The Hindu: Thrissur skips State hockey championship

The second Kerala State senior hockey championship begins at the Union Christian College ground, Aluva, on Wednesday. But missing will be women’s defending champion Thrissur.

“Many of the Thrissur team’s girls are in the Calicut University team which has gone for the National inter-university championship, that is why they are not here,” said S. Afzar Ahamed, the secretary of Kerala Hockey, on Tuesday night.

“So, we will have an open trial for Thrissur before selecting the State women’s team for the Nationals.”

The championship will be a five-team affair in the women’s section with Kozhikode being the lone representative from north Kerala.

Meanwhile the men’s event, where Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam took the top two spots in that order, will be a 10-team affair.

The championship will be played on a league-cum-knockout format and the opening day’s action will feature only women’s matches.

The groupings: Men: Pool A: Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam. Pool B: Kannur, Kottayam. Pool C: Malappuram, Palakkad. Pool D: Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Alappuzha.

Women: Pool A: Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta. Pool B: Kozhikode, Ernakulam.