By Shadiq Al-Hussain

Sengkang Hockey Stadium, Sunday, January 10, 2010 – The Singapore Cricket Club and Police played out a 2-2 draw in the Singapore Hockey Federation (SHF) Under-21 Hockey Tournament.

It was a gritty game between two of the favourites to advance from Group A, billed as the ´group of death', with the ball stuck in midfield for most of the time.

Given that a victory for either side would have been a big step towards qualifying for the second round, it was no surprise that this match yielded a high number of fouls and cards – two green and three yellow cards.

The first green card came after just three minutes, when Singapore Cricket Club's (SCC) Ben Chia (#49) was booked for raising his stick dangerously. Six minutes later, his team-mate Julian Michael (#25) was given a yellow card for a mistimed tackle, temporarily expelling him from the pitch.

Police, however, did not capitalise on their extra player and it was SCC who went on to win the first penalty corner of the match after a quick break by Eng Song Yun (#18) down the left flank.

In spite of a brief spell of SCC pressure, it was Police who created the first clear-cut chance of the match. Following a counter-attack, Muhammad Sairunizam (#9) came close to scoring when his shot hit the crossbar.

The SCC defence, led by Tang Kah Chee (#4), however, held its shape for the rest of the first half, preventing Police from a sight of the goal.

In the 29th minute, SCC took the lead after Balakumaran (#40) ended a captivating solo run with a goal for a 1-0 half-time score.

SCC started the second half brightly, winning three penalty corners in a row in the 42nd minute. The third penalty corner was neatly converted by Balakumaran, doubling both his tally for the afternoon and SCC's lead.

Police responded with a goal of their own just two minutes later when Mohammad Azam (#10) scored after some good work from Muhammad Fazri (#4) on the left flank. Soon after this, Police came close to equalising when Muhammad Izjzudin (#23) beat 3 defenders to give himself a 1-on-1 chance, but SCC goalkeeper Jamal Siddique (#1) thwarted him.

SCC had Jamal to thank again in the 48th minute when he saved a shot that came straight at him from Police's Muhammad Aidil (#7) during a penalty corner.

At this point, Police was clearly controlling the match and a second goal for them seemed inevitable. It came in the 55th minute, as SCC's Chua Xian Yi (#22) was shown a yellow card for a mistimed challenge on Mohammad Azam, and in the ensuing penalty corner, Muhammad Aidil's shot found the back of the goal.

However, with the score tied, neither team could assert itself on the match for the remaining 15 minutes. In the 60th minute, Police's Muhammad ´Izjzudin received a yellow card for a late tackle on SCC's Prasad Palanisamy (#104). SCC, though, were not able to take advantage of his temporary expulsion, and the match ended 2-2.

The draw keeps both teams in contention to qualify from the group. Both teams next play on Saturday, 16th January.