Karnataka stay in hunt with draw

A second-half strike from Subal Kerketta ensured Karnataka stayed in the hunt for a place in the quarterfinals of the 7th Hockey India Sub-junior National Championships (Division A) with a 1-1 draw against Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy (MPHA) at the hockey stadium on Sunday.

After a goalless first half, when the hosts missed some chances, the game came to life in the second period with Shailendra Singh giving MPHA the lead in the 46th minute through a penalty corner.

But the lead was short-lived as Kerketta made no mistake from his side’s penalty corner to restore parity in the 49th minute. With a win and two draws (five points) so far in the tournament, Karnataka are placed second in the Pool D and will have to beat Delhi in their final group game on Tuesday to ensure a safe passage to the quarterfinals.

Results:

Pool A: Gangpur-Odisha: 8 (Sudeep Chirmako 4th, 16th, Deepak Ekka 13th, Shakti Kujur 27th, 66th, Amandeep Lakra 40th, 43rd, Akash Ekka 65th) bt Andhra Pradesh: 1 (Subba Boina 43rd); Sports Authority of India: 1 (Ankush 43rd) drew with Odisha: 1 (Deepak Gowala 44th).

Pool B: Uttar Pradesh: 1 (Akhtar Ali 42nd) bt Haryana: 0.

Pool C: Punjab: 8 (Simranjot Singh 15th, Parteek Sharma 19th, 24th, Rahul 26th, Raman Kumar 54th, 64th, 67th, Sudarshan Singh 66th) bt Maharashtra: 1 (Shrikant Bodigum 68th).

Pool D: MP Hockey Academy: 1 (Shailendra Singh 46th) drew with Karnataka: 1 (Subal Kerketta 49th).