Defending champions Indian Oil, Mumbai got off to a bright positive start as they stormed to a facile 6-1 win against Bombay Republicans in a Pool-A league match of the 53rd All India Bombay Gold Cup hockey championship 2019, organized by the Mumbai Hockey Association Limited (MHAL) and played at the MHAL-Mahindra Stadium, Churchgate on Monday.
The Mumbai outfit Republicans put a dogged display against the superior Indian Oil side boasting of several former Indian stars and conceded just one goal in each of the first two quarters. However, the Indian Oil completely broke the Republicans resistance and scored four in the last two quarters to take the match away from the Mumbai side, who managed to score one goal in the third quarter.
For Indian Oil Nilam Sanjay Xess scored two, while V.R. Raghunath, Talwinder Singh, Deepak Thakur and Roshan Minz struck one each while Bombay Republicans pulled one back through Tyron Pereira.
Earlier in a Pool-B match, South Central Railway steamrolled past Killedar XI winning by a thumping 11-1 margin.
Results – Pool-A: Indian Oil 6 (Nilam Sanjay Xess 2, V.R. Raghunath, Talwinder Singh, Deepak Thakur, Roshan Minz) beat Bombay Republicans 1 (Tyron Pereira).
Pool-B: South Central Railway 11 (Poonacha M.G. 2, Raju Pal 2, Sheshe Gowda 2, Lovepreet Singh, Aiyappa P.R., Guebhej Singh, Pratap Lakra, Sandeep Kumar Singh) beat Killedar XI 1 (Romesh Pillay).