| 2014 | Sikhs in Hockey 2015 projectby Dil Bahra
31 December 2014 Our Sikh Hockey Olympians project comes to an end after 10 years. Thank you all for your contributions, support and encouragement.
The 2015 project is identifying the countries where Sikhs have played or coached hockey. We have identified 61 countries so far as follows:
Afghanistan; Argentina; Australia; Bangladesh; Barbados; Belgium; Brazil; Canada; Ceylon (now Sri Lanka); Chile; China; China Taipei; Cuba; Cyprus; Denmark; Dominican Republic; Dubai; Egypt; England; Fiji; Finland; France; Germany; Ghana; Greece; Hong Kong; India; Indonesia; Iran; Italy; Japan; Kenya; Korea (Republic of); Malawi; Malaysia; Mexico; Netherlands; New Zealand; Nigeria; Pakistan; Palestine; Peru; Poland; Puerto Rico; Qatar; Rhodesia; Russia; Scotland; Singapore; South Africa; Spain; Sweden; Tanzania; Thailand; Trinidad; Uganda; USA; Venezuela; Wales; Zambia; Zanzibar and Zimbabwe.
Please do get in touch if you have information on any Country not listed above. Updated list at http://www.sikhsinhockey.com/Default.aspx?id=593199 Grahanandan 'Nandy' Singh VSM (1926 - 2014)by Dil Bahra
9 December 2014 India's double hockey Olympian, Grahanandan ‘Nandy' Singh, died on 7 December 2014 at his residence in New Delhi, India . He was aged 88. Born in Lyallpur (now Faisalabad in Pakistan) on 18 February 1926, Nandy represented India at the London 1948 and Helsinki 1952 Olympic Games as a player and at Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games as India's Hockey Team Manager. He came into prominence in 1942 when he played for Government College, Lahore in the Punjab University Hockey Championships. He continued to represent the College team till 1946 and played for the University in 1944, 1945 and 1946. He represented Punjab in the Nationals in 1944 and 1945 and Bengal in 1947 and 1948. Nandy, a centre forward, played for the Services from 1951 to 1955 and again in 1957 and 1958. He was the Services Captain in the National Championships 1958. He also played for Indian Navy. He retired from the Navy in 1973 as Commander and took up Golf in retirement. He was a former General Secretary of the Jawaharlal Nehru Hockey Tournament Society and was actively associated with the Society since 1980 when he took over as General Secretary and ran the popular annual series of five age group tournaments. He was honoured with the prestigious ‘Dhyan Chand Award for Life time Achievement in Sports' by the then President of India, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam. On hearing the sad news, hockey legend Balbir Singh Senior, India's Triple Gold medallist and his team mate at London and Helsinki Olympics, said "He was a good player and a good person. The last time I met him was at a hockey tournament in Delhi in 2013" "The Nehru Hockey Society will badly miss his wise counsel. May his noble soul rest in peace!" said Kukoo Walia, General Secretary of Jawaharlal Nehru Hockey Tournament Society. Egbert Carmo Fernandes (1941 - 2014)by Dil Bahra
10 November 2014 Kenya's triple hockey Olympian, Egbert Carmo Fernandes, died in Canberra, Australia on 6 November 2014. He was aged 73. Egbert played as a forward for Kenya at three Olympic Games - Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964 and Mexico City 1968. He scored goals at each of the three Olympic Games. Born in Kisumu, Kenya on 25 June 1941, he made his international debut in 1958 when he was selected to play against England in Nairobi, Kenya. He played for Goan Institute Nairobi and was a member of the team that won the famous M. R. D'Souza Gold Cup in 1961. He represented Kenya during the period when the country was at her peak in international hockey and was a powerhouse in world hockey. Kenya played India and Pakistan regularly, both home and away. Kenya finished 6th at the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games, the best position in the country's Olympic history. Egbert was a member of the Kenya team that toured India in April 1964. Kenya defeated India 0 - 3 on their home soil in the 5th test match in Jubalpur with centre forward Egbert scoring two goals. Six months later, the same Indian team won the Olympic Gold in Tokyo. The team that defeated India in Jubalpur, is still regarded as one of Kenya's best ever team - Jack Simonian (G/K); Anthony Vaz (RB); Avtar Singh Sohal (capt) (LB); Santokh Singh Matharu (RH); Surjeet Singh Panesar (CH); Silu Fernandes (LH); Hilary Fernandes (RW); Edgar Fernandes (RI); Egbert Fernandes (CF); Reynold D'Souza (LI); Alu Mendonca (LW). On hearing the sad news Jack Simonian, Egbert's team mate at the three Olympics said "very saddened to hear about Egbert passing away. I can still remember him in his slim and lean body dribbling the ball past a lot of opponents with a ‘faint' of his body". Avtar Singh Sohal (Tari), Kenya's legendary captain during the 1960s, said "we were very close family friends. We came into the Kenya team at the same time and played three Olympics together. He was an outstanding centre forward. We used to share rooms together during our many tours. We spent many Christmases at their place. I have so many fond memories of Egbert". His funeral service is in Canberra on Friday 14 November 2014. Egbert is survived by his wife Bertha, sons Vincent & Wallace and daughter Joanne. (Above Photo): Back Row (L - R): Surjeet Singh Jnr,; Saude George; Anthony Vaz; Amar Singh Mangat; Egbert Fernandes; Sang Singh; Edgar Fernandes; Jack Simonian; Jagnandan Singh. Sitting (L - R): Hardev Singh; Hilary Fernandes (V.Capt,); Hardial Singh (Coach); Anthony D'Souza (Manager); Sukdev Singh (Asst Manager); Avtar Singh (Capt.); Alu Mendonca. Ground (L - R): Santokh Singh; Arif Khan; Silu Fernandes; Leslie Pinto; Reynolds D'Souza). Sikh Olympian selected in Canada's Hall of Fameby Dil Bahra
29 October 2014 One of Canada's most capped international field hockey players, with 317 caps, Paul "Bubli" Singh Chohan was selected in Canada's Hall of Fame. He was a staple in major international competition throughout his lengthy career. Paul competed in three Olympic Games (1976, 1984, and 1988), three World Cups (1978, 1986, 1990), and six Pan-American Games (1975, 1979, 1983, 1987, 1991, 1995). In these competitions, Paul was an essential part of a contingent that won two Pan-American gold and four silver medals, he also served as the Canadian flag bearer at the '95 Pan-Am Games. Click here for his full profile. Sikh player in Canada's world record 34 - 0 win against Guatemalaby Dil Bahra
12 September 2014 Poonan Kaur Sandhu was in Canada's team which defeated Guatemala 34 - 0 at the Women's World League 1 tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico on Thursday 11 September 2014.
