The Hindu : Sport / Hockey : ICF beats Railway ‘A’

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ICF beats Railway ‘A’

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: Displaying a blend of skill and system, Integral Coach Factory marched ahead of its challenger Southern Railway ‘A’ in a key contest of the MIOT-CHA senior division super hockey league championship at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium on Thursday.

The 3-0 scoreline will, however, mask the tense moments that resulted from frayed tempers, introducing a sour note to the proceedings.

If Southern Railway had the edge almost throughout the first half, it did not ranslate into anything tangible. Only the hard work of skipper Diwakar and Mahendra Singh stood out. Quite surprisingly, ICF was subdued, perhaps tactfully, to reserve the best for the second half.

Even in the early part of the second session, Railway looked fluent, thanks to the runs by Laxman Karan who was supported by Diwakar.

When Vivek pumped in a penalty corner, goalkeeper Suresh was not equal to the task of blocking a feeble hit and ICF was on its way

Exerting pressure

With a series of sallies, the frontline, where Sarath Babu played an impressive role, began to exert pressure. The Railway defence showed signs of cracking up — largely due to poor positioning — as it was not able to withstand the systematic ICF attack.

Vivek struck again from a penalty corner, piloting the ball to the roof of the net. This goal inflicted a heavy damage on the Railway team, notably the defenders. Protesting almost every decision of the umpire, they only exhibited their frustration at getting outsmarted by the imaginative work of the ICF forwards.

Apart from Sarath Babu, winger Rajendran and Saravanan were prominent for ICF.

ICF put the issue beyond doubt when a delightful move, initiated by Rajendran, culminated in Karthick providing the finishing touches. Needlessly venturing to defend, ICF allowed pressure to develop in its zone. However, the inability of the Southern Railway players to convert the penalty corners that came their way helped ICF finish without a goal against.

ICF has 12 points from four matches, while Railway remains at nine. It might well be an ICF-IOB final on Sunday.

Earlier, SAI ‘A’ beat SAI ‘B’ 7-0. Shyam Kumar (2), Vinod Kumar (2), Gnanavelu, Stalin and Vinod scored for the winner.

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