Nagpur: Lucknow Lioness women and Bhopal Blasters men registered facile victories to clinch the Handball Pro League titles at the Mankapur Indoor Stadium on Monday.While Lucknow women rallied splendidly to get the better of Chandrapur Think Tank 24-18 in a low-scoring title clash, Bhopal men made light work of Bhilai Battalions 41-34 to take home the winners’ trophy and prize money of Rs 10 lakh each. Nagpur Tigers men and Mumbai Esha’s Marvel women finished third.In a low-scoring women’s final, Lucknow fought back from a three-goal deficit to get the better of Chandrapur by 6 points (24-18). Both teams made a brilliant start and scored three goals each in the first quarter. By half-time, Chandrapur took a three-goal lead by winning the second period 6-3. In the third quarter, Lucknow team tried hard to make a comeback, but the decisive turn in the final came when the Chandrapur team captain got injured. Lucknow fully capitalised on the opportunity and took the lead in the contest by scoring consecutive goals. In the end, Lucknow Lioness registered a comfortable 24-18 victory to emerge as the only undefeated team in the league.For her brilliant performance in a pressure-filled match, Lucknow’s goalkeeper Chetna was adjudged with the Player of the Match award.In the men’s final, Bhopal took an early 21-10 lead against Bhilai and stretched their advantage to 7 goals to clinch the title 41-34. Joginder fired a game-high 13 goals for Bhopal.Earlier, in the bronze medal games, Nagpur Tigers men got the better of Wardha Momentum Warriors 29-24, while Mumbai Esha’s Marvel women made light work of Nagpur Ajit Nectars 27-17 to finish third in the league.
