Jamshedpur: Boys of Naval Tata Hockey Academy put up a great show on their debut match on Thursday.

The cadets fought against their counterparts from Rourkela-based SAIL cradle at Indian Steel and Wire Products Sports Complex near Telco. Naval Tata Hockey Academy, however, lost to SAIL 1-2.

The boys from the hinterland said they felt nervous in the beginning but settled to a nicety during the later stages of the 70-minute outing.

" Maza aaya lekin thoda bechain tha. Pehli baar match khela hu (Enjoyed a lot but was a bit nervous. It was my first match)," said Niyaren Champia (15), a budding striker from West Singhbhum.

Goalkeeper Bhimsen Kisku from Seraikela-Kharsawan said he was initially nervous but later regained his composure after stopping some solid drives from the rival team.

"I was nervous initially about whether if I will be able to stop the balls or not. But later everything was fine," said Bhimsen.

On the other hand, the boys from SAI cradle gave a tough fight, thanks to their years of experience.

"Being on the field is completely different from training," said Sem Munda, a 15-year-old defender from West Singhbhum.

"The boys will have to play more matches in the coming months. Today they learnt a lot," said Tata cradle coach Johnson Munda.