HIL: Delhi Waveriders outclass Ranchi Rays 7-4 to post first win on home turf

NEW DELHI: Riding on fine double strikes by Mandeep Singh and Talwinder Singh, Delhi Waveriders finally tasted their first victory on home turf as they stunned table-toppers Ranchi Rays with a convincing 7-4 margin in their must-win clash of the fourth edition of the Hockey India League at the Shivaji Stadium on Thursday.
With this win, Delhi moved to fifth place in the standings with 22 points to their kitty as Punjab Warriors held the fourth spot with same number of points on the basis of goal difference while Ranchi Rays stayed on top with 27 points despite losing the match.
Mandeep (7' FG, 42' FG) and Talwinder (13' PC, 19' FG) scored for the winners while Ashley Jackson (35' FG) and Trent Mitton (50' FG) contributed for the losing side.
It was a much-needed win for Delhi to stay in hunt for the semis spot as they have only one match left in the fixture, which is to be played against Kalinga Lancers on February 17th the last day of the league stage, and they now have to keep their fingers crossed as lot depends on how other teams fare in their upcoming matches.
Delhi opened the scoring to take 2-0 lead just in the 7th minute of the game through Mandeep who gave the finishing touch after tapping a good long pass from Iain Lewers. Five minutes later, agile Talwinder extended the lead to 3-0 after hitting on a rebound during a penalty corner movement as Delhi had a healthy lead of three goals after the end of first quarter.
Talwinder struck early in the second quarter to score his second goal of the day and give Delhi a comfortable lead of 5-0. Flummoxed Ranchi Rays too got few chances before half-time but they couldn't convert them into goals. Amir Khan of Ranchi unleashed a fine reverse hit in the 35th minute but it was well-saved by Delhi goalkeeper Devon Manchester, who tremendously excelled under the bar. Ranchi got three back-to-back PCs towards the closing stages of first half but their hits were denied sure-shot goals by some exceptional glove and pad work by Manchester as Delhi went into the breather with a vital 5-0 lead.
On changing ends, Delhi maintained their attacking spree on the rival citadel but Talwinder missed successive sitters at the handshaking distance from the rival goalkeeper before Ranchi skipper Ashley Jackson hit a scorching reverse hit after receiving a good long pass to cut down the Delhi lead to 2-5. But soon Mandeep struck his second as Delhi ended the third quarter with a decisive 7-2 lead.
The fourth and final quarter saw some nerve-wracking moments after Delhi team went into defensive mode in their quest to sustain their lead as they had to finally pay the price for their shocking approach as Trent Mitton hit a fine field goal to give some life the Ranchi team. The scoreboard still read 7-4 in favour of Delhi team but Ranchi players launched series of attacks to dismantle Delhi defence and they got crucial PC towards the fag end of the game but seasoned Delhi player Vickram Pillay stood tall on the goalline to deflect Ashley Jackson's blazing drag-flick.