The contest had all the trappings of a final and the Jalandhar college played flawless hockey, displaying all the prowess in their cupboard. No doubt, Bhopal had plans up their sleeve but not enough firepower to topple their opponents.

Jalandhar outfit took time to settle down before taking the lead in the 19th minute through Ajay Kumar. Thereafter, they didn’t look back as they not only kept pace with their rivals but also mounted a calculated attack, manoeuvring ample space from within the striking circle. Inspite of this, the Bhopal team managed to earn as many as eight penalty corners to Jalandhar’s three.

Playing like true champions, the Jalandhar boys consolidated their lead in the 29th minute when Ajay struck again. In fact, Ajay was at his brilliant best, setting up the team’s three other goals as well.

With the Punjab college team in ascendany, it seemed to be a one-sided affair. But the scale started tilting towards the Bhopal college when they opened their account off a counter-attack. Satish Kumar Lama infused some life into play with an immaculate goal in the 32nd minute. It followed a good move, indicating that last year’s runners-up were not yet throwing in the towel.

But within three minutes, Jalandhar team changed its game plan with no answer coming from the Bhopal side. Tightening the gap, Jalandhar boys made Bhopal college sweat it out on a warm day.

After change of ends, Jalandhar pumped in their third goal (38th minute) when Major Singh beat the rival keeper Mehboob Khan off a pass from Jujhar Singh. Khan, normally a dependable keeper, was off the mark in the last quarter of the match, giving Jalandhar something to cheer about.

However, Bhopal’s Lama gave another glimpse of their fighting skills to narrow the gap (2-3). Undettered, Jalandhar surged ahead with two more goals to seal the fate of the Bhopal college. In the 44th minute, after collecting the ball inside the circle, Jujhar Singh foxed the Bhopal custodian to sound the board (4-2). Nine minutes later, Jujhar and Major Singh combined nicely before the former put the issue beyond doubt.

The winners collected a cheque of Rs 96,000 while the runners-up took home Rs 64,000. The third place team, Lyallpur Khalsa College (Jalandhar) who beat Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, Chandigarh 2-1 in extra time, were richer by Rs 32,000.