inal placings: 1. Australia 2. Malaysia 3. England 4. India.

Post-Mortem: This was the first major title for Australia in 5 years, having last won the Champions Trophy in 1993. Pakistan, by failing to make it even to the semi-finals, lost its unique record of winning the inaugural title of every world hockey competition since the 1971 World Cup.

South Africa pulled off its first-ever victory over Australia 3-2. The amazing Greg Nicol top-scored at the tournament with 14 goals in just 5 games, taking his tally to 102 goals in only 90 internationals. The second highest goal-scorer was Michael Brennan of Australia with 7 goals in 7 games! Incidentally, Greg Nicol is the first ever South African to score more than 100 goals in hockey.

For India, this was the first time since the 1982 Esanda Trophy that the men's team qualified for the semi-finals of a world hockey event.

inal placings: 1. Australia 2. England 3. New Zealand 4. India.

Post-Mortem: Olympic and World Champions Australia added the Commonwealth title to their bag, whipping England 8-1 in the finals for their largest ever victory over England. England had last reached the finals of a hockey competition way back in 1975.

Australia scored 7 goals in the semi-finals (against New Zealand) and 8 goals in the finals (against England) to totally dominate the hockey competition. Overall, Australia scored 56 goals in 7 games, conceding only 3. During the course of the games, Australia's goal-scoring machine Alyson Annan broke Jackie Perreira's record for the most number of goals for Australia. Annan expectedly top-scored in the tournament with 11 goals.

For India, this was their best performance since the 1982 Asiad gold, and a much improved showing from the Utrecht World Cup where they finished 12th and last.

Courtesy  The Star of Malaysia

e did not get a seat that day and stood through the entire match with our hearts beating and legs and hand trembling. The entire match from start till the end was delightful and exciting. Every Indian player on the field that day displayed superb stickwork, accurate passes but sadly, POOR finishing.

We saw many clear chances, even a roll into the goalmouth by Pillay missing by inches. Indeed it was the hosts' lucky day. What India misses is an opportunist goal scorer, and a penalty corner specialist like Surjit Singh. In this we have to learn from the Australians, who combined very well, especially in the 'D'.

It was indeed an extremely hostile crowd but nevertheless we Indian fans braved and cheered the team only to be drowned by the opposing noise. Following the superb Indian display, we heard statements such as the following from the partisan Malaya crowd: "What is India playing?", "Why can't Malaysia play like that?" "This is how hockey should be played." After the game, we saw some fans crying in the stands. Many of my Malaysian friends acknowledged that it was India who should have gone through to the finals.

Maharaj Krishen Kaushik, I saw you playing in Kuala Lumpur before - I think you are on the right track. Tell the world - "Look out, the Indians have returned." For those 78 minutes, I felt I was reliving the Indian team of Kuala Lumpur 1975, the team of Harcharan, Ajitpal, Ashok Kumar and Govinda. CONGRATULATIONS.

Courtesy  Jaswant Singh

t the semi-final stage of the Commonwealth Games, it was Australia vs. England and India vs. Malaysia. The pre-match favourites were Australia and India. England had beaten Australia only 4 times in over 40 meetings. The last time was in 1985.

Of the 32 matches played against Malaysia on the synthetic pitch, India had won 25, lost 3 and drawn 4. Interestingly, of the 10 played in Kuala Lumpur, India had won 8, lost 1 and drawn 1. Malaysia last won against India in 1991, when Malaysia won 3-2 in the pre-World Cup qualifier in Auckland.

Going by the World Cup rankings, Malaysia were 7th among the Commonwealth nations participating in the games. Malaysia had never in its history reached the finals of an international hockey competition. It was clear that India were the overwhelming favourites.

Australia played true to form, and rallied twice against England to beat them 3-2. However, India disappointed the hearts of millions of its fans by losing by the golden goal to Malaysia. India had 8 penalty corners in the semi-finals, but couldn't get the ball past goalkeeper Roslan even once.

he Canadian men's hockey team left a trail of destruction at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil after losing a crucial Pool B semifinal decider against Malaysia. The players went berserk after losing the match 1-2 and damaged the door of their dressing room with hockey sticks and signages along the way leading to their waiting bus.

The object of the Canadian players' fury was Scottish umpire David Wallis, who allowed Malaysia's winning goal in the 65th minute by Calvin Fernandez, instead of awarding an infringement against him. After the final whistle, the Canadians manhandled and abused the umpire. However, timely intervention by officials defused the situation.

A Canadian player threw an object into the stands. The crowd then took over and rained empty plastic bottles at the Canadians for their unsporting behaviour. The Canadian players retaliated by throwing back objects to the crowd. A police report on the team's and crowd behaviour was then lodged.

