Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh defeated Hockey Haryana 1-0 to win the 11th Hockey India Senior Womenís National Championship 2021 in Jhansi on Saturday while Punjab went past Maharashtra 2-1 to finish third in the championship.
Madhya Pradesh's Kanchan Nidhi Kerketta (9th minute) found the back of the net early in the final against Haryana and thereafter Madhya Pradesh side kept Haryana at bay throughout the game and walked away as winners of tournament.
Speaking about their victory, Madhya Pradesh teamís coach Vandana Uike said, "It feels good to win the tournament, especially because we have won the Hockey India Senior Women's National Championship for the first time. It was a very close match. The players played very well."
"The players played an outstanding game. The fitness level shown by the team in the final was really good. That was an advantage for us. Our goalkeeper Deepa Sharma played outstandingly as well. She saved a lot of goals during the match," said Uike.
Madhya Pradesh dribblers have scored 51 goals in the whole championship and only two were hit against them. Earlier on Saturday, Punjab earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Maharashtra to finish third. Captain Reena Rani and Sarabdeep Kaur scored a goal each for winning side, while Priya Dubey scored the only goal for Hockey Maharashtra.
Minister speak
Sports Minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia said, "Both the hockey academies of Madhya Pradesh are giving results. The MP government has always been keen on encouraging sports and sportspersons. We are committed to providing world class facilities to our players."
