he annual 4-nation Panasonic Cup tournament was held in Hamburg, Germany from August 21-23. World champions Holland, Asian champions South Korea, hosts Germany and India competed in the tournament where teams play each other on three successive days.

In what has become a familiar saga, the Indian 'developmental' hockey team lost all their matches to finish last in the four-nation tourney. The Indians were thrashed 6-0 by Germany in the opening encounter. They gave an improved display in their second match against the Netherlands, losing by a narrow margin (1-2). However, India was comprehensively beaten by South Korea 4-1 in its final encounter to finish fourth and last.

Germany beat arch-rivals the Netherlands 2-0 to clinch the title with 7 points from 3 matches. The Dutch finished second securing 6 points from 2 wins. The Koreans ended up third with 4 points.

India had finished at the bottom last year also, being beaten by large margins in all its matches. That turned out to be the first and last tournament of the then newly appointed coach Pargat Singh. Incidentally, the Sports Ministry had dealt a blow to the IHF by refusing to fund the 20-member Hamburg-bound developmental team as the quality of the team was not upto the standard. The team members were as follows:

Rahul Singh (Captain - Central Excise), Jagdish Ponnappa (IA), B. C. Poonacha (Central Excise), Cornelius D'Costa (Air India), Dinesh Nayak (TN), Anurag Raghuvanshi (AI Academy), Sukhbir Singh (Central Excise), Navsher Singh (Rlys), Radhakrishnan (TN), Jagmohan Singh (Rlys), Bimal Lakra (Centre for Excellence) Virender Singh (IA), Kamal Horo (Services), Ajinder Pal Singh (Rlys), Daljit Singh Dhillon (Punjab) and Y. S. Rawat (IA). Coach: C. R. Kumar, Manager: G. Satyanarayana

here is something shameful about the utter lack of civic sense in Indians. Read the following and judge for yourself.

The Hamburg-bound Indian team was forced to check out of the Residential Wing of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium as the conditions there were pathetic. "The fans were not working and the rooms were stinking. I didn't want my players to fall sick prior to such an important tournament,'' said coach C. R. Kumar. It seems another tournament had taken place recently (Independence Cup for sub-juniors), and the stadium authorities had neglected to do any cleanup. The Indian team had to ultimately shift to a hotel, putting a further strain on IHF's resources.

The World Cup-bound hockey team had to similarly shift out of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium due to poor conditions, prior to their departure for Utrecht in May.

This same story was repeated last year too. The Indian women's hockey team members for the World Cup qualifiers in Harare in August 1997 were subjected to uncivilized living conditions at their training camp at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, where there was a food shortage, and the water was not fit for drinking. Players survived on a diet of bread and jam and cold drinks to avoid falling sick.

This lack of cleanliness is a national malaise, and is not limited to Delhi alone. The National Hockey Championships conducted in 1997 in Bangalore provided primitive accomodation facilities to the players. Apart from sleeping on the floor, water shortage and mosquitoes were the other problems they had to contend with. Toilet facilities were pathetic and a number of players were laid down with health problems. All this despite a handsome budget of Rs. 60 lakhs for the national championships, which was used to house officials in five star hotels.

oalkeeper Subbaiah and forwards Baljit Singh Dhillon and Sanjeev Kumar have been recalled to the Indian team for the XVI Commonwealth Games to be held from September 9 to September 20 in Kuala Lumpur. Mumbai defender Cheops D'Costa and Air-India forward Gagan Ajit Singh are the new two faces in the team. 10 players from the Utrecht World Cup squad have been retained.

While naming the team, IHF President K. P. S. Gill said that the present coaching team of M. K. Kaushik, Ramesh Parameswaran and Charles Cornelius will not be changed till the Bangkok Asian Games in December. In a welcome change, Mr. Gill also said that coach Kaushik was actually consulted before selecting the team! Mr. Gill also said that the team was selected in consultation with Zafar Iqbal and Cedric D'Souza. Zafar Iqbal is no longer a selector, while Cedric was not even present at the selection camp!

Selection intrigues aside, the Indian  team for the Commonwealth Games is as follows:

Goal-keepers: A. B. Subbaiah (IA), Jude Menezes (Mumbai)
Defenders: Dilip Tirkey, Lazarus Barla (IA), Cheops D'Costa (Mumbai),
Halves: Mohammed Riaz (IA), Baljit Singh Saini (PSB), Ramandeep Singh (Punjab), Thirumalvalvan (TN)
Forwards: Mukesh Kumar (IA), Sabu Varkey (Mumbai), Dhanraj Pillai (captain, Mumbai), Sanjeev Kumar (PSB), Gagan Ajit Singh (AI), L. Prabhakaran (TN) and Baljit Singh Dhillon (Punjab).

