4th Sub-Junior Nationals: SAI maintain winning run, Citizens Hockey XI lose

Sports Authority of India (SAI) racked up their second consecutive win in the 4^th National Men’s ‘B’ Division Sub-Junior Hockey Championship swamping Assam 6-0 at Vadodara, Gujarat. Abdul Hussain gave SAI the lead in the 6^th minute before Shubhan Verma consolidated the lead in the 17^th minute. Minaj Ali and Prashant Kabeer Sen rattled the Assam cage in the latter stages of the first half to enable their side go into the half-time break with a cozy 4-0 lead.

Shubhan Verma was again in the goal-scoring act in the second half before Jyotimoi Borah hammered the final nail in the Assam coffin in the dying moments of the game. SAI earlier accounted for Bihar 2-1 in their tournament opener.

Meanwhile, in Pool B debutants Citizens Hockey XI lost 0-4 to Rajasthan – they had earlier lost their first game 0-3. In another Pool B game Himachal Pradesh walloped Puducherry 9-1. In Pool C Hockey Gangpur of Odisha drubbed Bengal 5-0, while Vidarbha edged Jammu & Kashmir 3-1 in Pool A.

As many as eighteen teams are taking part in the ten-day tourney.