UP stun Delhi 6-2 in HIL

Uttar Pradesh Wizards produced a fine performance to stun Delhi Waveriders 6-4 in a high-scoring round-robin match of the fourth Hockey India League (HIL) at the Shivaji Stadium, here on Monday.

UP Wizards scored through Rupinder Pal Singh’s (19th minute) penalty corner conversion and two field goals in quick succession from Chinglensana Singh (54th) and Australian Jamie Dwyer (55th) and another late strike from a set piece by Gonzalo Peillat (58th) to register the victory, their second in the tournament.

The win, however, did not help UP Wizards to move up the table as they are still stuck in the fifth spot with 12 points, while Waveriders dropped a place to third. The Waveriders will next play Jaypee Punjab Warriors here on Tuesday, while UP Wizards will travel to Chandigarh also to face Punjab Warriors on February 4.

The Waveriders fought back hard and made the game interesting in the final quarter by scoring two field goals through Justin Reid-Ross (55th) and Talwinder Singh (58th) but it was not enough for the hosts to evade loss in their first home match. The win also enabled UP Wizards to stop their three-match losing streak and also avenge their 1-3 loss at the hand of the Delhi outfit in their previous meeting this year in Lucknow.

It was a fine show by the UP Wizards backline as they stoutly defended as many as 11 penalty corners earned by the Waveriders. The Wizards, on the other hand, secured five set pieces out of which they converted two. The Waveriders were by far the better side on display in the first two quarters, creating numerous scoring chances but what eluded them was goal.