The Canadians utter lack of class was shown by 2 incidents - their captain Peter Milkovitch refusing to step into the 'sin bin' after getting a yellow card, and their goalkeeper Mike Mahood kneeing the Malaysian captain in the chest, while the latter was down on his knees, praying after their victory. A report is certain to go to the FIH before their next meeting, and the Canadians may have to face a charge of bringing the game into disrepute. Aware of the strict police laws in Malaysia, the Canadians deemed it fit to submit an apology and offer compensation.

The brash Canadians should learn from the Pakistanis who did not protest against the umpiring in their decisive game against England, in which four Pakistani players were put under temporary suspension. Pakistan lost that match 2-3 and did not qualify for the semi-finals, like the Candians. Pakistan team manager Zakauddin said it was better to accept defeat with dignity although disappointment was inevitable. The final word comes from the Canadian Reform Party MP Inky Mark, "If the players cannot accept their responsibility as ambassadors, they shouldn't be representing our country."

alaysia has joined 7 other countries who has shown interest in hosting the first World Cup of the new millenium. Malaysia has suddenlty become a strong contender to host hockey's next World Cup in 2002 after visiting officials from the FIH were impressed by the stadium built especially for the Commonwealth Games. Even the response from the audience was fantastic, with capacity crowds of 12,000 - 15,000 chanting Malaysia Boleh and banging on drums and kompangs, being present for most of Malaysia's matches.

A decision on which country will host the World Cup, the second-most important hockey tournament after the Olympics, was to have been made at the last championship in the Netherlands in May. The FIH delayed its decision because several changes to the tournament's format are being considered. Another factor to keep in mind is whether or not to hold the women's World Cup simultaneously with the men's World Cup. The MHF is not too keen on co-hosting the Women's World Cup. The successful bid will now not be announced by the FIH until at least December 1998.

Already Kuala Lumpur has made a bid to host the 2006 Asian Games, and there has been talk Malaysia would also enter the bidding war for the 2008 Olympics. Kuala Lumpur had already held the World Cup in 1975, the first Asian country to do so.

ifty two year old Paul Lissek of Germany is one of a handful who has a FIH master's coaching certificate. The master's certificate is the highest coaching certificate issued by the governing body. Among others in this select club are Horst Wein, Terry Walsh and Richard Agiss.

During the course of the Commonwealth Games, the Lissek-coached Malaysian team drew with Pakistan 1-1, drew with England 2-2, beat Canada 2-1 and beat India 1-0 to emerge 2nd among Commonwealth nations. Malaysia went into the final with five unbeaten matches. The Malaysians until the final match had the best defensive record with only 4 goals against them. They conceded 35 penalty corners but only let in 3.

Paul Lissek spent almost 15 hours each day on the job. His work involved not only field training, but also video sessions, assessing the opponents, discussions with his assistants and selection committee meetings. Discipline was the key in Lissek's training, and he dared to introduce juniors into the fold at the expense of seniors who were not willing to change. In an important step, the MHF gave Lissek a free hand to run the programme his way. Most importantly, the coach was allowed to select his team.

Six players selected by Paul Lissek from the Project 2001 squad will go for a 3-month stint with German clubs in the Bundesliga from April to July 1999. After the 3-month league, the other 2001 Junior World Cup squad will join the selected six in a centralised training camp being organised by Lissek for the German junior squad. The Malaysian team will train and play friendlies with the German team for two weeks.

As for his future plans, Lissek, who is currently the Director of Coaching in Germany, has this to say, "For me, I want to end my job in Germany by achieving the target of winning the World Cup. That is something we have not been able to do. After I have finished with German hockey, the challenge to build a new team elsewhere may take me to a new direction." Are you listening, IHF?

he 20th Men's Champions Trophy hockey tournament will be held at the National Hockey Stadium, Lahore, from October 31 to November 8, 1998. The world's six leading teams, Australia, England, Germany, Holland, Spain and hosts Pakistan are clubbed together in this premier hockey competition.

Pakistan have won the Champions Trophy on 3 occasions, in 1978 at Lahore under the captaincy of Islahuddin Siddiqui, in 1980 at Karachi under the late Munawaruz Zaman, and in 1994 at Sydney under skipper Shahbaz Ahmed.

The astro-turf to be laid for the Champions Trophy has yet to arrive in Pakistan. This has made a mockery of the FIH requirement that the astro-turf be laid 6 months before the event. The following is the schedule of the 20th Champions Trophy:

Date	Matches
Oct 31	Netherlands vs. Spain Australia vs. Germany England vs. Pakistan
Nov 1	Germany vs. Netherlands Spain vs. Pakistan
Nov 2	England vs. Australia
Nov 3	Germany vs. Spain Pakistan vs. Australia Netherlands vs. England
Nov 4	Pakistan vs. Netherlands
Nov 5	Spain vs. Australia Germany vs. England
Nov 6	Australia vs. Netherlands Spain vs. England Pakistan vs. Germany
Nov 7	REST DAY
Nov 8	5th vs. 6th, 3rd vs. 4th, 1st vs. 2nd

ndia will be playing hosts to Malaysia in a five-match Test series in November. The India-Malaysia Test series was revived in 1995 with Malaysia as hosts. India were to host the next series but were unable to do so for the last two years.