Poonan also scored two goals in that match.
This is a world record for most goals scored in a Women's international match. The previous record was 26 goals.
New Zealand (Men) hold the record for most goals scored in an international hockey match when they defeated Papua & New Guinea 39 - 0 on 12 September 2007 in Buderim, Australia. Bridge too farby Dil Bahra in Glasgow
3rd August 2014 Australian captain and penalty corner specialist, Chris Ciriello, scored a hat trick of penalty corners to lead Australia to a 4 - 0 win over India and win the Gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. It was in material whether India could win this tie. What mattered was their performance. On this account, India failed. "Very poor defensingly and casual passing hurt us" said Indian Coach, Terry Walsh. Australia started the match strongly and pinned India in their own half in the opening ten minutes. India's first attack at goal, Ramandeep Singh's pass to Chandanda Nikkin nearly gave India the lead but his shot was wide of goal. Australia attacked from their circle and gained their first penalty corner in the 13th minute. Skipper Chris Ciriello gave his side the lead with a firmly stuck penalty corner. Gurbaj Singh made a good run into the Austrian circle but the finishing was poor. A minute later, India were awarded their first penalty corner. Raghunath's shot at goal was saved on line. In the 29th minute, India were penalized for a deliberate stick tackle outside the circle. Chris Ciriello made no mistake with the resulted penalty corner to give his team a 2 - 0 lead at half time. Thirteeen minutes after the interval, Chris Ciriello scored his hat trick when he pushed the ball to the roof of the net with his fourth penalty corner. Three minutes later, Austrilia's Eddie Ockenden made it 4 - 0 to Australia when he picked up a loose ball in the circle which India failed to clear. Ten minutes from the end, Gurwinder Singh Chandi and Chandananda had opportunity to score but the finishing was less than convincing. Australia maintained their 4 - 0 lead to the end to win the Gold. The difference between the two teams was the clinical finishing of the Australians and the right choices when it mattered. India's decision making at the final ball was on occasions poor. "We did not have enough energy as we would have liked" said Indian Coach Terry Walsh. "We made some silly mistakes that can be avoided. No doubt Australia is a powerful team, No. 1 in the world. We will analysis our performance. We have ten days break and then three weeks camp before the Asian Cup" said Indian skipper, Sardar Singh. India had many positives at this tournament. One of the main was not conceding a goal in the last ten minutes (except in the match against Scotland which they were leading 6 - 1) which has been a major issue for the past few years. India pass the test with flying coloursby Dil Bahra in Glasgow
2nd August 2014 India's real test playing the semi-final match against New Zealand without their skipper and playmaker, Sardar Singh, suspended for this match, was passed with flying colours. Sardar, India's world class player has been a key player in the Indian team for the past four years. New Zealand got off to a dream start through a Simon Child goal in the second minute. And to make matters worse for India, their team video referral was rejected which meant they had no more referrals for the rest of the match. The early goal gave New Zealand the confidence to attack and they nearly doubled the lead two minutes later with a run by Hugo Inglish, but his shot at goal was saved by Sreejesh in the Indian goal. Sreejesh was called upon to make another good save, palming down a shot from a penalty corner, in the ninth minute. New Zealand kept the pressure on the Indian goal and in the 18th minute increased the lead to two goals when Nick Haig followed up the rebound from a penalty corner. This second New Zealand goal spurred on India. Gurwinder Singh Chandi made a good run in the 22nd minute but his shot went wide. Six minutes later, India were awarded their first penalty corner. Raghunath's shot was stopped on line by Dean Couzins and skipper Rupinder Singh made no mistake with the penalty stroke which was pushed low to the goalkeeper's right. India maintained constant pressure and went to the interval 1 - 2 down. The second half started just as the first half finished - constant Indian pressure. Seven minutes after the interval Ramandeep Singh scored a brilliant goal, a reverse stick deflection, from a cross on the right by Manpreet Singh to level the score at 2 - 2. Constant Indian pressure continued and in the 47th minute Akashdeep Singh scored a reverse stick goal to the roof of the net to put India in the lead for the first time in the match. India missed three scoring chances in the last 10 minutes, Ramandeep Singh slipping down just as he was about to shoot in the 63rd minute and Chandanda Nikkin also missing an open goal. With five minutes remaining, New Zealand replaced their goal keeper with a kicking back but India had the match in full control. Rupinder Singh made a clean tackle in his circle two minutes from the end to ensure India won and will meet Australia in the Final tomorrow. This will be a repeat of the Commonwealth Games final in Delhi in 2010. " I am happy with the way the game was closed down in the last ten minutes" said Indian Coach, Australian Terry Walsh. He added "We are still working on a couple of things in defence but it was an improved display. We made some clean tackles in the circle in the last five minutes. Players were playing with a clear mind." Akashdeep Singh, scorer of the winning goal said "this win was for our captain. We were all motivated and worked that bit extra." "I want to thank all my team for working that bit extra" said Sardar Singh. He added "we discussed this at our team meeting. The whole team were motivated for this match and were right behind me." Win or lose against Australia, India have already shown how they have improved recently. They are not on the level of Australia as yet but are on the right path. The fact that Sardar was suspended inspired the team and players took responsibility. India sign off on a winning noteby Dil Bahra in Glasgow
1st August 2014 India finished in 5th position at the XX Commonwealth Games by beating hosts Scotland 2 - 1 at Glasgow National Hockey Centre. Hosts Scotland, encouraged by their roaring fans started the match forcing a penalty corner which was saved. The exchanges were even, with Scotland earning another penalty corner in the 34th minute which was saved by the runner out forcing another corner. The shot went wide of the goal. A minute from the interval India came close to taking the lead after a good move on the right but the final shot went wide of the goal. Scotland attacked the Indian goal towards the end of the first half which ended scoreless. India raised their level of play in the second half. Five minutes after the restart, Poonam Rani missed a good opportunity to score but her shot at goal was weak. Deepika Thakur made a good move on the left but her cross into the circle was not picked up. The constant Indian pressure earned India their first penalty corner in the 43rd minute. Jaspreet Kaur's shot was saved by Scotland keeper Amy Gibson. Two minutes later, India were awarded another penalty corner but Jaspreet Kaur's shot went wide of the post. Namita Toppo made an attacking move on the left flank but no one picked up her cross in the circle. This was India's purple patch and they should have scored at least three goals in this period. Against run of play, in