In a thriiling game, the in-form Poles (FIH World Ranking: 26) gave the top-ranked Indians (WR: 13) a real test with Oriana Walasek cancelling out an early strike from tournament top scorer Vandana Katariya. However, goals from Junior Player of the Tournament Rani Rampal and team captain Ritu Rani gave the Eves a 3-1 triumph over a side that has greatly impressed and will join them in the Olympic qualifier phase of the Hockey World League.
"We are very happy that we won", said a delighted Ritu Rani immediately after the match. "We played well but I think we could have played better. From here we will concentrate on Round 3 and we should feel confident about our performance here."
Poland's fantastic contribution to the tournament was recognised in the individual awards, with team captain Marlena Rybacha being named Player of the Tournament while Marta Kucharska was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
Malaysia emerged victorious in the battle for 3rd place with a 3-0 victory over Thailand. Norazlin Sumantri opened the scoring in the 11th minute before the brilliant Fazilla Sylvester Silin, unquestionably one of the stars of the tournament, bagged two penalty corners to put the result beyond all doubt.
Cricket
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