~ Hockey Jharkhand beat Goans Hockey 18-0 ~
~ Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu beat Le Puducherry Hockey 6-1 ~
Rourkela, Odisha, 12th June 2023: The 13th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship 2023 kicked off in spectacular fashion today as Hockey Jharkhand and Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu won their respective matches at the world-class Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela.
Hockey Jharkhand took on Goans Hockey in the first match of the tournament and beat them comprehensively by an 18-0 scoreline. Atish Dodrai (5’, 45’, 58’), Team Captain Joseph Topno (11’, 46’, 47’), Deepak Soreng (12’, 33’, 42’, 60’), Jaymasih Tuti (32’), Shet Topno (37’, 38’), Sukhnath Guria (48’, 52’), Simon Bodra (50’), Abhishek Tigga (56’), and Navik Kerketta (58’) scored to secure three points for Hockey Jharkhand.
The Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu defeated Le Puducherry Hockey by 6-1 in the second match of the day. Manikandan (9’), Anand Y (12’, 26’), Naveen Raja Kumar (23’), and Team Captain Anantharaj (35’, 56’) scored for the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu while V. Vimal (17’) scored a consolation goal for Le Puducherry Hockey.
Tripura Hockey forfeited their match against Hockey Karnataka awarding Hockey Karnataka with a default 5-0 win.
Later in the day, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey will take on Hockey Rajasthan followed by a clash between the Hockey Association of Odisha and Hockey Gujarat.
By Hockey India