Coaches: M. K. Kaushik, Ramesh Parameswaran, Charles Cornelius
Manager: M. S. Balakrishnan
Physiotherapist: Sebastian (SAI, Bangalore)
Stand Byes: Ambuj Srivastav (Rlys), Rajinder Singh (Central Excise), Shanmugham (Karnataka), Cyprian Aind (Services) and Ravinder Singh (IA).

4 teams that were placed over India in the Utrecht World Cup are also in the Commonwealth Games - Australia (4th), Pakistan (5th), England (6th) and Canada (8th). India need to finish in the top 3 at the Commonwealth Games to give some hope back to their disappointed fans.

ce half-back Sita Gossain will lead the 16-member Indian women's hockey team in the XVI Commonwealth Games to be held at Kuala Lumpur from Sept 9 to 21. Sita Gossain takes over from Sandeep Kaur who led India in the Utrecht World Cup in May, where India finished last.

World Cup participants Shashi Bala (full-back), and half backs Helen Soy and Sumrai Tete have been dropped. The three players who have come in their place are Suman Bala, Sunita Dalal and Ferdina Ekka.

The team has a new coach in G. S. Bhangu, who has come in for Col. Balbir Singh, the coach of the World Cup squad. India is placed in strong Pool B along with World Champions Australia, Jamaica, hosts Malaysia, Scotland, and Trinidad and Tobago. Pool A comprises Canada, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Wales.

ormer India hockey captain Harmeek Singh and 1980 gold medalist Surinder Singh Sodhi were among the 20 sportspersons selected for the prestigious Arjuna Awards for 1997. Veteran half-back Harmeek Singh had led the team in the 1972 Munich Olympics, where India got a bronze. The Arjuna awards, instituted in 1961, carry a cash prize of Rs 50,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll.

Guru Nanak Dev University (Amritsar) has retained the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy for the year 1996-97, as the university with the best overall sports record. The university will receive Rs 1 lakh and a replica of the trophy. The cash prize is given for the purchase of sports equipment by the university. Punjab University (Chandigarh) finished second and Delhi University third. These universties will be given cash prize of Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000, respectively, to be utilised for the purchase of sports equipment.

The President gave away the awards at a function held in Delhi on August 29. That day, which is the birthday of Hockey Wizard Dhyan Chand, is celebrated as the National Sports Day.

In his home town of Jhansi, a statue of the hockey wizard was installed at the local Dhyan Chand stadium on his birth anniversary on August 29. To mark the ocassion, a three-day hockey tournament was organised under the auspices of the Madhya Pradesh Sports Directorate.

ever before in the history of Pakistan hockey has there been a time when Pakistan is without any hockey title, even a regional one. In fact, it used to be the other way around, with Pakistan keeping all the hockey titles that the universe had to offer.

For instance, in 1978, Pakistan won the Asian Games, Champions Trophy and the World Cup (Buenos Aires). A decade earlier, Pakistan won both the Olympics (1968 -  Mexico City) and the World Cup (1971 - Barcelona). This feat was repeated in the eighties when Pakistan won the World Cup (1982 - Mumbai) and the Olympics (1984 - Los Angeles). Pakistan's last notable success was in 1994, when it won both the World Cup (Sydney) and the Champions Trophy.

It has been downhill ever since for Pakistan hockey, which is in a shambles. A player revolt in April 1996 was followed by Pakistan's worst ever Olympic showing in the Atlanta Games. 1997 saw Pakistan come 5th out of 6th in the Champions Trophy, and 5th in the Junior World Cup in Milton Keynes. The same story carried into 1998, when defending champions Pakistan crashed to 5th position in the Utrecht World Cup - their second worst ever performance in the World Cup.

I remember the date April 22nd 1998, some three hours before the Pakistan team selection for the World Cup. Islahuddin told me in his room in the National Stadium, Lahore, that he did not want Shahbaz Ahmed and Tahir Zaman in the squad, and that if they were imposed on him, he would resign. After two and a half hours of closed door negotiations, Shahbaz and Tahir were selected, and Islahuddin remained as coach in the "national interest".

