Hockey Him showcased a rich vein of form as they clinched a resounding 19-0 victory over Hockey Andaman & Nicobar in their opening Pool B clash of the 7th Senior National Hockey Championship 2017 (Men) 'B' Division here on Monday.
Sunil Kumar Sonkar opened the scoring for Hockey Him in the 6th minute. From there on they completely dominated their opposition, scoring goals in every quarter to record a comfortable victory. Hat tricks were scored by, Rinku Antil (7', 18', 60'), Vijay (12', 25', 58') and Jatin (42', 43', 55') in the victory.
In Pool A, Hockey Maharashtra beat Telangana Hockey 5-1 to open their account. After a goal less first half, largely played in midfield, Sanjay Toppo opened the scoring for Hockey Maharashtra with a goal in the 33rd minute. Then, in a six minute onslaught, Hockey Maharashtra scored four quick goals, via Akshay Jadhav (41', 47'), Aniket Gurav (43') and Ajinkya Jadhav (44') to give them an unassailable lead that eventually took them to victory. Telangana Hockey's goal was scored by, Yogesh Karipa in the 52nd minute.
In Pool A's second game, Petroleum Sports Promotion Board beat Major Port Sports Control Board 12-0. Tyron Pereira opened the scoring for Petroleum Sports Promotion Board in the 3rd minute. In a flurry of goals, and superb all round performances, Lalit Upadhyay stood out, scoring four goals (17', 20', 27', 54') to take his team to a commanding victory.
In Pool C's opener, Central Industrial Security Force beat Hockey Uttarakhand 6-1. Nicky Rajak's first half hat trick (2', 12', 27') and a brace by Basant Bharadwaj (38', 56') were enough for Central Industrial Security Force as they took the three points.
Later in the day, Delhi Hockey will take on Hockey Andhra Pradesh in Pool B encounter.