Bengal overcame Andhra Pradesh 6-4 to enter the semi-finals of the 4th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship (Division B), here today.
Raushan Kumar (11th, 23rd and 28th min) smashed a hat-trick to help Bengal take a 5-1 lead in the first half.
Vijay Kumar (44 min), Ram Krishna (45 min) and Chandra Shekhar (53 min) scored for Andhra in the second period and tried to make a comeback.
But Bengal's Avoyekka scored the sixth goal in the 58th minute to give side a resounding win in pool B.
In pool A, Hockey Gangpur-Odisha thrashed Uttarakhand 10-2 while Goa went past Assam 8-5 in pool C.
In another pool C match, Bihar hammered Kerala 17-2.
Results of the Day-
Pool A - Hockey Gangpur-Odisha 10 Abhisek Lakra (8 and 33 min), Sanjay Surin (35 and 70 min), Rasananda Khalkho (63 and 65 min), Sibren Lakra (12 min), Arbeen Kujur (19 min), Amardeep Dung Dung (47 min) and Deepak Lakra (61 min) Vs. Uttarakhand 2 Vikas Pant (17 min) and Saurabh Patwal (42 min).
Pool C - Goa 8 Pandurang Sakhalkar (14 and 23 min), Yogesh Mayekar (28 and 30 min), Raju Rathod (50 and 69 min), Arjun Ben (15 min) and Suraj Naik (17 min) Vs. Assam 5 Rajesh Boro (11, 13 and 34 min) and Balin Boro (8 and 27 min).
Pool C - Bihar 17 Subash Sanga (9, 19, 41, 61 and 66 min), Anand Kumar Bara (20, 29, 48, 59 and 70 min), Prem Ranjan Ekka (43, 53 and 57 min), Bishram Dodray (27 and 64 min) and Ranjan Kerketta (8 and 63 min) Vs. Kerala 2Swalih K (31 and 50 min).
Pool B Bengal 6 Raushan Kumar (11, 23, 28 min), Ashok Kumar (13 min), Nitish Nupani (19 min), Avoyekka (58 min) Vs Andhra Pradesh 4 Uday Deepu (33 min), Vijay Kumar (44 min), Ram Krishna (45 min), Chandra Shekhar (53 min).