the 47th minute, Scotland were awarded a penalty corner for a deliberate foul on the edge of the 25. The poor Scotland shot was saved by Indian keeper Savita Punia. India's purple patch continued and in the 53rd minute Anupa Barla picked up a loose ball in the circle to give India the lead. The lead did not, however, last long. Two minutes later, a weak clearance by India led to a Scotland penalty corner which was well struck by Nikki Kidd to bring the scores level at one all. Two minutes later, Poonam Rani scored a brilliant goal, to give India the lead again. Poonam Rani missed a golden opportunity in the 62nd minute to increase the lead. Roared by the home crowd, Scotland tried everything but India had the game well in control. With three minutes remaining, Scotland, in a final effort, replaced their goal keeper with a kicking back but to no avail. "A good performance in the second half" said Indian Coach, Neil Hawgood. He added "the players took responsibility and made decisions on the pitch." The future for this team is bright and it was pleasing to see the smiles back on the players after their disappointment in the match against South Africa. India Cruise through to the Semisby Dil Bahra in Glasgow
30th July 2014 A polished performance by India in the first half with four goals ensured a semi - final showdown against New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games. Two penalty corner goals, one each by Raghunath and Rupinder Singh in the first nine minutes calmed any nerves the team had and put the South Africans on the back foot. Ramandeep Singh added the third goal in the 22nd minute and four minutes later Sunil made it 4 - 0. South Africa started the second half strongly. Taine Paton scored in the 42nd minute to make it 1 - 4. Five minutes later, Chandanda Nikkin made a good run on the left and forced a penalty corner. South African goalkeeper Erasmus Pieterse saved Rupinder Singh's shot and the South Africans attacked and forced a penalty corner at the other end. Skipper Austin Smith converted this penalty corner to make it 4 - 2. These two quick goals did not, however, ease the Indians from attacking and in the 58th minute Manpreet Singh dived full length to score from a cross from the left to regain full control of the match after South Africa's mini comeback. This was a convincing win by the Indian team but they will need to rectify the silly mistakes they made when South Africa came out all guns blazing at the start of the second half. Future is bright for the young Indiansby Dil Bahra in Glasgow
30 July 2014 The experience of the South African Women's team was the difference between the two teams. Led by Skipper Marsha Cox who was playing her 345th international, having played at three Olympic Games, three World Cups and three Commonwealth Games, South Africa beat India 3 - 2 to reach the semi - finals of the Commonwealth Games being played at Glasgow National Hockey Centre. Six of the South African squad had played 200 or more internationals. Ten of India's squad were 21 or under. The early exchanges were even. South Africa took the lead in the 14th minute from their first penalty corner, a well drilled routine scored by Tarryn Bright. In the 34th minute India's Vandana Katariya was stick obstructed just as she was about to shoot and India were awarded a penalty stroke. South Africa's team video referral was rejected and Jaspreet Kaur made no mistake with the penalty stroke, flicking the ball to the top left hand corner of the net levelling the scores at one all. This was Jaspreet's 6th goal of the tournament and the 200th goal scored at XX Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. With 30 seconds left on the clock, Dirkie Chamberlain put South Africa back in the lead, 2 - 1 at the interval. South Africa started the second half strongly and were denied by Indian keeper Savita Punia who made two good penalty corner saves. However in the 54th minute, a poor clearance in the circle resulted in Illse Davids scoring with a shot from top of the circle to make it 3 - 1 to South Africa. This goal spurred the Indians who made several attacking moves. One of these moves resulted in a penalty corner in the 59th minute from which Rani Rampal scored to make the score 3 - 2. India pushed for the equaliser and despite being awarded three penalty corners in the last 8 minutes were unable to score. With two to go, Rani Rampal came close to scoring to scoring the equaliser. India will now play for the 5th / 6th playoff match and South Africa will meet Australia in the semi - finals on Friday. "If we played the 70 minutes as we did in the last 15 minutes, we would have been in the semi - finals. It's a very young side. Most of them played in the Junior World Cup. Here they are competing against a team with World Cup and Olympic Games experience. We won't get an easier chance to get into semi - finals than this" said Indian Coach, Australian Neil Hawgood. Just before the start of the match, South Africa's Lisa-Marie Deetlefs was presented with her 200th cap. "I'm very honoured and privileged. What a place to get it. I want to get more experience. Can't wait" the delighted 26 years old Deetlefs said. In the morning matches today, whilst England had to work hard to beat Scotland 2 - 1 to secure their place in the semi - finals, their opponents, New Zealand had a comfortable 6 - 0 win against Canada, scoring 3 goals in each half. The highlight of the match was New Zealand's first goal scored by Anita Punt after only 38 seconds. This is the fastest goal scored so far at the XX Commonwealth Games. Malaysia and Wales match ended scoreless, the only match at XX Commonwealth Games where no goals have been scored. Our rising starsby Dil Bahra in Glasgow
30 July 2014 Three of the girls in the Indian Women's team at the XX Commonwealth Games being played in Glasgow are Sikhs. Kirandeep Kaur is one of the experienced members of the team. Aged 25, she was educated at Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar, India. A defender, she plays for Indian Railway. She played at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010, the World Cu in Rosario in 2010, the Asian Games in Guangzhou in 2010, the Asia Cup in 2007 in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur in 2013 and The World League in 2014. She also played at the Junior World Cup in Boston in 2009. Kirandeep has played 143 international matches so far. Jaspreet Kaur, who is only 18, has already scored six goals in the competition so far. She is a rising star in this young Indian squad. A defender and a penalty corner specialist, she plays for Indian Railways. This is a remarkable comeback for Jaspreet after a knee replacement one and a half years ago. She is one of many in the young Indian squad from Shahbad Hockey Centre in Haryana. She played at the Junior World Cup in 2012. Jaspreet has played 61 internationals so far - a remarkable achievement bearing in mind her injury. Navjot Kaur, a 19 years old midfielder played at the last Junior World Cup and also in the World League in 2014. She too is a member of Shahbad Hockey Centre in Haryana. Navjot has played 26 internationals so far. Hockey is a Sandhu family affairby Dil Bahra
