Sultan of Johor Cup: India settles for silver

With a 3-2 loss to Great Britain in the final, India settled for silver at the eighth Sultan of Johor Cup.

Tight contest: Indians in action in the Sultan of Johor Cup final on Saturday.

With a 3-2 loss to Great Britain in the final, India settled for silver at the eighth Sultan of Johor Cup U-18 hockey tournament here on Saturday. Both teams improved upon their performance from 2017 — India had gained bronze, while Britain had the silver medal in its kitty. This was Britain’s second title.

The final scoreline was identical to the one at the end of the round-robin contest between the sides.

Strong start

India made a strong start. It earning an early penalty corner and capitalised when Vishnukant Singh scored from a rebound in the fourth minute. Britain drew level in the seventh minute through Daniel West’s field goal.

The second quarter produced an even contest; the teams tested each other’s backlines.

Britain became more enterprising in the third quarter, scored two crucial goals — in the 39th and 42nd minutes — through James Oates. The Indians did manage to pull one back through Abhishek (55’) but failed to get another shot at the opponent goal.