutes after the restart. Japnit Singh converted a penalty corner seven minutes later for RGHA to draw level. As the game looked to head to a shootout, Gursewak Singh struck the crucial blow in the 58th minute to give RGHA their seventh win of the league.
In the final match of the day, home side PIS Surjit Hockey Academy moved into third place in the table with a 2-1 win over SGPC Hockey Academy, Amritsar. Surjit Hockey Academy took the lead in the 55th minute after Manroop Singh converted a penalty corner. Manmeet Singh;s strike in the 59th minute ensured all three points for his side. SGPC scored one back in the final minute of the game through Harmanreet Singh, but it was too late for the side from Amritsar for a comeback.
Punjab Hockey League is organised jointly by Roundglass Hockey Academy and Hockey Punjab, aims to provide extensive match exposure to players from the grassroots level and contribute meaningfully to their professional and personal development.
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