28 July 2014 Poonam Kaur Sandhu, who is representing Canada's Women hockey team at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, is a 23 years old Sikh girl, born and bred in Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada. She made her international debut at the Champions Challenge 11 in 2009 and is now a well established player in the Canadian team. Hockey runs through Poonam's blood as she comes from a very big hockey family. Her parents, aunts, uncles, and siblings (brother, sister and cousins) are all affilated with field hockey, through coaching, managing or playing. All the family are associated with India Field Hockey Club in Vancouver. Her father, Hargurnek Singh Sandhu, who is here in Glasgow supporting his daughter, was born in Jamsher Khas in Punjab and emigrated to Canada in 1977. He represented Canada at hockey at Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988 Olympic Games. He also played at the London 1986 and Lahore 1990 World Cup. Hargurnek is delighted to come to Scotland as this is where he earned his first senior international cap when he represented Canada against Scotland in Edinburgh in 1980 whilst still in the Junior squad. He was Canada's captain at the Junior World Cup in Kuala Lumpur in 1982. Poonam's younger sister, Prava Kaur Sandhu, aged 13, a keen hockey player, is also here in Glasgow supporting her sister. She is soaking up the fantastic atmosphere created by the Games. She said that she was really proud of her sister and hopes to carry on with the family hockey traditions. Poonam greatly appreciates all the family support she has continually received and said that this means a lot to an athlete. Her uncle, Hargurpreet Singh Sandhu, played for Canada at the 1982 Junior World Cup in Kuala Lumpur and captained the team at the 1985 Junior World Cup team in Vancouver. He played alongside his brother Hargurnek at the Lahore 1990 World Cup. Poonam's cousin, Priya Kaur Randawa, is in the Canadian Junior squad and toured England earlier this year with the senior squad prior to the Commonwealth Games. They are the real role models for the Sikh youths in Canada and an inspiration to others in sport. Sikhs represent Canada, India and Malaysia at Men's hockey at Commonwealth Gamesby Dil Bahra
27 July 2014 Malaysia defeated Canada by two goals to nil in the morning Pool B match at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre on Saturday. A goal in each half ensured Malaysia started her Commonwealth Games campaign in a winning way. Canada dominated the last 20 minutes of the match but were unable to score despite all the possession they had. Against run of play, with only a minute left on the clock, Malaysia scored the crucial second goal. Sukhpal Singh Panesar played for Canada and Baljit Singh Charum played for Malaysia in this match. India defeated host nation Scotland 6 - 2, their second consecutive win in the Commonwealth Games, in the afternoon's match. Gurbaj Singh opened the scoring for India in the 6th minute. Raghunath increased the lead from a penalty corner twelve minutes from half time. India scored four goals in eleven minutes at the start of the second half, three penalty corner goals - two by Rupinder Singh and one by Raghunath.. In between these penalty corner goals, Gurwinder Singh Chandi scored a brilliant field goal from top of the circle. Scotland, roared on by a passionate home crowd, scored two late goals by Kenny Bain and Nicholas Parkes. SINGHS ARE KINGS IN DELHI - World Cup 2010by Dil Bahra
30th May 2014 The last article in our series of the impact Sikhs have had at Men's Hockey World Cups, we look at the twelfth World Cup held in New Delhi, India in 2010. The twelfth Men's Hockey World Cup was held at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, New Delhi, India, from 28 February - 13 March 2010. Twelve nations competed and were divided into two pools of six as follows: Pool A: Argentina, Canada, Germany, Korea, Netherlands and New Zealand. Pool B: Australia, England, India, Pakistan, South Africa and Spain. One Sikh Official, an umpire, was appointed for the New Delhi 2010 World Cup. Amarjit Singh of Malaysia was on the Umpires panel for his fourth World Cup. He had umpired at the Utrecht 1998, Kuala Lumpur 2002 and Monchengladbach 2006 World Cups. He became the second FIH Umpire to have officiated at four or more World Cups. Santiago Deo of Spain had umpired at a record seven World Cups - from Buenos Aires 1978 to Kuala Lumpur 2002. Amarjit was born in Ipoh, Malaysia and educated at the Anglo-Chinese School in Ipoh. He graduated from the Open University Malaysia. He was associated with the Perak State Players Association. He started umpiring at the age of 20 and his first international match was in a 4 Nations tournament in Darwin, Australia when he umpired the Australia v Argentina match in May 1992. He was awarded his International badge in April 1993 and his Grade 1 badge in February 1996. He umpired at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1998 and in Manchester in 2002. He was awarded his World Panel badge in August 1998. Amarjit was awarded the FIH Golden Whistle during the opening hockey match at Athens 2004 Olympic Games. The Golden Whistle is presented to FIH International Umpires who have completed their 100th official senior international inter-nations match. He umpired in the Final of the Junior World cup in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 2005. Amarjit umpired at the Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The Indian team, captained by a Sikh, had six Sikhs in their squad for the New Delhi 2010 World Cup. Raj Pal Singh, a right winger from Punjab, was making his second appearance at a World Cup and this time as a captain. He graduated from Chandigarh's SGGS Khalsa College. He played at the Junior Asia Cup in May 2000 and Junior World Cup in Hobart in 2001, which India won. He won his first senior cap during the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 2005. He played at the Monchengladbach 2006 World Cup. He was India's captain at the Champions Challenge in Salta, Argentina in 2009. Raj Pal scored two goals at Delhi 2010 World Cup. Sandeep Singh was making his first appearance at a World Cup. He was born in Shahbad in Haryana and educated at Khalsa College, Patiala. A penalty corner/drag flick specialist, he played for Punjab Police. He won his first senior international cap in 2004 against Germany at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He played at the Champions Trophy in 2004 in Lahore. In January 2009 he was appointed as India's Captain for the 2009 Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia. Sandeep played at Athens 2004 Olympic Games. Sandeep scored four goals at Delhi 2010 World Cup. Prabhjot Singh, a forward from Punjab Police, was making his first appearance at a World Cup. He was born in Masania in Punjab and played for Indian Oil Corporation. He made his international debut in 1999. He played at the Junior World Cup in Hobart in 2001, which India won. He played in the Champions Challenge in Kuala Lumpur in December 2001 where India won the Gold. He played at The Champions Trophy in Cologne in 2002, in Amstelveen in 2003, in Lahore in 2004 and Chennai in 2005. Prabhjot played at Athens 2004 Olympic Games. Prabhjot scored one goal at Delhi 2010 World Cup. Sardar Singh, a centre half, was making his first appearance at a World Cup. He was born in Rania Tehisil Sirsa, Haryana, India. He played for Haryana Police and made his junior debut during India's tour to Poland in 2003. He won his first senior international cap in 2006 against Pakistan. He played at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006. He became one of India's youngest captains when he was appointed to lead the team at the Sultan Aslan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia in 2008 at the age of 21. Sardar scored one goal at Delhi 2010 World Cup. Gurwinder Singh Chandi, a forward, was also making his first appearance at a World Cup. He was born in