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Odisha Naval Tata Hockey HPC and Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy attained top spot in their respective groups in the ongoing Khelo India U21 Women’s Hockey League.
Odisha Naval Tata HHPC clinched a 5-2 victory against Himachal Hockey Academy. The match took place at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Friday (December 17). Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy continued their goalscoring spree as they established a comfortable 9-1 win against Delhi Hockey Academy.
Sadhna Sengar, Neeraj Rana, Bhumiksha Sahu, Kanchan Nidhi Kerketta, Yogita Varma, Swati and Seema Verma came forward to score for the MP hockey. Meanwhile Subham was the only scorer for Delhi.
Ashima Rout and Munmuni Das struck for Odisha to contribute to the team's third straight win in Group A.
Apart from Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, Sports Authority of India B continued its winning ways with a 3-0 win against Khalsa Hockey Academy (Amritsar). Reema Baxla struck during the sixth minute of the game, while Vartika Rawat scored a goal each in the last two quarters to add to the 3-0 victory.
It was a good comeback for SAI B after an embarrassing 0-6 loss against India Juniors on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Pritam Siwach Hockey Academy Sonepat pulled off a convincing 5-0 win against Jai Bharat Hockey Academy.
Khelo India U21 Women’s Hockey League will be major boost for Indian Hockey, says Anurag Thakur
Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur inaugurated the first-ever national-level Khelo India Women's Hockey League (Under 21) on Wednesday. The inauguration took place at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
The hockey tournament is slated to be held from December 15 to 21. As many as 14 teams will be competing in 42 matches during the first phase of the tournament. Meanwhile, the second and third phase will be held in early 2022.
Anurag Thakur stressed the importance of conducting different leagues as it will be a major boost for Indian hockey.
"All our athletes train very hard through the year, but it is very important for athletes to also get enough competition exposure if they have to prepare themselves for bigger competitions in the future. Therefore having leagues of this kind, that give athletes competition exposure throughout the year, is crucial," said Sports Minister Anurag Thakur.
Also read: Asian Hockey Champions Trophy 2021: India manage comfortable 9-0 win over Bangladesh
