Pune, Oct 12 (IANS ) Army Boys Sports Company, Bangalore will take on RoundGlass Academy in the final of the 8th SNBP All-India Boys (Under-16) Hockey Tournament at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi here on Sunday. In the semifinals, both teams advanced in contrasting fashion. RoundGlass Academy registered a 5-1 win over Dhyanchand Academy in the first semifinal and later Army Boys Sports Company, Bangalore got past Ritu Rani Academy 3-0.
The day began with RoundGlass Academy taking the lead early through a penalty stroke converted by Varinder Singh (18’). Dhyanchand Academy responded with a penalty corner conversion by Pradum Gaund (25’) to bring the score to 1-1 at halftime.
In the second half, RoundGlass Academy dominated the proceedings as Varinder (33’) struck again to regain the lead while Abhay (46’) added another goal later to extend their lead. Amandeep (56’) scored from a penalty corner to further swell the lead. Abejit Singh (58’) rounded off the victory which made the final score 5-1.
Army Boys Sports Company, Bangalore advanced to the final with a calculated 3-0 win over Ritu Rani Academy in the second and late evening semifinal.
The match saw Army Boys take control early, with Arjun (20’) converting a penalty corner to give them a 1-0 lead. Prasant Aind (26’) doubled their advantage just six minutes later with a well-taken goal, putting Ritu Rani Academy under pressure. At halftime, Army Boys led the match 2-0.
Despite Ritu Rani Academy’s efforts to break through, Army Boys maintained a strong defensive line. Arjun (58’) secured the win with his second goal to seal off a 3-0 victory.
With this dominant performance, Army Boys Sports Company moved on to the final, where they will compete for their second championship title, having triumphed in the 2023 edition of the tournament.
SF-1: Round Glass Academy: 5 (Varinder Singh 18’ –p.s; 33’, Abhay 46’, Amandeep 56’ – p.c; Abejit Singh 58th) bt Dhyanchand Academy: 1 (Pradum Gaund 25’ – p.c ). HT: 1-1
SF-2: Army Boys Sports Company Bangalore: 3 (Arjun 20’ – p.c, 58’; Prasant Aind 26’) bt Ritu Rani Academy: 0. HT: 2-0