Chugitti, Jalandhar, Punjab, India. He made his international debut against Australia during the 4 Nations tournament in Australia in 2008. He played at Azlan Shah Cup in 2009 in Ipoh, Malaysia. Gurwinder scored two goals at Delhi 2010 World Cup. Sarvanjit Singh, a forward from Punjab, was also making his first appearance at a World Cup. He was born in Gurdaspur, Punjab, India. He played for Punjab and made his international debut in 2007 during the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia. He also played at the Azlan Shah Cup in 2009 in Ipoh, Malaysia. Sarvanjit scored one goal at Delhi 2010 World Cup. India Team: 1. Adrian D'Souza (G/K); 2. Sandeep Singh; 3. Arjun Halappa; 4. Prabhjot Singh; 5. Sardar Singh; 6. Gurwinder Singh Chandi; 7. Deepak Thakur; 8. Sarvanjit Singh; 9. Gurbaj Singh; 10. Tushar Khandker; 11. Raj Pal Singh (Capt); 12. Sreejesh Raveendran (G/K); 13. Shivendra Singh; 14. Bharat; 15. Dhananjay Mahakik; 16. Vikram Pillay; 17. Danish Mujlaba; 18. Diwakar Manager: Harendra Singh: Coach: Jose Brasa. The Canadian team had two Sikhs in their squad for the New Delhi 2010 World Cup. Ranjeev Singh Deol was playing at his first World Cup in Delhi. He was born in Lusaka in Zambia and spent most of his childhood in Nairobi, Kenya. He was educated at the Aga Khan Academy in Nairobi, Kenya. His father, Surjeet Singh Deol, affectionately known as Surjeet Senior, was regarded as Kenya's best ever player. He was Kenya's captain at the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games and he also played at the Rome 1960 Olympic Games. Ranjeev followed his father's footsteps by joining the famous Sikh Union Nairobi club. He started playing hockey at the age of 12. He played for Sikh Union Tigers. He emigrated to Canada in 1992 at the age of 16. He studied at Applewood Heights High School in Canada and joined Toronto Lions Hockey Club. He played at the 1996 Junior Pan American Games in Barbados and won his first senior cap in 1998 when he played against USA. He played at the Pan American Games in 2007 and 2009. He played at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur and the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Ranjeev played at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Sukhwinder ‘Gabbar' Singh was also playing his first World Cup. He was born in Batala, Punjab, India and educated at Shivalik Public School, Chandigarh, India. He represented India in the Asian School Hockey Championship in 1994 and played for Punjab Police. Sukhwinder emigrated to Canada in 1997 at the age of 19. He joined United Brothers Field Hockey Club in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. He won his first international cap in 2007 during the Sultan Azlan Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia. He played at the Pan American Games in 2007 and 2009. Sukhwinder played at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Canada Team: 1. Matt Peck; 2. Philip Wright; 3. Scott Tupper; 4. Jesse Watson; 5. Richard Hildreth; 6. Ken Pereira; 7. Wayne Fernandes; 8. David Jameson; 9. Rob Short; 10. Scott Sandison; 11. Connor Grimes; 12. Paul Wettlaufer; 13. Mark Pearson; 14. Ranjeev Singh Deol; 15. Keegan Pereira; 16. Sukhwinder ‘Gabbar' Singh; 17. Taylor Curran; 18. David Carter Manager: Shiaz Virjee; Coach: Alan Brahmst Final Classification: 1. Australia; 2. Germany; 3. Netherlands; 4. England; 5.Spain; 6. Korea; 7. Argentina; 8. India; 9. New Zealand; 10. South Africa; 11. Canada & 12. Pakistan. Here are some interesting facts which have emerged over the course of our 12 articles on the impact of Sikhs at the World Cups: Sikhs have played at every World Cup since it started in Barcelona in 1971. Sikhs have represented four Nations at World Cups - Canada, India, Kenya and Malaysia. Seventy two Sikhs have played at World Cups. Sikhs have officiated at World Cups as FIH Jury of Appeal, Assistant Technical Officers, Judges and Umpires. Sikhs have played in every position at World Cups. Sikhs have scored 115 goals at World Cups. Sikhs have captained the National teams of India and Kenya at World Cups. A Sikh was the Captain of the Indian Team which won the World Cup. Sikhs have coached the National teams of India and Kenya at World Cups. Sikhs have played in teams that have finished in all 12 positions in World Cups. Sikh brothers have played at four World Cups representing Canada, India and Kenya. A Sikh father and son have played at World Cups. The 2014 World Cup starts in The Hague, Netherlands tomorrow (31 May). India's team which is captained by a Sikh includes 10 Sikhs. Sikhs at Monchengladbach World Cup 2006by Dil Bahra
23rd May 2014 In our series of the impact Sikhs have had at Men's Hockey World Cups, we look at the eleventh World Cup held in Monchengladbach, Germany in 2006. The eleventh Men's Hockey World Cup was held at Warsteiner Hockey Park, Monchengladbach, Germany, from 6 - 17 September 2006. Twelve nations competed and were divided into two pools of six as follows: Pool A: Argentina, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Pakistan, Spain. Pool B: England, Germany, India, Korea, Netherlands, South Africa. One Sikh Official, an umpire, was appointed for the Monchengladbach World Cup. Amarjit Singh of Malaysia was on the Umpires panel for his third World Cup, having umpired at the Utrecht 1998 and Kuala Lumpur 2002 World Cups. He was born in Ipoh, Malaysia and educated at the Anglo-Chinese School in Ipoh. He graduated from the Open University Malaysia. He was associated with the Perak State Players Association. He started umpiring at the age of 20 and his first international match was in a 4 Nations tournament in Darwin, Australia when he umpired the Australia v Argentina match in May 1992. He was awarded his International badge in April 1993 and his Grade 1 badge in February 1996. He umpired at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1998 and in Manchester in 2002. He was awarded his World Panel badge in August 1998. Amarjit was awarded the FIH Golden Whistle during the opening hockey match at Athens 2004 Olympic Games. The Golden Whistle is presented to FIH International Umpires who have completed their 100th official senior international inter-nations match. He umpired in the Final of the Junior World cup in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 2005. Amarjit umpired at the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympic Games. The Indian team had three Sikhs in their squad for Monchengladbach 2006 World Cup. Gagan Ajeet Singh was making his first appearance at a World Cup. He was born in Ferozepur, Punjab. His father, Ajit Singh, played at the 2nd World Cup in Amstelveen in 1973 where India won the Silver medal. He also played at the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games where he set two records when scoring a single goal. He scored the first goal in the opening game against Argentina, which made him the scorer of the first Olympic goal on an artificial pitch. And as he scored after only 15 seconds, it is the fastest goal in Olympic hockey history. Gagan Ajeet was educated at Union Academy School, Delhi. A forward, he played for Punjab Police and Air India. He was India's captain at the Junior World Cup in Hobart in 2001 where India won Gold. He won his first senior international cap in 1997 against Russia. He played at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998. He played at the Champions Trophy in 2002 in Cologne, in 2003 in Amstelveen and in 2005 in Chennai where he was Captain. Gagan Ajeet played at the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympic Games. He scored 7 goals at Athens.
