Chennai, Sep 3 (PTI) Indian Railways emerged were crowned the Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey champions after it trounced Hockey Karnataka 5-2 here on Sunday.

It was a lively final, as Railways took the lead early, just a couple of minutes into the meet, with Pratap Lakra netting the opener via a penalty corner.

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Nevertheless, in the 17th minute, Thrishul Ganapathi scored the equaliser with a penalty corner.

Lakra then scored twice in the 24th and 29th minutes as Railways led 3-1 at half-time.

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Following the restart, Indian Railways improved their lead with a couple of field goals from Ajit Pandey (36th) and Deepak (42nd).

As things entered into the final quarter, Karnataka's Chethan Karisiri scored a field goal in the 52nd minute before the final hooter ensured Railways' triumph.

Besides the winners' trophy, Indian Railways were presented with a cash prize of Rs 7 lakh, whereas runner-up Hockey Karnataka was awarded the Silver Cup along with Rs 5 lakh cash prize.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)