JALANDHAR: Young players moved in perfect tandem to lunch raids. Penalty corners were earned and goals scored. On other occasions even penalty stroke was thwarted by an agile goalkeeper. Above all attack and counter-attack was the Striking feature of the second summer hockey coaching camp which is being organized these days at the Bulton Park Astroturf by the Surjit Singh Memorial Society. The camp has been a tremendous success with players trooping in from every Comer of the state and thus forcing the organizers to make last-minute changes in their training schedule.
Initially about 250 boys and girls turned up for the trials on May 18 -20. They were all in the under-17.age group. The selectors led by hockey coach Bhupinder Singh Bodhi son of the late Gurcharan Singh Bodhi selected 50 probable. But as the days passed the organizers found their task did not end there. The number of youngsters kept swelling and rose to about 80. It was here that hockey experts thought of holding the second phase of trials to prune down the number to just 31. So the trials were again conducted on May 27 and 28 and 51 boys retained for intensive training
The Surjit Singh Memorial Hockey Society has been so much serious about the training program that they have engaged four hockey experts and a senior player. The coaches involved are Bhupinder Singh Rajinder Singh Madan Mohan and Baldev Singh Hockey player Prabhjot Singh Bhatia assists the other experts.
During the second phase of trials this reporter say an impressive display of skilled hockey All through the play mistakes were corrected and the players were told to home a particular skill Some players were really outstanding showing excellent ball control fine dribbling and correct anticipation. The backs made first-hand clearance the wings functioned smoothly the halves kept feeding their forwards constantly as the latter raided the rivals’ citadel with full force. Kapurthala’s Davinder Singh was outstanding in defence while Sukhwinder Singh of Kapurthala and Jagdeep Singh of Jalandhar impressed as halves Then Baljit Singh of Jalandhar and Kulwant Rai of Chandigarh gave fine display as forwards. Ran Singh of Jalandhar moved well in the right wing while at left inside position Rajinder Singh was impressive.
Coach Bodhi is so happy at the boy’s progress. In his opinion in the few years from now all these players can replace anyone in the State team.
The first phase of the camp involves conditioning fundamentals jogging and cross country from 6 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.
In the evening there are again conditioning exercises and basics of the game are taught and then there is game practice. Players’ skills are honed by every possible method
To ensure smooth running of the camp Dr Y.D.Banga and Mr LR.Nayyar both vice-presidents of the society have been supervising the camp. The boy’s progress is then forwarded to the president of the society Mr N.S.Kang.
Of the 51 boys 23 are from Kapurthala Amritsar Hoshiarpur Ropar and Chandigarh. As many as 28 are from Jalandhar the outsiders are given diet worth Rs 25 while the locals get food worth Rs 10.
Top veteran internationals are asked to visit the camp So far Mukhbain Singh Tarsem Singh Baldev Singh (BSF) and Baldev Singh (Nigeria) have visited the boys.
Former India captain and well-acclaimed player Ajitpal Singh will visit the camp on June 4 another former India captain Surinder Singh Sodhi on June 6 and Davinder Singh on June 7.
According to Mr Jagjit Puri secretary of the society the camp will cost them around Rs40000 Mr Puri whois otherwise based in Chandigarh continuously gets the feedback about the camp from other office bearers of the society.
Sensing that no serious effort is made in Punjab about women’s hockey the society this time is organizing a camp for girls also. As many as 32 girls in the age group of 1115 are undergoing intensive training in the morning from 6 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Some like Satinder Kaur and Inderjit Kaur are showing outstanding progress another good player in Sumanjit Kaur.
According to Mr Puri the girls camp is a prelude to the first women’s hockey tournament which the Surjit society has planned to conduct from this year onwards.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 14, 1991
