Big win for Airlines

EME, Jalandhar, held Western Railway, Mumbai, to a 2-2 draw while star-studded Indian Airlines drubbed Sikh Regiment Centre (SRC) 3-0 in Pool-B quarter-final league matches in the 41st Bombay Gold Cup hockey tournament at the Mahindra stadium, in Mumbai, on Sunday.

EME, who were leading by a goal in the first-half, failed to hold on to a 2-0 lead they established in the 53rd minute through Gurmail Singh's field goal and were forced to settle for a draw.

F Herenj had put EME ahead in the 27th minute when he had reverse flicked Avtar Singh  Jr's pass.

Western Railway came back strongly when their center-forward K S B Shanta Kumar scored off a Prem Singh pass in the 54th minute to pull one back. Then, with just a minute to go for the final whistle, Shivendra Singh converted Western's sixth penalty-corner to ensure a draw.

The railwaymen forced six penalty-corners while EME earned just three.

Last year's runners-up Indian Airlines proved too good for a hapless SRC. Skipper Lazrus Barla put Airlines ahead in the 13th minute, when he converted their first penalty-corner.

Former international Sameer Dad made it 2-0 in the 19th minute, scoring off Mukesh Kumar's pass. With five minutes to go for the first-half, Ravinder Singh rounded off the tally.

Tomorrow, in two Pool-A matches, Karnataka Eleven take on CISF, Chandigarh, while Indian Oil clash with Bhopal Eleven.