Punjab, Manipur enter HI Senior Men National`s quarters

Pune: Punjab overwhelmed Delhi 9-2, while Manipur ousted Andhra Pradesh 4-2 in their league matches respectively to enter the quarter-finals of the third Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2013, here on Thursday.

Former India forward Deepak Thakur slammed five goals (7,42,60,61,65 mins), while Vikramjit Singh scored thrice off penalty corners (24th, 27th, 64th mis) to help Punjab thrash Delhi and top the pool A with four wins out of four matches. In another game, Jharkhand scraped past Odisha 3-2 to top the pool E. Another win will guarantee a quarter-final spot to Jharkhand, who still have a match in hand against Himachal Pradesh. In another league match of the pool E, Comptroller and Auditor General registered a 2-1 win over Himachal Pradesh. In pool C, Hockey Karnataka scored a 8- 1 win over Hockey Bihar with Karnataka players converted four penalty corners into goals. Karnataka will take on Services Sports Control Board in a crucial match tommorrow to decide the quarter-finalists from the pool. In a crucial pool G match, Manipur overcame Andhra Pradesh 4-2 to make it to the last eight stage. Manipur ended their campaign winning three out of three matches in the league stage. In the same pool, Hockey Uttarakhand scored a 5-3 win over Hockey Kerala. PTI