The 13th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship 2023 continued its action in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh today with three teams picking up points after victories. Led by a double goal performance from Shalu Mann (17’, 58’), Hockey Punjab defeated Hockey Himachal 2-0 in their Pool F match. Maybe most importantly however was the strong play of Sarabdeep Kaur who earned Player of the Match for her outstanding display during this action packed affair. What could have been an otherwise low scoring game became much more interesting and intense thanks to the tremendous effort from both teams. It is sure to set up an exciting remainder of pool play as teams look to advance!
It was a nail-biting match between Uttar Pradesh Hockey and Hockey Andhra Pradesh in the second game of Pool E. Rakhi Rathor set the ball rolling with her goal in 16th minute, which gave Uttar Pradesh Hockey an initial lead. However, Lolita Mary and Garlanka Varahalamma managed to control the tussle by scoring 2 consecutive goals for Andhra Pradesh by 39th minute. But Vartika Rawat had something else in her mind, as she scored two successive goals within a span of 26 minutes and regained lead for Uttar Pradesh Hockey. With no time to spare, Hockey Andhra Pradesh were awarded a penalty stroke before the close of the game. To everyone’s surprise and despair, Vartika Rawat had already secured the victory as she converted it into a goal ensuring that her team went home with 3 points in their bag!
Vinamrata Yadav was undoubtedly the star of the show, covering every corner of the pitch and sprinkling her magic through her impeccable football moves. The team had a strong belief that they could win despite it being a tightly fought match, and as such kept going at it relentlessly, leading to the victory right in the nick of time. Vinamrata aptly deserves all accolades including this coveted Player of the Match Award which will remain an additional reminder of how fortitude can lead to success. She rightly said that this award is not only for her but also for their faith, tenacity and unity as a team to never give up in any situation.
The intense competition in Group H continued as Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu faced Le Puducherry Hockey in the last match of the day. Nerves were on edge as both sides put on an exciting matchup, but it was Priyanga S (24′) and Janani (49′) who were able to get onto the scoresheet, with Player of the Match S Soniya (11′) scoring the opening goal. This dynamic display resulted in a 3-0 win for Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu and they will be looking to extend this momentum into their upcoming game against Hockey Maharashtra, scheduled for 0700. Later in the day, Pool G’s Delhi Hockey will take on Hockey Madhya Pradesh at 1030 while Telangana Hockey and Hockey Manipur close off proceedings at 1545.
