Jr Men's Zonal Hockey C'ships: Hockey Haryana win 2nd match; big wins for Odisha, Karnataka

New Delhi, March 20 (IANS) Hockey Haryana registered their second successive win; Odisha and Karnataka register big wins while Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra played out a thriller in their respective zones in 1st Hockey India Junior Men Zonal Championships 2023. Hockey Rajasthan too registered a big win in the west zone.

Here's a look at how the action unfolded in the various zones on Monday.

North Zone: Hockey Haryana wins two in a row

In the first match of the day in the 1st Hockey India Junior Men North Zone Championships 2023, Hockey Himachal forfeited their game against Hockey Chandigarh, giving Hockey Chandigarh a default 5-0 victory.

The second match of the day between Hockey Haryana and Hockey Uttarakhand saw Hockey Haryana emerge victorious with a 4-0 scoreline. Rohit Khatri (21') started the scoring by converting a penalty corner followed by Rohit Rana (41') slotting a penalty stroke out of the keepers' reach. Team Captain Prikshit Panchal (43', 44') put the game beyond doubt with his brace.

South Zone: Hockey Karnataka register a big victory

In the first game of the day in the South Zone Championships in Ramanathpuram, Tamil Nadu, Hockey Karnataka defeated Le Puducherry Hockey 19-0. Dhruva Bs (1', 36', 55') opened the account for Hockey Karnataka in the very first minute, followed by goals from Kushal Bopaiah Cb (2', 50'), Sunil P B (7'), Akhil Aiyappa (13', 19', 21', 42'), Team Captain Pavan Dr (15', 48'), Dhruva Kr (19', 28', 42', 45'), Pilla Akash Nageshwara Rao (22'), Veesam Sai Paramweswararao (39') and Dhanush Shane D (59').

Tamil Nadu Hockey Unit defeated Kerala Hockey 3-1 in the second match of the day. Anand Y (3', 36') and Ramanathan K (15') converted penalty corners to put the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu in command of the game. Kolnati Sai Ram (43') pulled a goal back for Kerala Hockey near the end, but it was in vain.

Hockey Andhra Pradesh defeated Telangana Hockey 5-0 in the third match of the day. Nadiminti Akhil Venkat (29', 32', 47'), Shaik Irfan (36'), and Kotaru Teja (46') scored for Hockey Andhra Pradesh to put the game beyond doubt.

East Zone: Hockey Association of Odisha win big

In the East Zone Championship being held in Khunti (Ranchi), Jharkhand, the Hockey Association of Odisha beat Assam Hockey 14-0. The goal scorers were Aryan Xess (5', 22', 30', 37', 54'), Anmol Ekka (26', 26', 43', 48', 58'), Team Captain Pratap Toppo (41', 58'), Abhishek Kispotta (49') and Sanjit Tirkey (60').

Hockey Jharkhand defeated Hockey Bengal 8-0 in the second match of the day. Hockey Jharkhand made a statement of intent for the rest of the Championships by scoring 5 of their goals through penalty corners.

Nmit Dohdray (14'), Roshan Ekka (20', 25', 41'), and Joseph Dhodray (28', 56') scored the penalty corners while Mangra Dohdray (41') scored a field goal and Rohit Tirkey (51') converted his penalty stroke to end the game in Hockey Jharkhand's favour.

West Zone: Hockey Maharashtra and Hockey Madhya Pradesh play out a thriller

In the West Zone Championship at Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, hosts Hockey Madhya Pradesh defeated Hockey Maharashtra 5-3. Prashant Rajput (4') scored Hockey Madhya Pradesh's first goal, followed by Vinay Sanik (15'), Tushar Parmar (23', 51'), and Yogesh Punde (30').

Hockey Maharashtra threatened to make a comeback after Kartik Ramesh Patare (42', 57') and Captain Jay Kale (46') scored in quick succession, but Tushar Parmar scored again to put the game out of reach.

Hockey Rajasthan defeated Hockey Gujarat 10-1 in the second match. Jitendra Singh Shekhawat (13', 37', 47', 53', 59'), Sudhir (15'), Deepu Choudhary (22', 36'), Ravinder Singh Rajvi (26'), and Team Captain Kulveer Singh (30+') all scored for Hockey Rajasthan as they recorded a comfortable win. Meanwhile, Nikunj Salvi (58') scored a consolation goal for Hockey Gujarat.