Punjab, Jharkhand enter final of sub junior hockey nationals

Chennai, Aug 6 (PTI) Punjab and Jharkhand registered victories in their respective matches on Wednesday to set up a summit clash against each other in the 15th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship here.

In the first semi-final of the day, Punjab defeated Uttar Pradesh 4-3. Sukhdev Singh (51st, 52nd) shone with a late brace, after Mandeep Singh (19th) and Varinder Singh (28th) scored in the first half.

Harsh Pratap Singh (9th), Ali Shahrukh (21st) and captain Ketan Kushwaha (28th) were the scorers for Uttar Pradesh.

In the other semi-final, Jharkhand defeated Madhya Pradesh 3-1. Though Love (21st) gave Madhya Pradesh the lead, Jharkhand bounced back with goals from Soreng Sumray (29th), Ashish Tani Purti (44th) and Jaysan Kandulna (56th) to move into the final.

Losing semifinalists Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh will face each other in the third-place fixture on Thursday. PTI AH AH PDS PDS