Bangalore, May 21: Former champions Punjab began their bid to regain the Rangaswamy Cup with a presumptuous 7-1 win over an effervescent, but inexperienced Orissa in pool B of the Punjab and Sind Bank 58th Senior National Hockey Championship at the Sports Authority of India South Centre here on Wednesday.

In pool `H' matches, Uttar Pradesh thrashed Manipur 5-0, while Bengal and Central Reserve Police Force shared four goals.

With Punjab and Sind Bank fielding a seperate team at this Nationals, the Punjab line-up resembled the Punjab Police team except for one player -- Sushil Kumar, who plays for JCT. That seemed the reason for the cohesion the Punjab forwards, Baljit Singh Dhillon, Surjit Singh, Sarabjit Singh and Baljit Bhullar, showed. Olympians Ramandeep Singh and Harpreet Singh played their roles of forming the link between the defence (which comprised of Pargat Singh and skipper Jagdev Singh) and forwardline to perfection and the performance of the duo was the shot in the arm the forwards needed.

Baljit Dhillon was the busiest of the forwards and the hattrick he scored justified his hardwork on the day. It was Bhullar, who started the scoring for Punjab as early as the fifth minute, capitalising on a sluggish Orissa defence, which failed to clear a Surjeet Singh cross from the right.

Sarabjit Singh made it 2-0, 15 minutes later, scoring during the side's third penalty corner drill after Jagdev had played a perfect dummy and Dhillon relayed the ball to him.

Dhillon got his first goal eight minutes into the second session, effecting a captivating dribble down the middle. A minute earlier he had set up Bhullar after moving in a similar fashion.

In the 53rd minute, Dhillon scooped the hit off his side's fourth penalty corner with perfection and completed his hattrick an hour into the match. In between Dhillon's second and third goal, Orissa reduced the margin in the 45th minute through Lalit Ekka, who converted the penalty stroke, Umpire K L Azad (Delhi) awarded, pulling up Jagdev Singh (Punjab) for stick-checking an advancing Abhay Kumar. The Punjab tally was rounded off four minutes before the hooter by junior India camper Daljit Singh off a Ramandeep Singh through pass.

Orissa did put up a spirited display with forwards Abhay Kumar and Sylvester Minj catching the eye with their speedy runs. But their efforts failed because of the sturdy Punjab defence line of the poignant Pargat and the robust Jagdev.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.