Kanwalpreet Singh, a fullback from Punjab Police, was making his second appearance at a World Cup, having played at the Kuala Lumpur 2002 World Cup. He was born in Jalandhar, Punjab, and played for Punjab Police. He made his international debut in 2000. He played at the Junior Asia Cup in May 2000 and Junior World Cup in Hobart in 2001, which India won. He played in the Champions Challenge in Kuala Lumpur in December 2001 where India won the Gold. Raj Pal Singh, a right winger from Punjab, was making his first appearance at a World Cup. He graduated from Chandigarh's SGGS Khalsa College. He played at the Junior Asia Cup in May 2000 and Junior World Cup in Hobart in 2001, which India won. He won his first senior cap during the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 2005. Raj Pal scored field goals against Argentina and South Africa at the Monchengladbach 2006 World Cup. India Team: 1. Dilip Tirkey (Capt); 2. Bharat Chettri (GK); 3. Kanwalpreet Singh; 4. V Raghunath; 5. Prabodh Tirkey; 6. Gagan Ajit Singh; 7. Tejbir Singh; 8. Nitin Kumar; 9. Adrian D'Souza (GK); 10. Raj Pal Singh; 11. Shivendra Singh; 12. Viren Rasquinha; 13. G Hariprasad; 14. V S Vinaya; 15. Ignace Tirkey; 16. Arjun Halappa; 17. Vikram Pillay; 18. Tushar Khandker Manager: S P Dass; Coach: Vasudevan Baskaran Final Classification: 1. Germany; 2. Australia; 3. Spain; 4. Korea; 5. England; 6. Pakistan; 7. Netherlands; 8. New Zealand; 9. Japan; 10. Argentina; 11. India; 12. South Africa. Next week: the final edition - 12th World Cup - New Delhi, India, 2010. Sikhs at Kuala Lumpur World Cup 2002by Dil Bahra
16 May 2014 In our series of the impact Sikhs have had at Men's Hockey World Cups, we look at the tenth World Cup held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2002. The tenth Men's Hockey World Cup was held at Malaysia National Hockey Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 24 February - 9 March 2002. Sixteen nations competed and were divided into two pools of eight as follows: Pool A: Argentina, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Spain. Pool B: Australia, Cuba, England, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Poland. One Sikh Official, an umpire, was appointed for the Kuala Lumpur World Cup. Amarjit Singh of Malaysia was on the Umpires panel for his second World Cup, having umpired at the Utrecht 1998 World Cup. He was born in Ipoh, Malaysia and was educated at the Anglo-Chinese School in Ipoh. He graduated from the Open University Malaysia. He was associated with the Perak State Players Association. He started umpiring at the age of 20 and his first international match was in a 4 Nations tournament in Darwin, Australia when he umpired the Australia v Argentina match in May 1992. He was awarded his International badge in April 1993 and his Grade 1 badge in February 1996. He umpired at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1998 and was awarded his World Panel badge in August 1998. He umpired at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The Indian team, which was captained by a Sikh, Baljit Singh Dhillon, had seven Sikhs in their squad for Kuala Lumpur 2002 World Cup. This was the exact same setup as in 1975 when the World Cup was played in Kuala Lumpur in 1975 and India won the Gold. Baljit Singh Dhillon, India's captain at the Kuala Lumpur 2002 World Cup, was born in Padhr, near Amritsar. He studied at Khalsa College Jalandhar. A forward, he played for Punjab Police and earned his first international cap in 1993 against South Africa. He played at the Champions Trophy in 1995 in Berlin and the Asian Games in 1994 in Hiroshima and in 1998 in Bangkok. Baljit played at the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. He scored 4 goals at the World Cup in Kuala Lumpur in 2002. Daljit Singh Dhillon, a forward and younger brother of team captain Baljit, was also making his first appearance at a World Cup. He was born in Jalandhar, Punjab. He played for Punjab Police. He made his international debut in 1998. He played at the Champions Challenge in Kuala Lumpur in December 2001 where India won the Gold. Daljit, like his elder brother, also scored 4 goals at the Kuala Lumpur 2002 World Cup. Baljeet Singh Saini, a half back from Punjab was making his second appearance at a World Cup, having played at Utrecht 1998 World Cup. He was born in Ropar, Punjab and played for Punjab & Sindh Bank. He won his first international cap when he was selected for Indra Gandhi Gold Cup in Lucknow in 1995. He captained India's team at Milton Keynes Junior World Cup in 1997 where India won the Silver medal. He also played at the Asian Games in Bangkok in 1998 where India won the Gold medal. Baljeet played at the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Jugraj Singh, a full back and a drag flicker, was making his first appearance at a World Cup. He was born in Rayya, near Amritsar in Punjab. He trained at Surjeet Singh Hockey Academy in Jalandhar and later at Air India Hockey Academy in Delhi. He played at the U18 Asia Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia in 2001 and in the same year played at the Junior World Cup in Hobart and Champions Challenge in Kuala Lumpur. Jugraj scored three penalty corner goals at the Kuala Lumpur 2002 World Cup. Kanwalpreet Singh, a fullback from Punjab Police, was making his first appearance at a World Cup. He was born in Jalandhar, Punjab, and played for Punjab Police. He made his international debut in 2000. He played at the Junior Asia Cup in May 2000 and Junior World Cup in Hobart in 2001, which India won. He played in the Champions Challenge in Kuala Lumpur in December 2001 where India won the Gold. Prabhjot Singh, a forward from Punjab, was also making his first appearance at a World Cup. He was born in Masania in Punjab and studied at Adarsh Vidya Mander in Batala. He played for Indian Oil Corporation. He earned his first international cap in 1999 and played at the Hobart 2001 Junior World Cup where India won the Gold. Prabhjot scored three goals at the Kuala Lumpur 2002 World Cup. Sukbir Singh Gill, a mid-field player, was making his first appearance at a World Cup. He was born in Chandigargh, Punjab and graduated from Punjab University in Chandigargh. He played for Bharat Petroleum and won his first international cap at the Azlan Shah Cup in Kuala Lumpur in 1995. He played in the Champions Challenge in Kuala Lumpur in December 2001 where India won the Gold. Sukbir