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BPCL triumphs

Special Correspondent

GURGAON: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited was hardly tested as it defeated Indian Oil 2-0 to win the 19th Lal Bahadur Shastri hockey tournament at the Nehru Stadium here on Wednesday.

BPCL dominated without having to exert itself at any stage of the contest. The side, which lost the Nehru tournament final to Indian Colts at the same venue recently, lacked the flair but possessed the zeal.

Pace was missing in the moves that BPCL generated while Indian Oil lacked the punch through the ranks. With internationals Prabhjot Singh and Deepak Thakur hardly making an impact, Indian Oil’s woes only multiplied as the match progressed.

Driving force

Sabu Varkey was the driving force behind BPCL’s dominance. His ball-distribution was precise and created incessant pressure on the opposition. Upfront, Hari Prasad and Amar Aiyamma strove hard but scoring opportunities remained elusive until the 17th minute when the pair combined to rock Indian Oil.

It was a well-constructed move that began deep in the BPCL territory. The pace that Hari and Aiyamma set scattered the Indian Oil defence and the goal came in a sterling piece of opportunism. Aiyamma moved away from the goal and sent a minus that found Hari placed in perfect position. All that a composed Hari had to do was tap the ball in with all the time in the world.

The goal failed to galvanise Indian Oil into raising its game but BPCL sensed a chance to stifle the opposition. Varkey, ever agile, produced a sensational angular drive that Tushar Khandekar met on the run but the ball sizzled past the side post. Before the session ended, BPCL messed up another chance when Hari found Aiyamma, who failed to finish it off.

The second session was forgettable.

Midway through the half, Hari and Khandekar showed tremendous flair to split the Indian Oil defence. The area was crowded and Khandekar cannily placed the ball at the feet of Aiyamma, lurking at the top of the circle. In a flash, Aiyamma sent the ball in with an angular placement.

Indian Oil earned the only penalty corner of the match in the last minute but, in keeping with its mediocre show, wasted the chance to reduce the margin. For his consistency, Aiyamma was adjudged the player of the tournament.

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