Petroleum Sports Promotion Board were crowned as the champions of the 1st Hockey India Senior Men Inter-Department National Championship 2021, Bengaluru, Karnataka with a thrilling 2- 1 victory over Railway Sports Promotion Board in the Final of the competition.
The final between Railway Sports Promotion Board and Petroleum Sports Promotion Board was an edge-of-the-seat contest as both teams put on their best defensive work in the first quarter. Diwakar Ram finally broke through to score the first goal in the 23rd minute. Nilakanta Sharma scored the equaliser in the 43rd minute to make it 1-1. Just when it looked like the match could potentially head to Shoot outs, Sunil Yadav scored the 2nd goal for Petroleum Sports Promotion Board in the 56th minute to make it 2-1. Railway Sports Promotion Board made numerous circle penetrations as the clock run down, but Petroleum Sports Promotion Board defended well to clinch the victory.
Petroleum Sports Promotion Board Head coach Deepak Thakur said, “I think boys deserve this victory. All the boys were very talented, no doubt. I had full faith in them. All the plans we made, they executed simply. I am so proud of them.
Birendra Lakra, captain of the title-winning team, credited his team’s determination and fighting spirit for winning a tough final against a strong team. “It was a very challenging final. Railways Sports Promotion Board are a really good team with some seriously talented and strong players. It feels good to win this important match and take the inaugural title. We showed great determination and a fighting spirit to see the challenge through, and I am proud of the effort the team put on today,” he said.
Lakra further went on to praise the support staff for their work throughout the tournament. “We have worked well as a team for this tournament. Our support staff were also responsible for helping us out throughout the competition and deserve every bit of credit as well. This trophy is the fruit of the hardwork put by each and every member of the team,” he added.
Punjab National Bank edged out Sports Authority of India 6-2 to win the thrilling contest. Satender Kumar opened the scoring in the 1st minute itself, but Rimanshu found the equaliser in the 3rd minute to bring things back on level pegging. Abhishek scored the 2nd goal for Punjab National Bank in the 10th minute, but again Rimanshu scored the equaliser in the 20th minute to make it 2-2. Sukhjeet Singh scored the third goal in the 40th minute, and the 4th goal in the 47th minute to once again give Punjab National Bank the lead. Abhishek scored the 5th goal in the 49th minute, and Satender Kumar hit the 6th goal in the 50th minute as Punjab National Bank picked a win to earn the 3rd place finish in the tournament.
