Jr Women's Nationals: Hockey Mizoram surge to top spot; Tamil Nadu climb to third in Div 'B'
Pune, Aug 14
Hockey Mizoram registered their second win in their pool to strengthen their chances of topping their pool, while Hockey Tamil Nadu scored their first win in their pool to move off the bottom place and into third position in Division 'B' of the 16th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship 2026 at the Maj. Dhyanchand Hockey Stadium, in Pune on Friday.
With two matches scheduled for the day, Pool 'A' saw Hockey Mizoram score a 3-1 win over Delhi Hockey in the championship, hosted by Hockey Maharashtra in association with the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation.
The scorers for Mizoram were Topro Rilen (18'), Al Rawngbawl Esther (34') and Anjana Xaxa (51'). Delhi Hockey pulled one back late through Dipika (58') and continued to be placed at the bottom.
As a result, Hockey Mizoram topped Pool 'A' followed by Hockey Andhra Pradesh with two wins each and six points each.
In Pool 'B', Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu scored their first win, scoring a 4-0 verdict over Goans Hockey. The win helped Tamil Nadu move into third place in the pool, while Goans Hockey continue to be last.
Tamil Nadu scored a goal each by Gopika R (11'), Priyadharshini K (18'), Swathi Sharma S (53') and Thamaraiselvi P (58') to make their tally. Goa could not score.
Earlier on Thursday, Le Puducherry Hockey, Hockey Andhra Pradesh, Assam Hockey and Hockey Karnataka secured victories, while Hockey Uttarakhand and Hockey Bihar played out a draw. Three matches were also decided by forfeit.
Le Puducherry Hockey edge past Hockey Jammu & Kashmir
In a Division 'C', Pool B encounter, Le Puducherry Hockey registered a 3-1 victory over Hockey Jammu & Kashmir. Manjinder led the scoring for Le Puducherry Hockey with a hat-trick, finding the back of the net in the 22nd, 31st and 46th minutes.
Hockey Jammu & Kashmir pulled one goal back through Devi Sonali in the 6th minute, but Le Puducherry Hockey held firm to secure all three points.
In Division 'B', Pool A, Hockey Andhra Pradesh edged past Delhi Hockey 2-1 in a closely fought contest.
Rajeswari Yadav Sai Dharna opened the scoring for Hockey Andhra Pradesh in the 19th minute, while Anikha Bennu doubled the advantage in the 30th minute. Delhi Hockey responded through NIGHTO Nisha, who scored in the 33rd minute, but Andhra Pradesh maintained their lead to claim the win.
Results:
Division B, Pool 'A': Hockey Mizoram: 3 (Topro Rilen 18', Al Rawngbawl Esther 34', Anjana Xaxa 51') beat Delhi Hockey: 1 (Dipika 58'). HT: 0-0.
Division B, Pool 'B': Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu: 4 (Gopika R 11', Priyadharshini K 18', Swathi Sharma S 53', Thamaraiselvi P 58') beat Goans Hockey: 0. HT: 2-0.
Division B, Pool 'B': Hockey Uttarakhand: 1 (Diksha 43') drew with Hockey Bihar: 1 (Sidhi Kumari 30'). HT: 0-1
Division B, Pool 'B' Hockey Karnataka: 2 (Lakshmi 43' - p.s; Manish Ponnamma Cd 50') bt Hockey Bihar: 1 (Sidhi Kumari 17' - p.c). HT: 0-1
— IANS
Reader Comments
Tamil Nadu's 4-0 win is impressive! The girls are clearly putting in the hard work. Hope this momentum carries forward in the tournament. Wishing all the teams the very best! 💪🇮🇳
Nice to see Puducherry's Manjinder scoring a hat-trick! And to think these are junior players - the depth of talent in Indian hockey is amazing. But 3 forfeits is worrying, hope the association looks into why teams are pulling out.
Hockey Mizoram beating Delhi — this is the kind of result that shows the sport is truly spreading across India. Northeast teams have been consistently producing good players lately. Very encouraging sign for women's hockey.
Happy to see these young girls playing with so much passion! But I wish there was more coverage and support for women's hockey at the grassroots level. The fact that three matches were decided by forfeit shows we still have a long way to go. Still, proud of all the players out there! 🙌
This is fantastic news for Indian hockey! The next generation is clearly stepping up. Mizoram topping their pool and Tamil Nadu climbing to third - this kind of competition is exactly what we need to build a strong national team for the future. Jai Hind! 🇮🇳
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