Uttar Pradesh crowned 11th Hockey India junior national championship winners

Raman pulled one goal back for Chandigarh in the 51st minute, but Uttar Pradesh held on to the lead to be crowned champions of the tournament.In the 3rd4th place playoff match, Odisha edged out Haryana 3-2 in a closely contested affair to clinch the third place in the competition.

Uttar Pradesh were crowned the winners of the 11th Junior National Men's Hockey Championship following a 3-1 victory over Chandigarh in the final here on Saturday.

UP thus maintained their 100 percent record in the tournament.

Tournament top-scorer Sharda Nand Tiwari opened the scoring for Uttar Pradesh in the 15th minute with a trademark penalty corner, before Arun Sahani (16', 34') stretched the lead further with a brace. Raman pulled one goal back for Chandigarh in the 51st minute, but Uttar Pradesh held on to the lead to be crowned champions of the tournament.

In the 3rd/4th place playoff match, Odisha edged out Haryana 3-2 in a closely contested affair to clinch the third place in the competition. Odisha took the lead in the match through Deepak Minz (27'), only to be pegged back by two goals from Rohit (34') and Deepak (36'), who put Haryana in the lead in the third quarter.

Odisha answered back with a brace of their own at the start of the fourth quarter, scored by Sushant Toppo (47') and Sudeep Chirmako (49').