JOIN USCentral Excise clinch first phase in style
Central Excise put in a commanding performance to beat Rail Wheel Factory (RWF) 4-1 in the KSHA Super Division Hockey League Championship at the hockey stadium here on Saturday.
This was the last fixture in the first phase of the league championship and with this win, Central Excise grabbed top spot in the standings with six wins from as many games.
Being a top of the table clash, there was a lot of expectation from the game and it did not disappoint.
Both teams began briskly, creating a host chances early on but failed to find the back of the net.
The deadlock was broken in the 10th minute when Mohammed deflected Somanna’s crack past RWF custodian Prasant to give Central Excise the lead.
Mohammed grabbed another two minutes later, tapping in into an empty goal from Patil’s cross. RWF, who finished as the league’s top scorers, found the going tough as Central Excise continued to pile on the pressure. Central Excise skipper Aiyappa PA put his side 3-0 up in the 19th minute with a direct goal from a penalty corner.
With another goal in the 21st minute from Kariappa KD, the result seemed like a foregone conclusion but RWF shoulders didn’t drop. Jayaraj’s fine reverse hit in the 23rd minute was the only semblance of a fightback from RWF as the second half of the game was largely uneventful.
By virtue of topping the table, Central Excise received a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh while second-placed RWF took home Rs 75,000. Third and fourth placed teams, Postal and SBM Jain University, took home Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000 respectively. In the day’s other fixture, KSHA beat Ideal Sports 2-0 with goals from Karthik Mahalingam (8th) and Rahul (42nd).