UP wins Junior National Men's hockey title

Uttar Pradesh rode on a brace from Arun Sahani to script a 3-1 win over Chandigarh in the final of the 11th Hockey India-junior National men’s hockey championship in Kovilpatti on Saturday.

Uttar Pradesh won the 11th Hockey India-junior National men’s hockey championship in Kovilpatti on Saturday.

Uttar Pradesh rode on a brace from Arun Sahani to script a 3-1 win over Chandigarh in the final of the 11th Hockey India-junior National men’s hockey championship here on Saturday.

UP completely dominated the final. The team, which possessed three World Cuppers, nipped the Chandigarh attack in the bud and played aggressively from both flanks, proving why it was the best side of the tournament.

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World Cupper Uttam Singh was the fulcrum of the UP team. He was not just the midfield general but also worked hard on both flanks.

UP's Sharda Nand Tiwari opened the scoring with a perfect strike off a penalty corner at the start of the second quarter, and Arun Sahani's double strike twice in the space of nine minutes sealed the fate of Chandigarh. However, Raman reduced the margin in the fourth and final quarter.

Defending champion Odisha had to settle for third place with a 3-2 victory over Haryana.

The results Final: UP 3 (Sharda Nand Tiwari 15, Arun Sahani 16 & 34) bt Chandigarh 1 (Raman 51) Third-place play-off: Odisha 3 (Deepak Minz 27, Sushant Toppo 47, Sudeep Chirmako 49) bt Haryana 2 (Rohit 34, Deepak 36)