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Sunday, July 18, 1999
MbPT find route to Super League slot
Express News Service
Mumbai, July 17: Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) virtually sealed their place in the Bombay Hockey Association (BHA) Super League with a clinical 2-0 win over Union Bank of India (UBI) in the penultimate Punjab National Bank-sponsored Senior Division hockey match at Mahindra Stadium today.The two goals, scored in the first 12 minutes, drew MbPT within striking distance of UBI in the league tally (see box). A win on Monday, in their final tie against Khalsa Gymkhana, will help MbPT finish winners of the eight-team pool, past Sports Authority of India (SAI), by virtue of a better goal difference. A draw would suffice to go past UBI. The way Khalsa have been playing six defeats in six matches MbPT look set to unseat SAI.Today's victory should also come as a boost to the five borrowed players in the MbPT side Fritz D'Souza, I S Negi, Umar Farooq, Carlyle D'Mello and Sameer Jada. Some of them, possibly all, are likely to be offered jobs by the Port Trust. For the placements to materialise, the condition was the teamshould qualify for the Super League.Heavy rains forced a hold-up minutes after the crucial match started and MbPT were quick to acclimatise to the soggy outfield, as UBI struggled to stitch a move. The two goals came in quick succession, through right out Leonard Pereira (7th) and Digvijay Naik (12th), the latter of a short corner.As the match progressed, UBI found it difficult to retain the ball under some relentless MbPT aggression. The penetrative moves, few as they were, came in the second half, when promising junior Vikram Pillay moved up from a defensive first half position. But the UBI attack lacked the punch to challenge MbPT's defenders. BMMPKB rally Down 0-2, BMMPKB rallied to hold Jai Ambe 2-2 in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Trophy MDFA Division I-B football league at the St Xavier's ground, Parel, today. Anil Upadhyay netted a brace for Jai Ambe. Navin Wadekar and Yogesh Mohite equalised. In the Division I-A tie, Young Boys of Sahar beat Miners 2-1. Nishant Kado netted both the goalsfor the winners and Simon Chougule reduced the margin.In the Div. II-A game, Gajant Laxmi defeated MLWB, Worli, 3-1. Bharat Pillay, Tony Santos and Caesar Fernandes scored for the winners. Eddie Cabral scored for the Worli side. Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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