Punjab win Junior National Hockey Championships after city lads fumble in final
Punjab win Junior National Hockey Championships after city lads fumble in final
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Punjab rallied to beat Mumbai 2-1 in a fast-paced final to win the inaugural Junior National Hockey Championship for boys under-17 at the Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA) yesterday.
Mumbai have themselves to blame for the loss, having begun well and even taken the lead in the sixth minute with a fine field goal from Ganendrajit Ranjit. However, Ranjit was guilty of missing a host of chances thereafter. He messed up three penalty corners as Mumbai missed 10 overall. 
Mumbai's skipper Roshan Keisham (in blue) and Navraj Singh of Punjab
battle it out during the final of the Jr National Hockey Championship
yesterday. PIC/ATUL KAMBLE
Taking advantage of the hosts missed opportunities, Punjab restored parity in the 18th minute though Davinder Kumar. Mumbai had the ball in the back of the Punjab goal once again, in the 33rd minute but they were pulled up for an infringement and the goal disallowed.
On resumption of play, Mumbai continued to miss opportunities galore and were made to pay once again, when their custodian Karan Thakur misread the last touch as being off his own player and let the ball enter his goal. Unfortunately for him and the hosts, the final touch was actually off a Punjab player ufffd Ramandeep Singh ufffd who failed to trap a pass from teammate Harsahib Singh and earned a goal in the bargain.
Mumbai fought hard to score the equaliser, but as fate would have it, fortune favoured the visitors as yet another goal, off a penalty corner, was disallowed by the umpire. Umpires Shridharan Thamba and A S Negi consulted moments after the ball entered the Punjab goal, and disallowed the goal even as the Mumbai lads were engrossed in celebration.u00a0
Mumbai coach Laxman Rao said his boys erred tactically. "Apart from missing several penalty corners, we made a lot of tactical errors. But, overall I am very happy with the way the boys performed in the tournament. Not much was expected from this team going into the tournament, so I'm happy to have made it to
the final."
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