Andhra Pradesh men's Inline hockey team clinches a thrilling win against defending champions Himachal Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh men's inline hockey team delivered a stunning upset, securing a 4-3 victory over defending champions Himachal Pradesh during the league stage of the 61st National Skating Championship on Sunday.

Andhra Pradesh initiated the game with an early lead of 1-0 and further stretched it to 2-0.

However, the seasoned Himachal Pradesh team swiftly retaliated, reducing the lead at 1-2. Himachal skaters struck again and equalised the game, setting the score at 2-2.

The second half witnessed Andhra seizing the lead once more with an early goal, leading 3-2. Despite Himachal's dominance in the latter half, they struggled to convert opportunities into goals. Andhra capitalized on a chance, extending their lead to 4-2.

In a nail-biting league match, Himachal narrowed the margin to 3-4 with a last-minute goal. Despite their commendable efforts and some impressive moves by the Himachal skaters, Andhra's goalkeeper proved formidable, ultimately securing the match in favor of Andhra (4-3).

Himachal has two matches remaining in the league stage and still has a chance to progress to the knockout stage (semi-finals).

Results: Roller Hockey

Junior Girls: Punjab played a draw with Tamil Nadu 3-3; Telangana bt Andhra Pradesh 8-3.

Junior Boys: Chandigarh bt Haryana 5-2; Uttar Pradesh bt Maharashtra 10-0; Kerala bt Gujarat 10-0.

Senior Men: Chandigarh bt Jammu & Kashmir 4-1; Uttar Pradesh bt Tamil Nadu 6-2, Telangana bt Haryana 7-3.

Inline-hockey:

Senior Boys:  Andhra Pradesh bt Himachal Pradesh 4-3; Chandigarh bt Jammu & Kashmir 7-1