IOC beats Odisha, Indian Army-Red scores over Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu
Chennai, 25th September 2024: In the 95th MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey tournament, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOC) won against the Hockey Association of Odisha (HOD) 3-1.
The game started with IOC scoring in the 18th minute when Sumit Kumar executed a perfectly timed field goal, giving them an early lead. However, HOD responded quickly with a penalty corner in the very next minute by Sudeep Minz.
In the 28th minute, Raghunath VR scored another penalty corner to restore IOC’s lead at 2-1 just before halftime. HOD struggled to regain their footing as IOC’s defense tightened, effectively stifling any additional threats.
IOC continued to dominate in the second half of the game. They pressed hard, and their efforts paid off in the 42nd minute when Gujinder Singh confidently slotted home a penalty stroke, extending their lead to 3-1. HOD attempted to rally back, but despite promising attacks into IOC’s territory, they could not convert their chances into goals.
In the second match, ARMY showcased their dominance over Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu (HTN) with a decisive 3-1 victory. In this match, ARMY took an early lead and maintained their momentum throughout. The action started as Gaurav Bhagtani netted the opening goal for ARMY in the fourth minute, displaying remarkable agility and precision. HTN struggled to find their footing in the early stages, allowing ARMY to control the tempo. Akshay Dubey doubled the lead in the 29th minute with a well-placed field goal.
The second half began with HTN’s effort to bounce back, as Dinesh Kumar scored from a penalty corner in the 47th minute, reigniting hopes for Tamil Nadu. However, ARMY responded swiftly and effectively. Chandan Aind sealed the victory with a penalty corner in the 48th minute.
With this win, ARMY jumps to the top position in POOL A.
Meanwhile, three teams- Central Secretariat, Hockey Karnataka and NCOE (Bhopal) bowed out of contention for the knockout phase.
Results:
Pool A: Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. 3 (Sumit Kumar (18), Raghunath VR (28), Gujinder Singh (42)) beats Hockey Association of Odisha (HOD) 1 (Sudeep Minz (19))
Pool B: Indian Army-Red 3 (Gaurav Bhagtani (04), Akshay Dubey (29), Chandan Aind (48)) beats Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu 1 (Dinesh kumar (47))
Match schedule: Wednesday, 25th September, 2024
1st Match at 02.30 PM – (POOL B) Hockey Karnataka vs (POOL B) Central Secretariat
2nd Match at 04:15 PM – (POOL A) Indian Army – Red vs (POOL A) Hockey Maharashtra
3rd Match at 06:00 PM – (POOL A) RSPB – Indian Railways vs (Pool A) BPCL
First Match
| Players | Minute |
| Sumit Kumar (IOC) | 18 FG |
| Sudeep Minz (HOD) | 19 PC |
| Raghunath VR (IOC) | 28 PC |
| Gujinder Singh (IOC) | 42 PS |
Second Match
| Players | Minute |
| Gaurav Bhagtani (ARMY) | 04 FG |
| Akshay Dubey (ARMY) | 29 FG |
| Dinesh kumar (HTN) | 47 PC |
| Chandan Aind (ARMY) | 48 PC |
| POOL – A | ||||||||
| SL.NO | TEAM | PLAYED | WON | DRAWN | LOST | FOR | AGAINST | POINTS |
| 1 | INDIAN ARMY – RED | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 5 |
| 2 | RAILWAY SPORTS PROMOTION BOARD | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| 3 | BHARAT PETROLEUM CORPORATION LTD | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 4 |
| 4 | HOCKEY UNIT OF TAMIL NADU | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 3 |
| 5 | HOCKEY MAHARASTRA | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 3 |
| POOL- B | ||||||||
| SL.NO | TEAM | PLAYED | WON | DRAWN | LOST | FOR | AGAINST | POINTS |
| 1 | INDIAN OIL CORPORATION LTD (IOCL) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 9 |
| 2 | HOCKEY ODISHA | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| 3 | NCOE, BHOPAL | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 3 |
| 4 | HOCKEY KARANATAKA | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 3 |
| 5 | CENTRAL SECRETARIAT | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 1 |
