Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, (Samajweekly) Hockey Madhya Pradesh was crowned champions of the 13th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship 2023 after defeating Hockey Maharashtra 5-1 in the final, here on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Hockey Jharkhand took third place after defeating Hockey Haryana in the third-place match.
Hockey Madhya Pradesh relied on penalty corners to overcome Hockey Maharashtra in today’s Final with Diksha Tiwari (2′, 4′) converting two early in the game. With just enough time left, Lalrindiki (25′) scored to give Hockey Maharashtra some hope, but Manmeet Kaur (38′), Preeti Dubey (42′), and Aishwarya Chavan (42′) scored for Hockey Madhya Pradesh to clinch the title.
“I cannot believe that we have actually won, I cannot believe that we put out such a great performance in the end, and I cannot believe that my parents got to watch it live from their home,” Madhya Pradesh’s Pratibha Arya said as she accepted her Player of the Match Award. “I can’t even fathom how proud they must be right now,” she said.
Hockey Jharkhand defeated Hockey Haryana 2-1 in the third-place match. Roshni Dungdung (25′) scored to give her team a slender lead, Reshma Soreng (59′) doubled the lead at the very end, but Hockey Haryana’s Devika Sen (60′) pulled one back to give her team a sliver of hope, but they failed to capitalise on this opportunity, and the match ended in Hockey Jharkhand’s favour.
Albela Rani Toppo was seen competing for every single ball, and her outstanding performance on the day earned her the Player of the Match Award. “The game was on edge throughout but the team kept their composure all along, believing that we can make amends for the loss yesterday. Receiving a Player of the Match Award is something I will remember for the rest of my life, but it is all because of my teammates’ support; I couldn’t have done it without them,” she said after the game.