Meanwhile, Thailand will host a six-nation hockey tournament in early November to test their facilities for the Asian Games. India, Pakistan and Malaysia have been invited to play in the tournament. The other two teams are expected to be Australia and South Korea.

he 43-member OCA, the Asian equivalent of the International Olympic Committee, runs the Asian Games which will take place in Bangkok this December. "It is important for us to see hockey on the upswing because it is Asia's first great claim to sporting success," said Abdul Muttaleb Ahmed, director-general of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

The Asian Games is an important competition as only the gold medallist will qualify automatically for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The other teams will have to play in the qualifiers in Osaka, Japan in early 2000. South Korea is the defending Asian Games hockey champion.

Asian Games hockey starts on December 6. The venues for hockey are at the Kasetsart University hockey field, and the Queen Sirikit 60th Anniversary Stadium. Both the fields have poligras pitches.

The pools for the Asian Games hockey competition are as follows:

Men : Pool A : South Korea, Malaysia, Japan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Uzbekistan
Pool B : Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, China, Thailand, Hong Kong

Women : Pool A : South Korea, India, Uzbekistan, Kazakhastan
Pool B : Japan, China, Sri Lanka, Thailand

ndia Field Hockey received a visitor from Holland, Catrien van Zutphen, who is the Marketing Communications Manager of Desso DLW Sports Systems. His company manufactures Desso Turf - which was the pitch on which the World Cup was played in Utrecht this year.

Desso DLW supplies two kinds of pitches - made of nylon (DD ActionTurf), and made of polypropylene (DD Sportilux S). Pitches of the former are found primarily in Holland, while pitches of the latter kind can be found in Pakistan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Egypt and Oman, besides Holland of course.

Desso DLW's website, currently under construction, can be located at http://www.dessodlw.com/.

ndian Hockey Federation President K. P. S. Gill said at a press conference that the problem with regard to payment to players, "engineered by an ex-player," had been sorted out. He was referring to an issue raised by former India captain Pargat Singh, though Gill refused to name him.

What started as a routine question and answer session generated intense heat. "In my opinion, he had done disservice to Indian hockey. It is totally disgraceful and extremely reprehensible. It's sad that a renowned player had made this an issue," said Gill.

Gill also mentioned that the ex-player had started a magazine and gone to the extent of writing in an article stating that a greatest disaster would befall Indian hockey if Gill was elected as president of the IHF. But the same player later wrote to him stating, "It's nice that you had been elected. Shall I come over for an interview," Gill closed the topic by saying, "What can we do with such people?"

When journalists persisted in linking payments made with the performance of players, Gill shot back, "Do you think money will make players play better?" Only if you excel, will the money come. Any one who thinks that money will make a player play better is on the wrong side of the street."

Applying the same yardstick to our esteemed hockey officials, will they all refuse to take any salary until they start excelling too. For starters, by conducting the national junior and senior championships, for both men and women, for all years of their term. Incidentally, that is the basic mandate of the IHF, though it tends to get lost amongst foreign trips and election intrigues and sacking of coaches.

ver the Labor Day weekend in September, hockey legend Shahbaz Ahmed was in Kuala Lumpur, New York and Holland at the same time. While this feat could be ascribed to modern day jet travel, it was more likely a case of unsubstantiated rumours. Let us explain.

An Agence France Press (AFP) report originating from Kuala Lumpur on Sept 6 reported that the Pakistan manager Zakauddin had requisitioned the services of Shahbaz Ahmed to lead Pakistan in the Commonwealth Games.

The Secretary of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), Col. Syed Mudassar Asghar, came out with an immediate contradiction. "I am deeply hurt that an international news agency can carry such an irresponsible story. It is a blatant effort on the part of some vested interests to damage the morale of our boys a few days before the Commonwealth Games hockey tournament begins," said the PHF Secretary.

Pakistan coach Shahnaz Sheikh had this to say, "I had to hide the newspaper from my players. We have a harmonious team and I don't want them to be upset with his kind of reports."

Around the same time, a $10,000 Big Apple Hockey Tournament took place in New York. One of the entrants was the Zindabad team - which was supposed to get the services of Shahbaz and Tahir Zaman. The team had to wait in vain for Shahbaz and Tahir never landed up in New York.

All this while, Shahbaz was in Holland, playing for the Eindhoven club Oranje Zwart. Shahbaz is contracted to play for the Dutch club between September 1 - December 18, 1998, and from January 26 - May 16, 1999. His contract fee is close to $40,000, plus other facilities. Both Shahbaz and his brother-in-law Tahir will not be playing for Pakistan in 3 important tournaments in 1998 - Commonwealth Games, Champions Trophy and the Asian Games, due to their committments in the Dutch Hockey League.