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It took the Rhinos 63 minutes to break the deadlock through
Jackson, who converted a set-piece to open the hosts’ account in the second
edition of HHIL.
With two last year’s finalists in action in reigning
champions Ranchi Rhinos and runners-up Delhi Waveriders, it was expected to be
a close contest and it turned out to be one as both the teams matched each
other stick by stick.
Still reeling from their 2-3 defeat at the hands of Uttar
Pradesh Wizards in their tournament opener, the Ranchi Rhinos however started
on a positive note and put Delhi Waveriders defense under pressure early on.
The hosts created a few bright openings in the beginning but
their forward line led by star striker Mandeep Singh wasted the opportunities
as the Delhi
outfit displayed some stout defending.
As the match progressed the Delhi Waveriders slowly and
steadily got their footing in the match and managed to earn their first real
chance in the 17th minute through a penalty corner which was brilliantly
saved by Ranchi Rhinos goalkeeper Francisco Cortes to deny Rupinderpal Singh.
After some midfield slugfest, Amon Tirkey missed a golden
opportunity for the Ranchi Rhinos when his reverse shot from inside the circle
hit the side-board.
Few minutes later Akashdeep Singh and Talwinder Singh
combined well to earn Delhi Waveriders a penalty corner but the visitors wasted
the chance because of a bad push.
Ranchi Rhinos almost had thrice shots at the Delhi goal just at the
stroke of halftime but all the three attempts were kept away by Delhi
Waveriders goalkeeper Hamish McGreger as both the teams failed to break the ice
at halftime.
The Rhinos continued to press for goals after the crossover
and in the process earned another penalty corner but Jackson missed the target.
In the 62nd minute Delhi Waveriders threatened the
Ranchi Rhinos defense with three attempts in succession but Cortes came up with
a triple save to keep a clean slate. Cortes first saved twin tries from New Zealand
striker Simon Child and then kept at bay Akshdeep’s hit from just inside the
circle.
A minute later Jackson
finally broke the ice when he made use of a penalty corner to send the home
crowd into ruptures.
The Delhi Waveriders got a golden chance to equalize in the
next minute but Andres Mir Bel’s attempt from a penalty corner went wide.
The win gave Ranchi Rhinos five points while Delhi
Waveriders secured one point as per the rules of the tournament.
Ranchi Rhinos will next travel to Lucknow to face Uttar Pradesh Wizards on
Saturday, while Delhi Waveriders will host league debutants Kalinga Lancers on
Thursday.
Cedric D’Souza, Coach of Delhi Waveriders team
said, “It was a close match. Though the first half belonged to Ranchi
Rhinos, we played quite well in the second half. We did take chances but made
mistakes like letting the Rhinos control the ball and not able to spring along
passes. However, there is not much ground lost and we will be better prepared
for subsequent matches.”
Sardar Singh, Captain of Delhi Waveriders said, “There were
moments when we lost grip on the game. This costed us heavily. There were
lessons to learn and going forward we will train more to ensure our win.”
Happy at winning on home ground, Gregg Clark, Coach of
Ranchi Rhinos said, “I am quite happy with today’s team performance. They
gave a tough fight to Delhi Waveriders. Manpreet is very versatile and he
swerved the ball through the field.”
Manpreet Singh, Captain of Delhi Waveriders said, “Delhi is a good team and
winning against them has boosted our morale. They tried very well but could not
convert many chances. There need to be lot of thinking and training to ensure
we win the future matches. We cannot underestimate any team.”
Press release and photos; HHIL
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