Indian boys go down 1-4 to Pakistan, eves finish 3rd in Singapore

Singapore, Aug 7 (UNI) Braces by Haider Abbas and Haseem Khan did them in as the Indian boys went down to Pakistan 1-4 in the Singapore International Hockey Challenge here.

Meanwhile, a 2-5 defeat against Japan saw defending champion India finish third in the women's event.

In the men's section, Pakistan scored through Haider Abbas (13th and 69th) and Haseem Khan (34th and 39th), while the lone Indian goal came through Vikramjit Singh early in the second half.

It was a fast-paceed match of Asian hockey with Indian and Pakistani players running non-stop for 70 minutes but experience made all the difference as the Indian youngsters, despite their gritty show, conceded the match.

Team manager Stephen Balswamy, however, was elated with the performance of the team.

''My boys played well,'' he told UNI after the match, while the likes of Vikramjit Singh were in tears after the defeat.

India dominated the play for most of the first half and stood against the Pakistani players for every ball but the brittle defence let them down and Pakistan ran away with the match.

Pakistan team manager Islauddin Siuddiqui, captain of the 1975 Kuala Lumpur World Cup team also conceded that India played a good match, considering it was just a developmental side.

Meanwhile, in the women's section of the four-day Singapore tourney, Indian forfeited a 2-0 lead and lost 5-2 to Japan to finish third in the tournament.

While Malaysia lifted the title, India -- after beating Singapore 6-0 and drawing with Malaysia in the earlier matches -- finished third with four points.

Defending champion India needed to beat Japan by one goal to retain the title but Japan spoiled the party, pumping in five goals in a row.

Forward Ritu Rani scored two goals in the 22nd and 25th minutes to give India a comfortable 2-0 lead. But the Japanese strategically changed the play in the second half and the Indian citadel crumbled on five occasions as the title gave them a slip.

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