Day Four Recap – 20th March
Day four saw the Paddy Power Kabaddi World Cup arrive in Birmingham’s Nechells Wellbeing Centre with matches that would determine which teams would make it through to the quarter final stages. Hitting the field of play first were USA and Poland, with Poland playing a very tactical game to win against their less experienced opponents. Whilst the USA lacked technical skill, they picked up pace towards the end of the match and gave some creditable individual performances.
A tough game followed for Hong Kong China’s men’s team who, despite some promising moments, couldn’t make an impact against Scotland. Scotland remain unbeaten in their group and have secured a place in the quarter finals.
The morning session culminated with a wonderful contest between the kabaddi-giants of India and the Welsh men’s team. Whilst the Indian team exhibited superior experience and skill throughout, Wales performed very well right from the start with a couple of good raids reflected in the close score in the first quarter. India moved up a gear in the second half of the match, countering Wales’ defensive tactics and mixing up their raiding style to bring home a comfortable win.
Poland men’s team were back out for the second time in Birmingham, fielding a number of younger players against England in the first match of the afternoon. For some this was their first experience at such a challenging level, but they gave a very creditable performance, offering a sound defence with impressive catching skills and great fighting spirit. Ultimately it was not enough to stop the England juggernaut which saw them win their third match in a row to secure a place in the quarter finals.
The final match of the day pitted Hong Kong China against Italy – a big game and a nail-biting end to an excellent day of competition. Itay fought hard, with some excellent raids and defensive tactics, however ultimately Hong Kong China’s teamwork, communication, and patience throughout the competition paid off with their first win of the competition.
Match results
- Match 1: USA v Poland (men): Final score: USA 39 v Poland 51
- Match 2: Hong Kong China v Scotland (men): Final score: Hong Kong China 27 v Scotland 70
- Match 3: India v Wales (men): Final score: India 102 v Wales 47
- Match 4: England v Poland (men): Final score: England 61 v Poland 36
- Match 5: Hong Kong China v Italy (men): Final score: Hong Kong China 53 v Italy 50
Men’s Quarter Finals
- England v Hong Kong China
- Scotland v USA
- Poland v Wales
- Hungary v India
