CHANDIGARH, SEPT 27 :It looked as if the Punjab Police have left their scoring hockey sticks at home as they were thrashed by star-sprinkled Indian Oil Corporation by half a dozen goals in a quarter-final match of the 38th SN Vohra’s All India Hockey Tournament being played at the Sector 42 Hockey Stadium here today.
Punjab Police failed to justify their seeding into quarter-final. They could force penalty corners in the 47th, 53rd and 60th minutes. These opportunities they also muffed. On the other hand the IOC capitalised on four out of five penalty corners awarded to them. Drag flickers Raghunath and Didar Singh converted two penalty corners each.
International Inderjit Chadha opened the IOC account with a field goal in the 22nd minute. Hardly had the cheers of the IOC supporters had died down, the winners forced their first penalty corner in the 25th minute. Raghunath converted it with a calculated shot. The winners led 2-0 at half time.
Three minutes into the second half, the Indian Oil Corporation forced their third penalty corner and Raghunath was again on target.
Olympian Didar Singh then contributed a brace. The team management assigning him the task of taking the penalty corners, Didar fully justified the faith reposed in him as he converted penalty corners in the 43rd and 52nd minute as IOC raced to a 5-0 lead.
Olympian Prabhjot Singh displayed his form as he scored a fine field goal one minute before the hooter sounded.
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation became the second team to qualify for semi-final. They snuffed out the challenge of Border Security Force by 3-2 in a day-night match. The security men were given a bye straight into the quarter-final. Playing their first match in this edition, they matched ONGC in all departments of the game. However, ONGC just managed to emerge winners.
ONGC were two goals up within 17 minutes. Parmod scored a field goal to give them lead int he 15th minute and two minutes later, Diwakar Ram converted a penalty corner to make it 2-0.
After resumption, the BSF players looked a transformed lot. Their first attack in the 38th minute helped Mandeep Singh score the first goal for BSF and three minutes later, Sunil Kumar banged home the equaliser for BSF.
Tied two-all, Mandip Singh snatched the match-winner for ONGC with a field goal int he 54th minute. ONGC got five penalty corners and BSF six.
Tomorrow’s fixtures (q-finals): EME vs IOB Chennai ( 4 p.m.) and Western Railway vs Air India (5.30 p.m.).