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CWG: Indian men’s hockey team loses bronze medal playoff (Lead)
Gold Coast (Australia), April 14 (IANS) India’s men’s hockey team lost 1-2 to England in the bronze medal playoff at the 21st Commonwealth Games here on Saturday.
Sam Ward’s penalty corner conversion led to England’s first goal in the 6th minute. But India restored parity 20 minutes later with a successful penalty corner conversion from Varun Kumar.
Ward gave England again the lead in the 43rd minute, employing a reverse-hand drive past P.R. Sreejesh after his initial drag-flick was blocked by runner Amit Rohidas.
India had problems in defence throughout the tournament and it was no different on Saturday.
Though India had good ball possession in the initial minutes of the first quarter, England were far more dominating with intense attack, making spaces in the striking circle.
First it was the experienced Barry Middleton who took a potential shot on goal in the fourth minute but was slightly off the mark.
An Indian infringement gave away the first penalty corner of the match. Though Ward’s attempt was blocked away by India’s first rusher Rohidas, in his second attempt Ward kept it low as he successfully found the right corner of the post, taking a 1-0 lead.
Stung by conceding the opening goal, India failed to gather any kind of rhythm. With good man-to-man marking by England, making successful forays into the striking circle for the Indian forwards was hard to come by.
After several attempts, India’s first breakthrough, however, came in the 26th minute when Mandeep Singh and Lalit Upadhyay worked in tandem to win the team’s only penalty corner of the match. A well-thought variation between Rohidas and Varun fetched India a much-needed equaliser.
Scores levelled at 1-1, the third quarter was closely fought. While India began on an attacking note with Lalit taking a shot on goal in the 31st minute, Mandeep couldn’t find the right deflection to score.
Although India’s attack picked up steam, defensive errors on their part gave away two crucial penalty corners in the 39th and 42nd minutes. While, Ward’s first attempt was brilliantly saved by P.R. Sreejesh, England relied on their No.1 drag-flicker yet again in the 43rd minute to take the strike.
This time, though first rusher Rohidas successfully blocked the drag-flick, but on rebound Ward used a strong back hand shot to once again find the right corner of the post that helped England regain the lead.
Down by a goal, India desperately looked for opportunities to score but England’s defence was relentless, not wanting to repeat what happened in their previous tie when India scored in the last two minutes of the match.
Forward Akashdeep Singh took an ambitious shot on goal but missed the mark in the 45th minute.
Seconds later, skipper Manpreet attempted a shot but couldn’t convert into a goal.
England, meanwhile, won two penalty corners in the 50th and 54th minutes, but on both occasions different variations couldn’t help in stretching their lead by two goals.
Two minutes from the end of the match, India claimed a field goal after Akashdeep thought nudged home but a video referral by England was upheld saying there was a obstruction for the goalkeeper to react. It also denied India a penalty corner while the English defence stuck together to keep the lead to win the match.
–IANS
pur/nir
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.