The return of competitive hockey to the city on Friday, post the COVID-19 break, in the form of the School of Sports-sponsored Winter Rink Hockey tournament received a promising response from both players and spectators alike.
Action from the rink hockey event yesterday. Pic/Sameer Markande
The return of competitive hockey to the city on Friday, post the COVID-19 break, in the form of the School of Sports-sponsored Winter Rink Hockey tournament received a promising response from both players and spectators alike.
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Over 30 teams across the men’s, women’s and boys and girls U-14 and U-16 categories and almost 200 spectators were in attendance on Day One of the two-day five-a-side tournament at the St Dominic Savio High School turf in Andheri.
Olympian Adrian D’Souza said he was impressed to see the organisers following all COVID-19 safety protocols. “I’m unable to play this tournament due to work commitments but it’s wonderful to see hockey returning to Mumbai after almost a year. It’s nice to see the organisers [Lawrence And Ana Sports Events] of this tournament ensuring sanitisation of every player before they enter the ground,” D’Souza, who plays for Air India, told mid-day.
The tournament is being officiated by Hockey India-appointed umpires and technical officials. “While HI had quite a few online events and programs for us throughout the lockdown period, it’s nice to be back on the ground officiating after a long break due to the pandemic. I had heard a lot about Mumbai hockey and it’s nice to see some of the city’s leading hockey talent in action today,” said Kolhapur-based international umpire Shweta Patil, who is among the officials deputed here.
Former internationals Devinder Kumar and Girish Pimpale, whose team Ave Maria suffered a 2-3 loss via tie-breaker to India Rush, hoped for more hockey events in the city hereon. “Such tournaments form the basis of the game at the grassroot level. All Mumbai players, who went on to represent India, honed their early skills in rink hockey,” said Kumar. “We need more such tournaments to entertain and attract more fans to the game,” said Pimpale.
Other results semi-final–Girls U-16: St Teresa’s, Santacruz 7 (Sanjana Salunkhe 4, Hetal Goswami 3) bt India Rush 0. Gokuldham 4 (Roshni Patel 2, Shravani Sawant 2) bt Canossa Convent 0. Boys U-16: Bombay Republicans 4 (Harsh Rakshe 2, Mohsh Shah 2) bt India Rush 2 (Ashish Yadav 2). Independent SC 14 (Vansh Shah 4, J. Bharadia 3, Pranav Amin 2, Cristiano Correira 2, Jayden Pereira, Shayne D’Costa, Neel Amin) beat Gokuldham 0
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