35th National Games Unfold Brilliant Performances on the Hockey Turf on Opening Day

- Services Sports Control Board won the match against Punjab 2-1

- Karnataka drew the match with Haryana at 2-2

- Uttar Pradesh beats Odisha by 4-2

- Jharkhand claims a thumping victory over Kerala by 10-1

The 35th National Games being played in Kerala saw four back-to-back exciting clashes during the day where Karnataka drew the match with Haryana at 2-2, Services Sports Control Board won the match against Punjab by 2-1, Uttar Pradesh thumped Odisha by 4-2 in the third match of the day and the last match saw Jharkhand raining goals on Kerala and secured a whooping 10-1 win.

In an exciting clash between Haryana and Karnataka, both the teams held each other with a 2-2 draw in the game being played at New Hockey Stadium, Ashramam, Kerala.

The first half of the game proved to be fruitful for Haryana as they had their opening goal in the fifth minute of the game which came through the stick of Yudhvir Singh. Despite the continuous efforts made by both the teams, none of them were further able to score through the opportunities they got in the first session of the game.

Both the teams placed in Pool B produced a block-busting second half performance and kept on their spirits to convert the maximum scoring opportunities in their favour. It was Haryana’s Arjun Antil who surged in a beautiful field goal in the 35th minute to double the team’s lead by 2-0. With no goals on its side, Karnataka did not lose hope and made a comeback with a confident performance in the second half of the game. Karnataka turned the tables round in its favour when Dharshan made no mistakes and converted a penalty corner in the 51st minute of the game to open their cards with a score of 1-2 on the scoreboard. In the dying minutes of the game, Karnataka took a more commanding role and stroked in a brilliant field goal in the 57th minute which came through Rafeq SM and helped Karnataka to knot the scores by 2-2.

In the second match of the day, Services Sports Control Board posted an exhilarating beginning and won the opening match against Punjab 2-1. Services Sports Control Board showcased a brilliant performance throughout the match and did not let the opponents score even a single goal in the first half. The opening goal of the match came through the stick of Siraj who beautifully converted a penalty corner as early as in the second minute of the game. The entire first half of the game proved to be goalless for Punjab as the opponents continued building up the pressure on Punjab.

Entering the second half of the game, Rajpal gave the right direction to the ball and penetrated a field goal giving a much needed equalizer in the 38th minute with a 1-1 score on board. Services Sports Control Board maintained its intent and were duly rewarded when Chandan Aind tapped the ball in the net in 51st minute to advance the lead 2-1 and emerged as the winners of the game against Punjab by 2- 1.

In the third match of the day, Uttar Pradesh had a clear dominance over Odisha, with the former scoring two goals in the first half coming in the 15th minute from Sunil Yadav, followed by Hamja Mujtaba scoring in the 25th minute. With half time scores at 2-0 and Odisha trailing, Odisha bounced back in the 32nd minute, when they scored their first field goal through Ajam Baig. Odisha did not stop here and equalized the scores in the 45th minute when Sailendra Singh converted a penalty corners that the team secured. With scores tied at 2-2, it was anyone’s game from here. Uttar Pradesh scored their third goal in the 60th minute which came from the stick of Imran Khan. Vinod of Uttar Pradesh went on to score the fourth goal for the team in the 69th minute through a field goal, helping his team to win the match by 4-2.

The last match of the day saw complete dominance of Jharkhand over Kerala. The former started their scoring spree just two minutes into the game when Noel Dodroi scored a field goal. Noel yet again scored in the 4th minute, taking the score to 2-0. Just before the end of first half Ansalem Hembrom scored in the 34th minute for the team, taking the score to 3-0 at half time. Entring the second half, Jharkhand continued converting the opportunities and the fourth one was scored by Anup Topno in the 40th minute. Noel again was seen in action in the 43rd minute when scored another field goal and took the tally to 5-0. The very next minute, Anup scored his second goal and the sixth one for the team. Jharkhand added another three goals to the total in the 49th, 57th and 59th minute and talking the score to 9-0. Kerala finally struck in the 62nd minute, when Praveen Kumar scored through a field goal. Jharkhand ended the game by adding one more goal to the scorecard when Amarjeet Ekka scored in the 64th minute and claimed the match by 10-1 over Kerala.