Captain Ashley Jackson’s brace from penalty corners helped Ranchi Rays defeat Delhi Waveriders 2-1 at Ranchi on Tuesday to end the away side’s unbeaten run in the tournament. Rupinder Pal Singh scored the only goal for Delhi in a match that saw both teams relying on their defences.

After earning their first victory of the season against Punjab Warriors in the last game, Ranchi Rays shifted to a more defensive 5-2-3 formation for their home match against Delhi Waveriders, who won both of their games comfortably. With Delhi also employing a similar formation, the match started as a tight affair as both teams concentrated on their defence.

After a tight first quarter, which saw both teams sitting back and waiting for the other to commit the mistake, the goal rush started in the 27th minute with Rupinder Pal Singh slotting in his fourth goal of the tournament from a penalty corner. A well-worked corner from Delhi caught Ranchi off-guard and gave Rupinder an easy opportunity to send the ball into the net beating Tyler Lovell in the Ranchi goal.

The goal woke up Ranchi from their slumber, and the team hit back within two minutes by earning a penalty corner. Captain Ashley Jackson stepped up and calmly swept the ball into the back of the net leaving goalie Devon Manchester, who has been in brilliant form in the tournament, baffled.

With the crowd cheering them on, Ranchi raced forward after the half-time break and took a 2-1 lead through another penalty corner. A similar story unfolded once again as Ashley Jackson stood up and converted the penalty corner, this time beating Devon Manchester to the bottom right-hand corner.

Leading 2-1, Ranchi shifted back to their defensive strategy by man-marking the Delhi forwards inside their half. Delhi almost levelled things up at the end of the third quarter with Rupinder Pal Singh’s effort from a penalty corner beating Ranchi goalie Tyler Lovell, only to see Birendra Lakra on the line pushing it away.

Delhi pushed forward in search of the equaliser in the final quarter, and Ranchi opted to stay back and hit on the counter with the help of pacy wingers Mohammed Amir Khan and Trent Mitton. The home team held their nerves in the final minutes and saw out the attacks from Delhi to register their second consecutive win in the tournament.