IAF XI, SAI XI kick off Nehru campaign with hard-fought wins

New Delhi, Nov 14 (UNI) On a day of tough fights, Indian Air Force XI edged out Combined University via tie-breaker while SAI XI beat CRPF XI in sudden death on day one of the 43rd Nehru Hockey Tuornament here today.

The first match of the day saw Indian Air Force squandering a 2-0 lead and allowing Combined University to hold them 2-2 at the end of the regulation time.

Jerom Kujur and Shahnawaz Alam scored for Indian Air Force XI, while Jagjit Singh and Gurpreet Siingh struck for Combined University.

In tie-breaker, all five Air Force players -- Pardeep Singh, Manoj Kanojia, Sanwar Ali, Prabhakar and Neeraj Sahu -- scored, while Manpreet Singh of Combined University failed in his attempt even though teammates Pavninder Singh, Jagjit Singh and Avtar Singh translated their shots.

The second match also saw SAI XI and CRPF XI finish 3-3 at regulation time with Sashi Kant (2) and Yudhvir Singh scoring for the former, while Ballkar Singh, Mukesh Singh and Rajesh Kumar struck for the CRPF side.

It was a battle of nerves in the sudden death before the SAI XI managed a hard-fought 10-9 win over their rivals.

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