played at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Two Sikh brothers were playing in the same team for the fourth time in World Cup history. Baljit and Daljit Singh Dhillon of India were following in the foot-steps of brothers Harvinder and Amarjeet Singh Marwa of Kenya who played in the 1st World Cup in Barcelona in 1971; Harmik and Ajit Singh of India who played at the 2nd World Cup in Amstelveen in 1973 and Hargurnek and Hargurpreet Sandhu of Canada who played at the Lahore 1990 World Cup. The Dhillon duo Baljit and Daljit scored eight goals at the Kuala Lumpur 2002 World Cup, four a piece. India Team: 1. Devesh Chauchan (G/K); 2. Ignance Tirkey; 3. Baljit Singh Saini; 4. Prabhjot Singh; 5. Jugraj Singh; 6. Dilip Tirkey; 7. Dhanraj Pillay; 8. Baljit Singh Dhillon (Capt); 9. Jude Menezes (G/K); 10. Sabu Varkey; 11. Sukbir Singh Gill; 12. Lajrus Barla; 13. Arjun Halappa; 14. Deepak Sonkhla Thakur; 15. Bipin Fernandez; 16. Kanwalpreet Singh; 17. Daljit Singh Dhillon; 18. Thirumalvalavan Selvarj. Manager: KGS Alva; Coach: Cedric D'Souza (1st 4 matches) & C R Kumar. The Malaysian team had one Sikh in their squad for Kuala Lumpur 2002 World Cup. Maninderjit Singh Sidhu was making his second appearance at a World Cup, having played at the Utrecht 1998 World Cup. He was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and graduated from University of Malaya. A defender/sweeper, he played for Sapura Hockey Club. He was selected for the Junior squad in January 1990 and played at the Junior World Cup in Tarrasa, Spain in 1993. He earned his first senior cap in November 1992 and played at the Champions Trophy in Kuala Lumpur in 1993. He played at the Asian Games in Hiroshima in 1994 and in Bangkok in 1998. He played at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 where Malaysia won the Silver medal. He played at the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Maninderjit scored a penalty stroke goal at Kuala Lumpur 2002 World Cup. Malaysia Team: 1. Roslan Jamaluddin (G/K); 2. Maninderjit Singh Sidhu; 3. Boon Huat Chua; 4. Gobinathan Krishanmurthy; 5. Kuhan Shanmuganathan; 6. Nor Azlan Haji Bakar; 7. Chairal Anwar Abd Aziz; 8. Jiwa Mohan; 9. Mohd Madzli Ikmar; 10. Tajol Rosli Mohamed; 11. Mohd Rodhanizam Mat Radzi; 12. Keevan Raj Kali Kavandan; 13. Mirnawan Hj. Nawawi (Capt); 14. Logan Raj Kali Kavandan; 15. Shaiful Azli Abd Rahman; 16. Mohd Nasihin Nubli Ibrahim (G/K); 17. Mohd Fairuz Ramly; 18. Shankar Shanmugam. Manager: Data Rajaratnam Yogeswaran; Coach: Paul Lissek (Germany). Final Classification: 1. Germany; 2. Australia; 3. Netherlands; 4. Korea; 5. Pakistan; 6. Argentina; 7. England; 8. Malaysia; 9. New Zealand; 10. India; 11. Spain; 12. Japan; 13. South Africa; 14. Belgium; 15. Poland; 16 Cuba. Next week: 11th World Cup - Monchengladbach, Germany, 2006. Sikhs at Utrecht World Cup 1998by Dil Bahra
9th May 2014 In our series of the impact Sikhs have had at Men's Hockey World Cups, we look at the ninth World Cup held in Utrecht, Netherlands 1998. The ninth Men's Hockey World Cup was held at Galgenwaard Stadium, Utrecht, Netherlands from 21 May - 1 June 1998. Twelve nations competed and were divided into two pools of six as follows: Pool A: Canada, Germany, India, South Korea, Netherlands and New Zealand. Pool B: Australia, England, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland and Spain. One Sikh Official, an umpire, was appointed for the Utrecht World Cup. Amarjit Singh of Malaysia was on the Umpires panel. He was awarded his International badge in April 1993, his Grade 1 badge in February 1996 and his World Panel badge in August 1998. The Canadian team had two Sikhs in their squad for Utrecht 1998 World Cup. Bindi Singh Kullar was born in Richmond, British Columbia (BC), Canada. His father, Pritpal Singh Kullar, emigrated to Canada in 1972, having learned hockey at Sansarpur, the renowned hub of hockey in Punjab. Pritpal, a full back, joined India Field Hockey Club in Vancouver and went on to represent Canada in 1978. Bindi studied at Douglas College BC and started playing hockey at the age of eight, under the guidance of his father. He followed in his father's footsteps by joining India Field Hockey Club. Bindi played for Canada's Junior team at the Pan American Games in Barbados in 1996 and earned his first senior cap against Great Britain at Bishan Abbey in England in 1996. He played at the World Cup qualifier in Kuala Lumpur in 1997. Ronnie Guriqbal Singh Jagday was born in Vancouver, BC. His parents emigrated to Canada in 1977. His father, Shiv Sharan Singh Jagday, a former Canada and USA National Coach, was Canada's Coach at the London 1986 World Cup and at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games. Ronnie studied at Centennial High School in Coguitlam and started playing hockey at the age of fourteen. He played for San Jose Khalsa Hockey Club as a centre half. He played for Canada's Junior team at the Pan American Games in Barbados in 1996 and earned his first senior cap against Spain in Barcelona in January 1998. Canada defeated India 4 - 1 in the Pool A match and finished one place above India in the final classification. Canada Team: 1. Hari Kant (G/K); 2. Michael Mahood (G/K); 3. Ian Bird; 4. Alan Brahmst; 5. Robin Diabreo; 6. Chris Gifford; 7. Patrick Burrows; 8. Andrew Griffiths; 9. Ken Pereira; 10. Scott Mosher; 11. Peter Milkovich; 12. Bindi Kullar; 13. Rob Short; 14. Ronnie Jagday; 15. Marek Gacek; 16. Rick Roberts. Team Manager: Patrick Oswald; Coach: Shiaz Virjee The Indian team had three Sikhs in their squad for Utrecht 1998 World Cup. Baljeet Singh Saini, a half back from Punjab was making his first appearance at a World Cup. He played for Punjab & Sindh Bank and earned his first international when he was selected for Indra Gandhi Gold Cup in Lucknow in 1995. He captained India's team at Milton Keynes Junior World Cup in 1997 where India won the Silver medal. He played at Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games and also played at the Asian Games in Bangkok in 1998 where India won the Gold medal. Harbhajan Singh, a forward from Punjab, was also making his first appearance at a World Cup. He had played in the test series against Germany and Pakistan just before the World Cup, scoring 2 goals. Ramandeep Singh Grewal, a graduate from Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana, started playing hockey at State School tournaments. He was selected to