Punjab and Sind Bank snatch
last semi-final slot

A rather lacklustre display by their leading players cost CRPF their match against Karnataka and a place in the semi-finals of the Nehru hockey tournament at the Shivaji stadium in Delhi on Saturday.

Needing a huge win in their last Super League match, CRPF succumbed to a spirited Karnataka by a 1-4 margin, thus allowing Punjab and Sind Bank to go through and take the last semi-final berth.

The bankmen will take on Indian Airlines in the second semi-final on Sunday.

The other semi-final will be between Border Security Force, Jalandhar, and Punjab Police.

Desperate to pull off a win, CRPF suffered a setback in the 14th minute, when Laxman Rao converetd a penalty-stroke to give Karnataka a 1-0 lead.

Soon after A K Kevin and Ajay Aiyappa scored two quick goals, in the 25th and 35th minutes respectively, to leave a demoralised opposition battling hard to salvage some pride.

CRPF, however, had a better start in the second-half, as Pabhakar Singh scored a brilliant field goal in the 41st minute. But Kevin struck again 12 minutes later to seal the fate of CRPF.

While Punjab and Sind Bank ended their Super League engagements with four points, Karnataka followed with three points and CRPF had to be content with only one point.