Western Railway Clinch Elite Men’s Crown in Dramatic Tie-Breaker Thriller Central Railway Outclass Union Bank of India to Lift Women’s Title in Style Western Railway Hold Their Nerve to Capture Championship Glory

 

Western Railway Clinch Elite Men’s Crown in Dramatic Tie-Breaker Thriller

Central Railway Outclass Union Bank of India to Lift Women’s Title in Style

Western Railway Hold Their Nerve to Capture Championship Glory

 

Mumbai : In a pulsating and action-packed final that kept spectators on the edge of their seats, Western Railway displayed remarkable composure under pressure to edge past Mumbai Port Authority (MPA) 6-5 in a tie-breaker and emerge champions in the Elite Men’s Final of the 15th Joe Fernandis Memorial Hockey Tournament 2026. Organised by AHWA and played at the St. Stanislaus High School turf ground, the summit clash produced high-quality hockey before Western Railway finally sealed the title after a thrilling finish.

 

Mohit Kathoute and Stephen Swamy Shine in Regulation Time

The fiercely contested encounter ended in a 1-1 draw during regulation time. Mohit Kathoute put Western Railway ahead in the 16th minute with a well-taken goal, giving the railwaymen an early advantage. However, Mumbai Port Authority responded strongly as their dependable striker Stephen Swamy found the equaliser in the 20th minute, ensuring the match headed into a nail-biting tie-breaker.

 

Ravi Rajput’s Heroics Seal Western’s Triumph

The tie-breaker witnessed tremendous drama as Western Railway converted with clinical precision. Rajkumar M. scored two goals, while Mohit Kushwaha also struck twice and Rohan Patil added another goal to keep Western ahead. For Mumbai Port Authority, Shahbaz Khan netted two goals, while Stephen Swamy and Nitin Kumar contributed one goal each. The turning point came when Western Railway goalkeeper Ravi Rajput produced a crucial save to deny Nitin Kumar’s second attempt, helping his team secure a memorable championship victory.

 

Central Railway Women Dominate to Lift the Title

Earlier, Central Railway produced a commanding all-round performance to blank Union Bank of India 3-0 and capture the Elite Women’s title. The champions attacked relentlessly from the opening whistle and wrapped up the contest in the first half itself with a superb display of skill, speed and teamwork.

 

Lalhulumawali, Lalrautfeli and Vandana Katariya on Target

Central Railway’s victory was built on brilliant finishing from Lalhulumawali, H. Lalrautfeli, and Vandana Katariya, with all three players finding the net once each. Their clinical strikes ensured a comfortable win as Union Bank of India failed to break through the solid Central Railway defence. The emphatic triumph crowned Central Railway as deserving champions of the women’s competition.

 

Final Results

Elite Women’s Final: Central Railway 3 (Lalhulumawali, H. Lalrautfeli, Vandana Katariya) bt Union Bank of India 0

 

Elite Men’s Final: Western Railway 6 (Rajkumar M. 2, Mohit Kushwaha 2, Mohit Kathoute, Rohan Patil) bt Mumbai Port Authority 5 (Shahbaz Khan 2, Stephen Swamy 2, Nitin Kumar) via tie-breaker after the match ended 1-1 in regulation time.