K. ARUMUGAM

Mighty Indian Railways fought hard and won the inaugural Sr Women’s Nehru Cup final over the Pritam Siwach Sports Foundation (PSSF) 2-1 on Saturday at the Shivaji Stadium in New Delhi. What of course caught the eyes were not only the intensity of the match which went down the wire, but also the coaches on the sidelines of both finalists. While Dronacharya awardee Pritam Siwach stood for the ultimate winners — she is chief coach of the Indian Railways for some years — whereas her husband Kuldeep Siwach, a former national player, did the same for the other team which is named after his wife’s name!

Kuldeep Siwach (r) coaching Pritam Siwach Sports Foundation team in the Nehru Cup final

Renowned Jawahar Lal Nehru Hockey Tournament Society (founded in 1964) put on board a new tournament this year for the Senior women. This was in addition to six flag-ship annual events it conducts for boys and girls.

Leading teams like CRPF, SSB, regionally located National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) outfits — run by the Sports Authority of India — like Delhi and Mumbai, and other popular academy teams took part. One of the teams among them, which attracted a lot of eyes, is the Pritam Siwach Sports Foundation (PSSF).

This unit ever since entered the competitive field in the last two years, is creating ripples in the domestic circle. It has in the short spell has defeated strong teams, and even came first in the first leg of First Khelo India Women’s Hockey League (U-16) wherein it has overcome such strong team as combined Sports Authority of India teams (SAI A). Before that won the first Junior edition of the same league.

Indian railways relish the match winner

PSSF team is technically an Academy team, founded by the hockey loving couple Pritam Siwach, known as Pritam Rani Takhran in the 90s and Kuldeep Siwach. Founded about two decades ago in Sonipat, a town, about 40 kms west of Delhi, it has been producing a stream of players for the national team, not to talk of being core of the Haryana State team.

Four players from the Academy – Neha Goyal, Nisha Warsi, Jyoti, Sharmila Devi — for an instant represented India at the recent World Cup, three of them being in the Tokyo Olympic squad too.

The match results in the Nehru Cup turned out that way that both Pritam and her husband facing each other’s team in the final. It’s an interesting sporting spectacle a couple sitting on different bench, egging their team over the other, with passion and aggression, eager and rivalry.

From other angle, Kuldeep Siwach majestically carried the team named after his wife to the final, and not to be undone, wife Pritam saw to it that her institutional team Indian Railsway not faltering to her own Academy outfit. Professionalism at its best.

The sporting spectacle, however nuanced, got further credence with the presence of Jr World Cup player and present senior team member Yashdeep Siwach, who is the couple’s elder son. And of course you had the 12th class student Kanika Siwach, vital cog in the many titles winning Haryana age group teams.

She is proud daughter of the couple, and undoubtedly a forward to watch out for.

Its befitting on the occasion, which was graced by the women’s sports enthusiast Yasodhara Scindia, reigning Sports Minister of Madhya Pradesh, gave away the title amidst a sizeable cheering crowd, seemed descended from Sonipat to cheer their Pritam Academy team.

Nehru society’s enigmatic Secretary Kukoo Walia, saw to it the winning team gets a prize money, thought it was not announced when the event started.

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