Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh) [India], August 3 (ANI): The third day of the 15th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship saw two close encounters in Division 'B' matches on Sunday.

In the first match, Hockey Uttarakhand drew with Assam Hockey. In contrast, in the second match, the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu drew with the Hockey Association of Bihar, as per a Hockey India press release.

In the first match of the day, Hockey Uttarakhand drew with Assam Hockey 2-2, with Raeen Kehkasha Ali (25') and captain Saloni Pilkhwal (6') scoring for Hockey Uttarakhand while Sagarika Barman (23') and Ashmita Tigga (58') scored for Assam Hockey to equalise the game.

The next match between Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu and Hockey Association of Bihar ended in a 2-2 draw with Mumanja R (14, 36') scoring both the goals for Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu while Kumari Rimjhim (41') and Kumari Sanjana Bharti (45') scored a goal each for Hockey Association of Bihar.

The competition, which started on Friday, will run until August 12 and will follow the newly introduced division-based format, which was implemented earlier this year for the Senior and Sub Junior Men and Women's National Championships.

-Division Format & Pool Composition

Division 'A' (Top-tier Championship Division): Teams will compete for the title, and the 11th and 12th ranked teams will be relegated to Division 'B'. Matches for the Hockey India Junior Women National Championship 2025, Division A, will start on August 5, 2025.

-Teams:

- Pool A: Hockey Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh Hockey, Hockey Karnataka

- Pool B: Hockey Madhya Pradesh, Hockey Punjab, Hockey Chandigarh

- Pool C: Hockey Haryana, Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Hockey Bengal

- Pool D: Hockey Association of Odisha, Hockey Maharashtra, Hockey Andhra Pradesh

In Division 'A', each team will play round-robin matches within their pool. The top two teams from each pool will qualify for the Quarterfinals (August 9), followed by the Semifinals (August 10) and the Final & 3rd place playoff (August 12). In Division A, if a classification match ends in a draw at the end of regulation time, a shoot-out competition--as specified in the FIH Tournament Regulations--will be conducted to determine the winners.

Division 'B' (Mid-tier Division): Only league matches will take place in Division 'B', with the top two ranked teams being promoted to Division 'A' and the last two ranked teams being relegated to Division 'C'. Matches for Division 'B' will start on August 1, 2025, and conclude on August 5, 2025.

- Teams:

- Pool A: Manipur Hockey, Le Puducherry Hockey, Hockey Uttarakhand, Kerala Hockey, Assam Hockey

- Pool B: Hockey Himachal, Delhi, Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu, Hockey Arunachal, Hockey Association of Bihar

Division 'C' (Entry-level Division): Only league matches will take place, with the top two ranked teams being promoted to Division 'B'. Matches for Division C will start on August 1, 2025, and conclude on August 4, 2025.

- Teams:

- Pool A: Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey, Jammu & Kashmir, Goans Hockey, Tripura

- Pool B: Hockey Gujarat, Raj., Hockey Mizoram, Telangana Hockey

Across all three divisions, teams will earn 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. (ANI)