Ludhiana: Jarkhar Academy clinches double title at 15th Olympian Prithipal Singh Hockey Festival
The event, organised by the Mata Sahib Kaur Sports Charitable Trust, Jarkhar village, saw standout performances with star players Pawanpreet Singh Dangora and Manavdeep honoured with the title of 'dabur hero of the match' for their match-winning brilliance.
The high-octane final matches were played under floodlights on the blue AstroTurf at Mata Sahib Kaur Sports Complex. In the senior category, Jarkhar Hockey Academy defeated Neeta Club Rampur in a nail-biting contest by 5-3 goals, claiming the Olympian Prithipal Singh Gold Cup Hockey Trophy along with a cash prize of approximately ₹81,000.
Earlier, last year's champions, Dr Kuldeep Singh Moga Club, defeated Kila Raipur by 6-3 goals to secure third place. Jarkhar Academy's Gurinder Singh Guri and Rampur's Jagjit Singh were awarded 'dabur hero of the match'.
International hockey star Harjot Singh Jyoti was declared the 'best goalkeeper' of the tournament. Rampur's Milkha Singh was named the 'best player of the tournament', and Pawanpreet Singh Dangora again stood out as 'dabur hero of the match'. Kila Raipur's Jagjit Singh Jaggi won the title of 'best player over 40'. All standout players were honoured with high-quality bicycles.
In the junior final, Jarkhar Hockey Academy defeated Kila Raipur Hockey Centre in a hard-fought 1-0 match to clinch the junior title for the first time. Earlier, Nankana Sahib Public School Amargarh beat Ek Noor Academy Tehing by 4-3. Jarkhar Academy's goalkeeper, Dilpreet Singh, was named 'dabur hero of the match', while Kila Raipur School's Rajveer Singh was declared 'best player of the tournament'. Gurmanwadeep Singh Chahil was named 'hero of the tournament'. All players were felicitated with bicycles.
At the grand final ceremony held on Monday, children from Dragon Academy, Ludhiana, won the audience's hearts with their choreographed dance performances on various songs.
Chief guest, MLA Mohammad Jamil-ur-Rehman from Malerkotla, interacted with various teams, spoke about the achievements of the Punjab government, and appreciated the infrastructure of Jarkhar Stadium and the efforts of the Hockey Academy.
Other dignitaries present included Prabhdeep Singh Nathowal (deputy director, public relations), international weightlifter Hardeep Singh Saini, Harbans Singh Saini, former AIG Punjab police Amrik Singh Minhas, Sukhwinder Singh Fauji, tournament manager Jagrup Singh Jarkhar, among others.
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