Punjab Hockey League: Roundglass Hockey beat SAI Sonipat to go on top of the table

Mohali, Sep 4 (IANS) Roundglass Hockey Academy beat Sports Authority of India National Centre of Excellence (SAI NCOE), Sonipat 3-1 to go on top of the table after day four of the second edition of the Punjab Hockey League (U 21), which is being played here at the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium.

Namdhari Hockey Academy secured a bonus point after a shootout win against SGPC Hockey Academy, Amritsar, after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.

Roundglass Hockey Academy (RGHA) took the lead in the first minute through Gursewak Singh and doubled their lead in the 27th minute after Amandeep Singh converted a penalty corner. RGHA increased their lead in the 33rd minute through Jobanpreet Singh. Navraj Singh scored one goal back for SAI in the final minutes, but it was too late as RGHA posted a comfortable victory and leap ahead of their opposition to take the top position in the table.

A penalty stroke conversion by Sukhdev Singh in the 57th minute saw SGPC Hockey Academy, Amritsar, take the lead against Namdhari Hockey Academy in a tightly fought encounter, but Namdhari equalised in the final minute of the game from a penalty stroke of their own, which was converted by Yuvraj Singh. In the shootout, Yuvraj Singh converted two penalties for Namdhari as goalkeeper Himmat Singh saved four for his team. Only Prabhjot Singh could convert a penalty for SGPC.

In the first match of the day, PIS Surjit Hockey Academy, Jalandhar, posted a comfortable 4-1 victory over SDAT Hockey Academy, Tamil Nadu, for their second win in the league. Both teams went into the halftime break with the score reading 1-1, with Harmolbir Singh scoring for Surjit Hockey Academy and M. Sugumar scoring for SDAT. Goals from Ajaypal Singh, Manmeet Singh Rai, and Charanjeet Singh in the second half ensured a comfortable victory for the side from Jalandhar.

In the final match of the day, Naval Tata Hockey Academy, Jamshedpur, came back from a one-goal deficit to win 3-1 against Ghumanhera Risers Hockey Academy, New Delhi. Sabian Kiro scored a hat trick for Naval Tata while Prikshit scored the consolation goal for Ghumanhera Risers.

Punjab Hockey League is organised jointly by Roundglass Hockey Academy and Hockey Punjab, aiming to provide extensive match exposure to players from the grassroots level and contribute meaningfully to their professional and personal development.

Friday will be a rest day.

--IANS

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