Last-minute charge sees Cavalry home
A clutch of penalties conceded in the fifth and final chukker made APRC-USPA look sheepish as Cavalry-TJP marched to victory in a pool match of the Sahara Indian Masters, at the Jaipur Polo Ground on Thursday.
A clutch of penalties conceded in the fifth and final chukker made APRC-USPA look sheepish as Cavalry-TJP marched to victory in a pool match of the Sahara Indian Masters, at the Jaipur Polo Ground on Thursday.
With Akhil Sirohi in form, APRC-USPA had the man for the occasion, and giving him support was Ravi Rathore. The duo forged a great combination upfront, and but for a few profligate moves in the first chukker, the losers would have been smiling on a sunny Thursday afternoon.
Beginning the match with a half-goal advantage on handicap, APRC-USPA managed two quick goals through Rathore and Dhruvpal Godara.
The opening goal was the result of an accurate Akhil pass to Rathore, who wasted little time in sending the ball in, while a foul by Cavalry-TJP gave the rivals an easy 60-yard penalty, which was converted by Godara.
Stalwart Tarun Sirohi was the player behind Cavalry's charge in the second chukker, scoring a goal and also falling back in defence to thwart a couple of threatening attempts.
Barring a brief period in the third chukker when Cavalry took the lead, APRC-USPA maintained dominance. But all that vanished as three set pieces in the final chukker awarded to Cavalry were accepted gleefully.
Tarun converted a spot hit, while Navjit Sandhu and Samir Suhag shot accurately from the 40 and 60-yard mark to signal Cavalry's victory.