Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), Feb 19: Odisha, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar strengthened their chances of qualifying for the quarterfinals of the 13th Senior Women’s National Hockey Championship by winning their respective matches here on Sunday.
Odisha took on Rajasthan in the first Pool A match of the day and won by a huge margin of 13-1. Punam Barla (1′, 3′, 29′, 46′, 47′) starred in the rout with a five-goal effort.
The second match was a close contest between Karnataka and Chandigarh, before the former prevailed 2-1 in Pool B.
Chandigarh took the lead through Reetu Devi (13′) but Chandana J (14′, 44′) equalised soon after and scored again in the second half to complete the comeback win for Karnataka.
In Pool C, Chhattisgarh defeated Uttarakhand 4-1. Chhattisgarh captain Pooja Yadav (6′) opened the scoring, followed by goals from Sulochna (12′) and Anjali Mahto (27′, 27′).
Madhya Pradesh beat Manipur by a similar margin in Pool G. Manipur drew first blood through Kshetrimayum Sonia Devi (20′) but Madhya Pradesh came out strongly in the second half. Goals from Manmeet Kaur (47′), Anjali Gautam (49′), and Player of the Match Preeti Dubey (56′, 60′) earned MP three points from the game.
The final match of the day saw Bihar getting the better of Assam 2-0 in Pool D. (PTI)
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