AMSTERDAM: Hosts Netherlands handed India a 31 drubbing, in the second game on the opening day of the seven nation BMW trophy hockey tournament here Saturday.

In a first half Blitz Parle Viet struck twice to provide hosts Netherlands just the start they were looking for.

All the goals came in the first half of play, with three coming in a matter of four minutes.

The Dutch tally could well have been bigger but for the excellent saves by Indian custodian Mark Patterson, It must have been some sort of a record for Bovelander to go without a penalty corner goal, despite getting six attempts. Patterson was instrumental in saving five of them, and the Dutchman admitted later that Patterson performed exceptionally well.

In the 10th minute of the game, Parleviet latched on to the ball in a melee just outside the striking circle and swung over to the  hand, past the onrushing Patterson, even as he fell to take Netherlands ahead.

Parleviet, who started the match in the inside left position, switched to the outside right after the breather. Showing enormous mobility and trapping skills, he upstaged the dangerous floris Jan Bovelander, with whom he mounted a string of well-coordinated moves from the start of the game.

The Indians equalized barely two minutes later off a penalty corner. Arif Mohammad’s shot was padded away by Dutch goal keeper Frank Leistra, but Ram Prakash Singh made no mistake off the rebound.

India’s joy was, however, short lived for in the very next minute, Zimbabwean umpire Chandrakant Lalla ruled that Weterings stick had been hooked from behind just as he was about to score. Captain march Delissen made no mistake with the resultant penalty stroke.

In the 30th minute Parleviet sent Holland further ahead as he picked the ball up from just outside the top of the circle, scooped past the surprised Patterson’s vain lunge, into the top of the net.

India remained in the hunt after the change of ends, but Holland invariably had the better of the exchanges, the Indians forced their sixth penalty comer of the match, but they simply lacked the firepower to convert the awards into a goal.

Their best chance came when a penalty stroke was given by umpire Lalla when a shot hit the goal post, and goal keeper made a glorious save deflecting the ball out.

Had India been able to convert that penalty stroke and restore parity there might well have been a different tale to relate,

India effected a futile late substitution in the 65th minute with Edgar Mascarenhas coming in place of Gundeep Kumar.

Netherlands: Frank Leistra (GK), Jean Pierre Pierie, Marinus Moolenburgh, Hendrik Jan Kooijman, Marc Delissen (Capt), Jacques Brinkman, Gijs Weterings, Stephan Veen, Floris Jan Bovelander, Harrie Kwinten and Erik Parleviet.

India: Mark Patterson (GK), Pargat Singh (Capt), Anjelus Bilung, Vivek Singh, Shakeel Ahmed Khan, Ram Prakash Singh, Daljit Singh, Jagbir Singh, Thoiba Singh, Arif Mohammad, Gundeep Kumar (Edgar Mascarenhas, 65th).

Umpires: Santiago Deo (Spain) and Chandrakant Lalla (Zimbabwe).

Article extracted from this publication >> June 29, 1990