As Islahuddin went back to his room, it is said that Shahbaz and Tahir walked into Islah's room and said the golden words:

"SIR, YOU HAD TURNED THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN TO KEEP US OUT OF THE SQUAD. NOW THAT WE ARE IN, YOU SHOULD KEEP YOUR WORD AND RESIGN. IF YOU DO NOT, THEN THE BALL IS IN OUR COURT, AND WE WILL SEE HOW YOU WIN WORLD CUP"

The team given to Islahuddin failed to defend its title and finished 5th at the World Cup. Shahbaz Ahmed opted to abstain from the all important match against Australia. Islahuddin was sacked for having failed to defend the World Cup title.

A similar story is being repeated for the Commonwealth Games. While announcing Shahnaz Shaikh as the coach, the PHF did not even bother to consult him. The PHF did not even consult the new team management while announcing the probables for the Commonwealth Games training camp. The PHF made a laughing stock out of itself by first including Shahbaz Sr., Tahir Zaman and Shahbaz Jr. in the probable list, and later dropping them when the new management of Zakauddin and Shahnaz Shaikh protested.

Newly appointed national coach Shahnaz Shaikh is daily missing two hours of the training camp as he has to report for work at PIA. One wonders what would happen to Pakistan hockey when the PHF cannot even secure a release order for its coach from the PIA.  

By Sardar Khan (courtesy FieldHockey.com)

national-level Independence Cup for sub-juniors (u-14) was held by the Sports Authority of India from August 6 - August 13. This is a worthwhile effort by the SAI to promote hockey at the grassroots level, and is organised jointly with the Delhi Hockey Association. This tournament gets a government grant of Rs. 10 lakhs.

Sub-juniors from across the nation got a feel of playing on the astro-turf at the National Stadium, New Delhi. The teams were as follows:

Pool A : Orissa, Rajasthan 'B', Uttar Pradesh 'A'
Pool B : Assam, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh 'B'
Pool C : Haryana, Karnataka, Manipur
Pool D : Nagaland, Rajasthan 'A' and Tamil Nadu 

In the first semi-final, Punjab avenged their last year's loss by beating Orissa 5-1. In the other semi-final, Uttar Pradesh 'B' thrashed Manipur 6-1. In a thrilling final, a hat-trick by Jagdish Jadhav enabled Uttar Pradesh 'B' to defeat Punjab 4-3 and win the Independence Gold Cup. In the match for the third place, Orissa beat Manipur 2-1.

The winners, UP 'B', received the winners cheque of Rs. 21,000, while runners up Punjab had to be content with Rs. 11,000. This was the second year in a row that Punjab lost the title game, as they finished second to Orissa last year. The coach of the winning team received Rs. 5,000.

11 sub-junior players were chosen for a special incentive of Rs. 1,000 each. They were: Jarnail Singh, Jitender Singh and Gurbaj Singh (all Punjab), Rajesh Kumar, Santosh Kumar and Mohammed Hanif (all UP 'B'), Anthony Hemram (Orissa), Smarjit Singh, Sachi Kanta and R. K. Jasobanta (all Manipur) and Pfokrelo (Nagaland).

22 most promising players (2 per position), chosen by a Selection Committee comprising Olympians Ajitpal Singh, Harbinder Singh, Zafar Iqbal and Rajinder Singh, for a special assessment camp to be conducted by the SAI. The boys will be then inducted to various SAI hostels on the basis of their skills, with SAI taking care of their needs, including education.

magine a state-wide hockey league for school players. The Aryan Hockey Club is organising the Ludhiana District schools hockey league from September, according to the club president Sukhvir Singh Grewal.

8 schools will take part in the tournament, matches of which will be played only on weekends. The schools are Kila Raipur School, Malwa School, Roomi School, Jarkhar School, Namdhari Jatha, Bahadurgarh School, Kamalpura School and Raikot School.

After the district league, the Punjab State Super League for Harbans Singh Pannu Memorial Cup will be held in the first week of October. The district league champions will qualify for the championship, along with SPDA (Patiala), Sports School (Jalandhar), Burlton Park Hockey Academy (Jalandhar), and Shivalik Academy (Chandigarh), among others.

magine a nation-wide hockey league for college players. Don't imagine too hard, for such a league exists, the NCAA women's hockey league in the USA. HockeyPoint which will chronicle the entire season from start to finish.

The structure of the NCAA College Hockey League in USA is as follows:

73 universities sponsor field hockey teams that compete at NCAA Division I level. These teams are divided into 5 regions - Northeast, South, Mideast, West and the Mid-Atlantic Region.

