Murugappa Gold Cup| RSPB beats Hockey Maharastra; Hockey Karnataka triumphs over NCOE Bhopal

CHENNAI: Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) triumphed over Hockey Maharashtra 3-2 at the 95th All India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey Tournament, here on Monday. RSPB struck first with Yuvraj Walmiki finding the back of the net in the 13th minute, capitalising on a well-executed play. The momentum continued as Simranjot Singh doubled the lead with another impressive field goal in the 40th minute. Shivam Anand then extended RSPB's lead with a goal shortly after halftime, making it 3-0.

Hockey Maharastra’s Rohan Patil ignited hopes of a comeback with a penalty corner conversion in the 59th minute. A minute later, Venkatesh Kenche added another to the tally, narrowing the deficit to one goal. Despite their late surge, RSPB's defense held firm, securing the hard-fought victory.

Last year’s runner-up, Hockey Karnataka posted their win over NCOE Bhopal during another match of the day in Pool B. NCOE started brightly, taking an early lead in the 7th minute when Faraz MD struck first. However, Hockey Karnataka quickly regrouped and responded with a series of goals from Abharan Sudev B and Rahul CJ.

While Sudev levelled the score, Rahul CJ made his mark by scoring goals in the 13th and 40th minute to give Karnataka a lead. NCOEs Mohan Singla’s goal in the 46th minute ignited hope for Bhopal. Minutes after the goal, Abharan Sudev B added his second goal of the match in the 47th minute, to give Karnataka a comfortable cushion.

The match intensified further when Gopi Kumar Sonkar found the net in the 49th minute, narrowing the gap to 4-3. Despite several desperate attempts from NCOE to equalise in the closing minutes, Hockey Karnataka’s defence held firm.