Jr Men National Hockey: Uttarakhand, Chandigarh win in Div B; UP, Punjab, Odisha in Div A
Coimbatore, Aug 1
Uttarakhand and Chandigarh won in Division 'B', while Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Hockey Punjab and Hockey Association of Odisha emerged victorious in their respective Division 'A' fixtures on the fifth day of the 16th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship 2026 at the Coimbatore Hockey Ground in Coimbatore on Saturday.
The day began with Hockey Uttarakhand registering a convincing 4-0 victory over Hockey Jammu & Kashmir in Division 'B'. Vishal Kumar (9', 51') scored a brace, while Ankit (41') and Prince Bhandari (57') also found the back of the net to seal the win for Hockey Uttarakhand.
In the second Division 'B' fixture, Hockey Chandigarh defeated Hockey Arunachal 4-2. Gurjeet Singh (2', 25') and Gurpreet Singh (41', 45') scored two goals each for Hockey Chandigarh. Mohd Atif (30') and Samar Ali (31') scored for Hockey Arunachal.
The Division 'A' matches began with Uttar Pradesh Hockey edging past Hockey Bengal 2-1. Captain Rahul Rajbhar (7') handed Uttar Pradesh Hockey an early lead before Sah Suraj Kumar (41') equalised for Hockey Bengal. Prajapati Neeraj (57') scored the decisive goal late in the match to secure all three points for Uttar Pradesh Hockey.
Hockey Punjab registered an emphatic 6-2 victory over Delhi Hockey in another Division 'A' fixture. Amandeep (6', 12') and Jobanpreet Singh (41', 43') scored two goals each, while Charanjeet Singh (32') and Prince Singh (60') also added to the scoresheet for Hockey Punjab. Kunal Singh Chhikara (49', 52') netted both goals for Delhi Hockey.
In another Division 'A' match of the day, Hockey Association of Odisha defeated Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey 4-2. Bilkan Oram (3') gave Odisha an early lead before Prashant Rajput (21') and Himanshu Yadav (25') put Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey ahead. Captain Deepak Pradhan (34', 44') scored a brace to turn the game around, while Deonath Nanwar (47') added another goal to complete the victory for Hockey Association of Odisha.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Great to see junior players getting this exposure. But I wish the national championships got more media coverage. These boys are the future of Indian hockey.
Absolutely thrilling matches! Punjab's 6-2 victory is impressive, but Delhi's fightback with two goals shows they have spirit. The future of Indian hockey looks bright.
Deepak Pradhan's captain's knock for Odisha - two goals to turn the match around! That's leadership. These boys are hungry and it shows. 👏
So proud to see this level of competition in Coimbatore. Hockey is picking up in the south too. But seriously, 2026 championship? Are we that far ahead already? 😅
The talent pool is amazing, but I hope Hockey India is also focusing on player development and fitness. Just winning at junior level isn't enough - we need to sustain this at senior level.
Amazing comeback by Odisha after trailing 1-2! Bilkan Oram scored early, but Deepak Pradhan's brace stole the show. This is what sportsmanship is all about. 🙌
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