25 universities / colleges sponsor field hockey teams that compete at NCAA Division II level. These teams are divided into the North Region and the South Region.

Finally, 133 colleges from around USA compete teams at the NCAA Division III level. These colleges are organized into the New England East, New England West, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Great Lakes and the South Region.

The season begins on the Labor Day weekend. The nation-wide pre-season Top 20 rankings are already out. The University of Virginia Cavaliers are ranked first in the nation. Rounding out the top five are perennial power Old Dominion, Ivy League's Princeton, defending champion North Carolina, and the Nittany Lions of Penn State.    

ockey ties between Holland and Pakistan have of late become very close. It started with Hans Jorritsma coaching the Pakistan team to the World Cup title in Sydney in 1994. Then Shahbaz Ahmed and Tahir Zaman got offers to play in the tough Dutch league.

The PIA General Manager based in Amsterdam, former Olympian Akhtar-ul-Islam, has further strengthened the close ties between Holland and Pakistan. He has arranged for the PIA to play in the Haagse Hockeydagen tournament, to be played in Holland from September 3 - September 7.

The tournament features club teams from Holland, Germany and England. PIA has been placed in Pool A alongwith Den Bosch, HDM and HGC clubs. Pool B includes Amsterdam, Bloemendaal, HCKz and Egara clubs.

The PIA General Manager had also been praised for making the stay of Pakistani journalists, commentators, players and officials comfortable during the 1998 World Cup in Utrecht.

ndia Field Hockey received a visitor from Australia, Jill Haynes, who is Manager, National Sport Information Centre, Australian Sports Commission. She wanted information on hockey publications in India, and details on how to subscribe to them. The Australian Sports Commission maintains Hockey web pages that link to Hockey in the Australian Institute of Sport, Australian Hockey Association, Women's Hockey in Australia, and Profiles of Australian National Team Members.

Our response to their query is summarized in the next two sections.

We have covered the first two issues of Inside Hockey in our May 1998 bulletin, while the third issue was covered in the July bulletin. Issue No. 4, dated July - August 1998, has photographs and features on the Utrecht World Cup, with the cover showing the Dutch team celebrating their status as 'Kings of the Turf.' 

Among the noteworthy articles in this issue are a post-World Cup interview with Dhanraj Pillai where he states that "Cedric D'Souza should be asked to take over." In an article entitled, "A Thorough Overhaul is Needed," senior hockey writer Sydney Friskin of The Times, London, asks for radical changes in the way Indian hockey is run. An interview with the celebrated penalty corner striker Floris Jan Bovelander where he talks about how penalty corner specialists are groomed in Holland, is another article worth reading.

 

What the Hindu group of newspapers has done for cricket in the last 40 years through the annual The Hindu Cricket Book has been replicated in hockey by New Delhi-based freelance sports journalist Shanti K. Arumugam. Hockey Year Books 1995 and 1998, billed as The Watchdog of Indian Hockey by the author, are a labour of love and the results of painstaking detail in chronicling the ups and downs of our once national game of hockey.

The 1995 Hockey Year Book (price Rs. 390) covers the Indo-Pan American Tournament, the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup (won by India), and the SAF championships where India beat Pakistan 5-2 to win the gold medal. The year book also features interviews with coaches Paul Lissek (Germany) and David Whitaker (England). Mukesh Kumar is the author's choice as the Player of the Year. In the article 'National Sports Day - Dhyan Chand Resurrected,' a look back at Dhyan Chand brings back fond memories to nostalgic hockey fans. The year book was published by the author himself, and to cover costs, each of the 4 sections of the book was sponsored by Rakshak, Indian Maharaja, Vampire and Indian Oil Corporation respectively. 

The 1998 Hockey Year Book (price Rs. 450) profiles year 1996 in Indian hockey. A frank critique of the IHF regime is given in a hard-hitting article 'Hollow Promises, Slow Progress.' It describes the Atlanta Olympics debacle in detail. Also, 25 pages are devoted to the match fixing allegations of the India-Malaysia match, that resulted in Malaysia, and not Canada, making it to the Atlanta Olympics. The book closes with the Kuber Champions Trophy, the only Champions Trophy tournament to have been held in India. The author had spent 6 months trying to locate a sponsor. Finally, Pradyuman Kumar, chairman of the Kuber Group, came to the author's rescue and sponsored the book.

Shanti Arumugam can be reached at: 59F, Section IV, Pushpa Vihar, New Delhi 110 017.