NSB win Hero Honda Hockey Tournament

In a keenly-contested match, which started with St Josephs having the better possesion of the ball,NSB held their nerve to win the final of the Hero Honda Hockey Tournament.

St Josephs scored in the 5th minute through a fantastic hit from Pravin Hule. NSB did not take long to recover,and equalised through a penalty corner by Sangram Pokle in the 10 th minute.

The St Joseph defence was broken again by the NSB offensive line in the 18th minute through a spectacular solo goal from Malhar Ghume. It was now Josephs turn to equalise,and they did so in the very next minute as Pravin Hule converted an excellent pass from Roy Chaudhary. The first half ended with both teams locked at 4-2. NSB dominated after the break,and got the breakthrough thanks to a goal from Shubham Jaid in the 27 th minute. The St Josephs defensive line could not contain the NSB forwards,and conceded another goal as Sangram Pokale netted in the 45th minute to guarantee NSB the victory and the title.

Earlier,in the semifinals,NSB had thrashed Moze High School 6-0,while St. Josephs scored a similarly easy victory over Alegaonkar High School,beating them 4-0. Pokale was awarded the title for the best player of the tournament,while teammate Malhar Ghume was the top-scorer.

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories