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13th August, 2014, Pune: As the Balewadi Sports Complex geared up for its second match for the day, the crowds erupted with elation as the Puneri Paltans took the field, with the fans unconditionally supporting the team. A battle between the last two teams of the points table, the match was the Bengal Warriors’ chance to rise to the fifth position and simultaneously a hope of redemption for the home team.
While the Pune team has had trouble converting their close brushes with victory into concrete wins, the Bengal team has also found it difficult to find their footing in the tournament. Starting off as equals and prepared to give each other a run for their money, both the teams were determined. However, the Puneri Paltan were in alpha mode tonight, and they absolutely dominated the game with a score of 40-30 in their favour.
The Paltans got off to a good start as they managed to take out 4 Bengal Warriors in the first seven minutes of the match. The Puneri skipper, Wazir Singh, soon appeared as a one-man army and consequently the team earned its first set of LONA points. By the eleventh minute Pune extended its lead by 9 points, making the score 14-5 in their favour.
The Bengal Warriors seemed to fall apart against Pune’s tactical moves; not even their Korean superstar Jang Kun Lee could save the Warriors as they gave away yet another set of LONA points to the home team. Taken down by a bolt out of nowhere, Mahesh Goud was soon sent packing by the tremendously coordinated Puneri Paltans, making the thunderous crowd cheers even louder. Wazir and his team ended the first half ahead by a staggering 14 points, and showed no signs of stopping.
Continuing with their commendable effort, the Puneri Paltans displayed yet another spectacular tackle as they trapped Bengal’s Mahesh Goud while he was attempting his flying kick. This half saw the defensive side of the Puneri Paltan, with a diminished team of 3-4 players consistently fended off the Bengal’s best. Utilizing their small size for the extra points earned through 4 person tackles, the 30th minute marked the scores at 31 – 15, with Pune far, far ahead.
It seemed like their streak was coming to end with the elimination of Wazir Singh in an ill-fated raid one minute later, but a 2 person Puneri team was no less lethal. A two-person defence was able to take out both Sunil and Nitin. Finally, after 15 minutes, the Bengal Warriors were able to take out the last Paltan, Kalimuthu Balamahendran, who even then was able to score a bonus point before conceding the all-out.
With 4 minutes to go, the score was 37-25, and an ecstatic crowd pleaded for more. Through the noise of their cheers, it was the Bengal Warriors who performed in the final run, scoring another 5 points, which, however did not save them from the 10-point humiliation.
