Ravi Dhaliwal
Nabha (Patiala), December 30
Field hockey is akin to photography and if you do not focus all you have in your hands at the end of the day is the negative. That is the reason why Punjab Police coach Manpreet Singh delivered a lengthy sermon in chaste Punjabi to his players to be focussed and positive throughout the proceedings as his team readied itself to take on PSEB, Patiala.
His motivational lecture paid off as Punjab Police ambushed the Patiala powermen 4-2 in a high voltage encounter of the 34th All India Liberals hockey tournament played today.
More than the pyrotechnics of the players of either side, the high point of the day was the loud roar that went up each time a goal was scored against the cops or when their players were deprived of the ball by the powermen.
And when PSEB sounded the board to signal the first goal the roar was really deafening. Punjab Police may have good players in their ranks, including International Jugraj Singh, but they remain a highly unpopular outfit in this part of the country.
Throughout the proceedings, yet another match was being played within the real one. It was a contest of hurling the choicest of Punjabi expletives at rival players by either of the team and the cops won this competition too.
After a goalless first half, Punjab Police started using wings to their advantage and some good wing play by Satvinder and Kamaldeep Singh saw enough space being created upfront.
However, a lackadaisical display by the cops’ strikers did not do the team much good. Finally, as things turned out, particularly in the second half,
Punjab Police had to ride on a combination of luck and pluck to beat the powermen 4-2. It was a high quality contest and what did PSEB in was the experience and expertise of their opponents.
In other matches of the day, Corps of Signals grounded Indian Air Force, Delhi 3-2; BSF, Jalandhar never had to strain a sinew against AOC, Secunderabad whom they beat with embarrassing ease 4-0 and EME beat RCF, Kaputhala 5-2.