Jharkhand lifts 14th Hockey India Sub-Junior Women’s National Championship

Jharkhand, last year’s runners-up, were in no mood to forgo their chance of becoming champions as they defeated Madhya Pradesh 1-0 in a hard-fought final to clinch the 14th Hockey India Sub-Junior Women’s National Championship at the RRC Grounds, Secunderabad, on Friday.

Hyderabad: Jharkhand, last year’s runners-up, were in no mood to forgo their chance of becoming champions as they defeated Madhya Pradesh 1-0 in a hard-fought final to clinch the 14th Hockey India Sub-Junior Women’s National Championship at the RRC Grounds, Secunderabad, on Friday.

The defenders from both sides stood out during the contest, making it difficult for the attackers to find the net. However, it was Jharkhand’s Leoni Hemrom who broke the deadlock after 15 minutes, a goal that proved decisive in securing the title. The Madhya Pradesh side, which had scored heavily throughout the tournament, was kept quiet by Jharkhand’s resolute defenders, who nullified every attacking move.

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Meanwhile, in the third-place playoff earlier in the day, Priyanka Minz starred in Odisha’s 4-3 victory over Mizoram. The Odisha girls dominated Mizoram’s territory in the first two quarters. Anjana Xaxa opened the scoring in the fourth minute, and Priyanka stole the show after that.

The teenager struck in the ninth minute and added two more goals within three minutes to put Odisha in a commanding 4-0 lead. Despite trailing by four goals, Mizoram fought back valiantly in the next two quarters. Their perseverance paid off as Manglawmsang scored in the 28th minute, followed by a brace from Vanlalrinhlui in the 36th and 52nd minutes, shaking the Odisha defence. However, the Odisha defenders held firm in the final eight minutes to secure third place.

Results: Final: Jharkhand 1 (Leoni Hemrom) bt Madhya Pradesh 0. 3rd place: Mizoram 3 (Vanlalrinhlui 2, Manglawmsang) lost to Odisha 4 (Priyanka Minz, Anjana Xaxa).