Rourkela (Odisha) [India], May 22 (ANI): The 13th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship 2023 saw action-packed performances as Kerala Hockey and Hockey Bengal registered their first wins in the tournament being played at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium.
In the first match of the day, Kerala Hockey defeated Hockey Karnataka 4-3. Aman Abhishek Kerketta (20′, 57′) opened the account for Kerala Hockey and scored two goals for his side. Arjun Krishna M L (22′) and Pratap Lakra (23′) also scored one goal each for Kerala Hockey to set up their win. For Hockey Karnataka, Varun Madappa C.R. (11′, 34′) scored two goals and Uthappa K.S. (8′) also contributed with one goal.
In the second match of the day, Hockey Bengal defeated Hockey Himachal 12-0. Aman Kumar Thakur (43′, 51′, 53′, 55′) was the top-scorer for Hockey Bengal as he scored four goals for his side. Ayush Prasad (28′, 30′, 33′) also played extensively well and scored a hat-trick. Bishnu Paswan (49′, 50′) also scored a brace whereas Shivam Rabidas (21′), Captain Bijay Shaw (40′) and Matius Khalkho (48′) scored one goal each to help Hockey Bengal get the win.
Notably, later today, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Hockey will take on the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu, Hockey Andhra Pradesh will face off against Le Puducherry Hockey and Hockey Haryana will compete against Chhattisgarh Hockey in their respective pool matches.
Also, on Sunday night Hockey Arunachal defeated Hockey Rajasthan 4-2. Moohamed Jaeed (6′, 12′, 12′, 30+’) was the standout performer for Hockey Arunachal, scoring four goals. For Hockey Rajasthan, Himanshu Kumar Meena (34′) and Rajjit Singh (39′) scored one goal each.
In the other match of Sunday, Hockey Madhya Pradesh defeated Hockey Bihar 12-0. Karan Gautam (2′, 25′, 41′, 51′) and Aashir Aadil Khan (32′, 34′, 36′, 37′) scored four goals each. Subhan Abid (15′, 24′) scored a brace whereas Tushar Parmar (29′) and Avtar Nayak (55′) scored one goal each to help Hockey Madhya Pradesh get the win.
In the final match on Sunday, Hockey Uttarakhand defeated Hockey Maharashtra 5-1. Suraj Kumar (18′, 28′, 49′, 50′, 56′) scored all five goals for Hockey Uttarakhand. Suraj Dipak Shukla (29′) scored the sole goal for Hockey Maharashtra.
