Sr men's hockey nationals: Karnataka, M.P., Maharashtra win to reach quarters

Hockey Madhya Pradesh defeated Hockey Punjab 3-2 while Karnataka got the better of Le Puducherry Hockey by the same margin. In the third match of the day, Hockey Maharashtra defeated Hockey Jharkhand 4-3 while Hockey Association of Tamil Nadu was held to a draw by Hockey Bengal. However, Tamil Nadu qualified for the last-eight stage.

In the quarterfinals to be played on Saturday, Hockey Madhya Pradesh will meet Hockey Maharashtra, Manipur will take on Tamil Nadu, Haryana will face Punjab while Uttar Pradesh Hockey run into Hockey Karnataka in the last quarterfinal.

In the first match, Hockey Madhya Pradesh defeated Hockey Punjab 3-2 in Division A. Captain Yousuf Affan (4'), leading from the front, scored the first goal of the match for Hockey Madhya Pradesh followed by Mohit Karma (18') and Saddam Ahmed (45'), who also scored one goal each to take a comfortable lead in the game till the end of first three quarters.

Araijeet Singh Hundal (54') tried to make a comeback in the final minutes of the game joined by his teammate Gursahibjit Singh (56') but fell short on Thursday. With this win Hockey Madhya Pradesh remain at the top position in Pool A securing their birth in the quarterfinals on Friday.

In the next match, Hockey Karnataka defeated Le Puducherry Hockey 3-2 in Division A. Captain Mohammed Raheel (12') started the game with the first goal towards the end of the first quarter.

T. Arun Kumar (27') and P Mahendran (37') turned the game upside down by the end of the third quarter. But Sheshe Gowda Bm (58', 60') first equalized the scoreline two minutes before the final whistle and then finished the game in style with another goal securing victory for Hockey Karnataka in an exciting encounter.