Michael McCann broke a 1-1 deadlock with a last-minute clincher yesterday as Australia rallied for a 2-1 victory over India in the final of the Perth leg of the Australia Challenge men's field hockey competition.

　　Striker Dhanraj Pillay scored in the 49th minute when he pushed a short corner past Mark Hickman in goal to give India a 1-0 lead before the Kookaburras equalized with Jamie Dwyer converting from a short corner in the 65th minute in driving rain.

　　With less than a minute remaining, Nathan Eglington took a long pass and sent a cross to McCann, who scored from point-blank range.

　　Earlier, Grant Schubert scored twice within two minutes as Australia A fought back to beat Pakistan 2-1 in the third-place playoff.

　　Mohammed Saqlain gave Pakistan the lead after 50 minutes before the Australian second-string lineup equalized 15 minutes later via Schubert, who also got the winner in the 67th.

　　Australia A, which was ineligible for the final, finished the Perth leg of the Challenge with two wins over Pakistan, a 7-2 upset over top Australian lineup the Kooka-burras on Saturday and a loss to India. Pakistan went winless in four matches.

　　Australian coach Barry Dancer said the win was reassuring after the embarrassing loss to the second-string lineup. "Being able to respond to being beaten, and going behind today, is a step forward this team has made and a lesson we must take forward into the future," said Dancer.

　　The second stage of the Challenge will be contested in Sydney and Wollongong starting on Wednesday.