The final reckoning

A 2-0 humbling of much vaunted Priyadarshini A in the next round highlighted the potential of a skillful side in which forward Laxman Sharma and his namesake 8212; right-half Sham 8212; have stood out.

A flamboyant start against Railway Police to lead 3-0 by the first quarter in the semifinals before eventually winning a penalty shootout must cause their Pune City Police some apprehension.

Although Meadows slipped back to give their fitter opponents the lead with just minutes to go, they dug into their reserves of skill and resilience to haul the match into extra-time.

Sham Sharma, the provider so often, scored a brilliant equaliser after a flowing run into Railway Police circle. Meadows unlucky to be eliminated by Mumbai side Fr Agnel8217;s Gymkhana in the Aga Khan tourney held just before the OBA Invitational, were not found wanting in penalty-stroke taking skills in the tie-breaker to make the grade 8212; and bring variety into the final by staving off an all-police clash.

Pune City Police, seeded straight into the quarters, made mincemeat of Priyadarshini B8217; by four clear goals before running into some rough weather against hosts Old Boys Association.

The cops clinched a lively clash 4-3 with a goal by cynosure and centre-forward Raju Aspat from a penalty corner in the very last minute of a see-saw battle.

The cops have forwards likely to provide a fitting reply to Meadows8217; offensives. With the thrust provided by inside-forwards Harish Sapkal and K Gaikwad, besides Aspat, Pune City Police can hope to cause problems for the rival defence.

The absence of hosts Old Boys Association in the final may disappoint fans, An exciting team with a sparkling forward line, Old Boys can draw consolation from a fine organisational effort. Defender, Club stalwart and secretary Bhupinder Singh said Old Boys Association realised their dream of holding the tourney after years of endeavour that bore fruit only recently.

The new Maharashtra Hockey Association committee formed last year gave OBA the nod to conduct the tournament which the club hopes will become an All-India event in time to come.

For the moment, however, Pune fans would do well to make the trip to Pimpri8217;s Poligras surface for the final on Monday, kicking off at 4.00 p.m. Green Meadows and Pune City Police may just have saved their best for the last.