Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand won the 15th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship’s Division A matches in Panchkula On Wednesday.
Madhya Pradesh defeated Uttar Pradesh 2-1 in Division A Pool D.
In the first quarter, the winning team’s goal was opened by Hritika Singh in the seventh minute. Following a fiercely contested second quarter, Rajni Bala, the captain of Uttar Pradesh, scored the equalizer in the 31st minute to open up play again.
Neelu Dadiya, who finished 53rd in the last quarter, struck the game-winning penalty kick to give Madhya Pradesh a vital three points.
To begin their campaign, Jharkhand defeated Tamil Nadu 9–2 in Pool C in the other Division A match of the day.
Captain Albela Rani Toppo (17th, 34th) and Elin Dungdung (13th, 24th) both scored braces, while the scoresheet also included Promodni Lakra (15th), Horo Sanjna (27th), Rajni Keketta (39th), Sushma Kumari (50th), and Nikki Kullu (60th).
The two consolation goals for Tamil Nadu were scored by S Soniya (31st) and Vairavi M (51st).
To advance to Division A the following season, Uttarakhand finished Pool A at the top of the standings after defeating Assam 9-0 in Division B to win three straight games.
Vartika Rawat (23rd, 35th, 45th) and Preeti Sharma (16th, 18th, 52nd) each scored spectacular hat-tricks, and captain Mamta Bhatt (4th, 57th) and Hema Singh (19th) all contributed goals to Uttarakhand’s resounding victory.
