Hosts Jharkhand thrashed Odisha 5-0 in a semifinal tie at the 11th sub-junior women’s national hockey meet underway in Simdega district on Wednesday to set up a summit clash with Haryana in the finals on Thursday.

For Jharkhand, Nisha Minj and Fulmani Bhengra scored two goals each while the fifth goal was scored by Purnima Barwa. Right from start, the hosts went on to play their natural attacking game and netted goals at regular intervals. The first goal for Jharkhand came in the 7th minute while the rest came in 21st, 35th, 43rd and 50th minutes of the game.

Wednesday’s semi-final saw a massive turnout at the Astroturf stadium that has the capacity to accommodate 4000 people. Since noon, fans from different parts of the district, and even from neighbouring Odisha, turned up to watch the game, which was also beamed live by International Hockey Federation through its social media platforms to over 150 countries.

The Jharkhand team in a huddle before the start of the semi-final. Telegraph picture

A view of the crowd at Astroturf stadium during the match in Simdega on Wednesday. Telegraph picture

Hockey Jharkhand president Bholanath Singh said it was a momentous occasion for a remote district like Simdega to host a national tournament for the first time, that too flawlessly, amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The state hockey association is thankful to the district administration and state government for making elaborate arrangements for the conduct of the games while ensuring Covid protocols. All players and team officials maintained the highest standards of precautions to prevent the spread of the virus,” he said.

Sub-junior women's teams from 22 states are taking part in this tournament, which began on March 10. Next month, Simdega is scheduled to host junior national women’s championships from April 3 to April 12.