JOIN US Former champions Delhi Waveriders’ homecoming turned out to be a disappointing affair as they lost 2-5 to Jaypee Punjab Warriors to slump to their second consecutive loss in their Hockey India League at the Shivaji Stadium, here on Tuesday.
For Punjab Mark Gleghorne (10th minute), Mark Knowles (11th), Christopher Ciriello (22nd) and Jake Whetton (37th) were the scorers, while Rupinder Pal Singh (35th, 55th) converted two out of the six short corners that the home team earned in the match.
It was not a happy outing for the Waveriders for the second successive day as they failed to produce the spark of earlier seasons and showed glimpses of brilliance.
The Waveriders played well in patches, especially after the change of ends, whereas Punjab looked a more cohesive unit and threatened the hosts backline from the word go.
The Warriors earned their first penalty corner in the 10th minute which was beautifully executed by Gleghorne.
A minute later Punjab extended their lead when Australian Knowles scored from a rebound after Jasjit Singh’s intial try from their second set-piece struck the top upright.
In the 22nd minute, the Warriors made the scoreline 3-0 in their favour when Ciriello converted from a penalty corner.
Punjab made some good forays with their skipper Sardar Singh delivering a great diagonal reverse hit assist for Nikkin Thimmaiah in the 26th but the lanky striker’s shot was saved by a diving Waveriders goalie Devon Manchester.
Putting behind their lacklustre performance in the first two quarters, the hosts came out with more purpose after the change of ends and dominated the proceedings in the third quarter during.
This time it was Rupinder who converted his team’s second set piece with a powerful high flick to reduce the scoreline to 3-1.
But much to the disappointment of home fans, Punjab made the scoreline 5-1 two minutes later when Whetton scored a field goal from a tight angle. The Waveriders earned two more penalty corners in the final stages of the third quarter but wasted both.