represent Punjab in the Nationals in Madurai in 1991. A left half, he played for Punjab Police and won his national cap at the Azlan Shah Cup in Kuala Lumpur in 1995. He played at the Champions Trophy in Madras, India in 1996 and the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games. India Team: 1. Jude Menezes (G/K); 2. Dilip Tirkey; 3. Anil Aldrin; 4. Baljit Singh Saini; 5. Mohd Riaz; 6. Ramandeep Singh; 7. Mukesh Kumar; 8. Sabu Varkey; 9. Dhanraj Pillay; 10. Rajesh Chauhan; 11. Samir Dad; 12. Jagdish Ponnappa; 13. Lazarus; 14. Thirumal; 15. Devinder Kumar; 16. Harbhajan Singh Manager: Ajit Pal Singh; Coach: V Baskaran. The Malaysian team had two Sikhs in their squad for Utrecht 1998 World Cup. Aphtar Singh played at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games. Maninderjit Singh was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He graduated from University of Malaya. A defender/sweeper, he played for Sapura Hockey Club. He was selected for the Junior squad in January 1990 and played at the Junior World Cup in Tarrasa, Spain in 1993. He earned his first senior cap in November 1992 and played at the Champions Trophy in Kuala Lumpur in 1993 and the Asian Games in Hiroshima in 1994. He played at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games. Malaysia Team: 1. Paul Lopez (G/K); 2. Maninderjit Singh; 3. Lallin Abu Hassan; 4. Keevan Raj Kali Kavandan; 5. Kuhan Shanmuganathan; 6. Nor Azian Haji Bakar; 7. Chairil Anwar Abdul Aziz; 8. Brian Jayhan Siva; 9. Shankar Ramu; 10. Nor Saiful Nasiruddin; 11. Kaliswaran Muniandy; 12. Aphthar Singh; 13. Mirnawan Nawawi; 14. Calvin Fernandes; 15. Arul Selvaraj Anthonisamy; 16. Mohd Nasihin Nubi Ibrahim Manager Kali Kavandan Sinnan. Final Classification: 1. Netherlands; 2. Spain; 3. Germany; 4. Australia; 5. Pakistan; 6. England; 7. South Korea; 8. Canada; 9. India; 10. New Zealand; 11. Malaysia; 12. Poland. Next week: 10th World Cup - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2002. England Team has more Sikhs than India's - Sydney World Cup 1994by Dil Bahra
2 May 2014 In our series of the impact Sikhs have had at Men's Hockey World Cups, we look at the eighth World Cup held in Sydney, Australia in 1994. The eighth Men's Hockey World Cup was held at the State Hockey Centre, Homebush, Sydney, Australia from 23 November - 4 December 1994. Twelve nations competed and were divided into two pools of six as follows: Pool A: Argentina, Australia, Belarus, England, Pakistan and Spain. Pool B: Belgium, Germany, India, Korea, Netherlands and South Africa. Indian Teams which were dominated by Sikh players in the past had only one Sikh player at Sydney World Cup in 1994. India, the bronze medal winners at the first World Cup in Barcelona in 1971 were led by a Sikh (Ajit Pal Singh) and had five Sikh players. The team Manager (Balbir Singh Sr.) was a Sikh. At the second World Cup in Amstelveen in 1973, where India won the Silver medal, the team coach was a Sikh (Balkrishan Singh) and had eight Sikhs. In the Gold medal winning team at the 3rd World Cup in Kuala Lumpur in 1975, the team which was led by a Sikh (Ajit Pal Singh) included seven Sikhs. And both the Team Manager and Team Coach were Sikhs - Balbir Singh Sr. and Gurcharan Singh Bodhi. Two Sikh Officials were appointed for the Sydney World Cup. Avtar Singh Sohal, a former Kenya captain, coach and umpire was appointed as a Judge at Sydney 1994 World Cup. After playing for City Primary School and Duke of Gloucester School in Nairobi, Avtar won his first international cap for Kenya when he was selected to play against South Africa at the age of 19. Three years later he was selected for the Rome 1960 Olympic Games. He was appointed as the National Team captain in 1962 for a Test series against Pakistan, and from then he led Kenya for a period of 10 years during which time Kenya were a powerhouse in the world hockey circles. He captained Kenya at Tokyo 1964, Mexico 1968 and Munich 1972 Olympic Games and was also captain at the 1st World Cup in Barcelona in 1971 where Kenya finished fourth, narrowly losing 1 - 2 to India in the Bronze medal match. After retiring from playing, Avtar took over coaching and was Kenya's Coach from 1978 to 1988. He was the team coach at Los Angeles Olympic Games. In addition to Coaching, he took up Umpiring and was awarded his FIH international Umpires badge in 1980. He was appointed on FIH's Development and Coaching Committee in 1988 and was a Judge at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games. Tarlok Singh Bhullar of India was on the Umpires panel. He was awarded his International badge in April 1986, his Grade 1 badge in September 1988 and his World Panel badge in October 1991. He umpired at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games. England had two Sikhs in their team - Soma Singh and Kalbir Singh Takher. Soma Singh was making his second appearance at a World Cup. He had played at the Lahore 1990 World Cup. Soma, born in Sangathpur, Punjab, India, emigrated to the UK in 1966 aged one. He studied at Loxdale School, Bilston in Wolverhampton and Wolverhampton Polytechnic in England. He started playing hockey at an early age and by the time he was 13, he was selected for England U16 squad. Three years later he was in the England U18 & U19 squads. He earned his U21 cap when he was selected to play against Ireland at Aberystwyth, Wales in 1983 and played at the Vancouver 1985 Junior World Cup. A centre half/sweeper, he played for Khalsa Hockey Club and Southgate Hockey Club in London. He earned his first England senior cap in 1985 when he was selected to play against Pakistan in Ipoh, Malaysia. He earned his first Great Britain cap when he was selected to play against France in Paris in September 1990. Soma scored a goal in his debut for England Indoors against Czech Republic at Palais de Sauveur , Lille in December 1993. Kalbir Singh Takher was making his first appearance at a World Cup. Born in Wolverhampton in England, Kalbir studied at Highfield School in Wolverhampton and Wolverhampton University. An attacking midfielder, he played for English Premier League Club, Cannock. He earned his first England cap in April 1993 when he was selected to play against Germany in Celle, Germany. England Team: 1. David Luckes (G/K); 2. Simon Mason (G/K); 3. Phillip McGuire; 4. Julian Halls; 5. Soma Singh; 6. John Potter (Capt); 7. Jason Laslett; 8. John Shaw; 9. Kalbir Singh Takher; 10. Nick Thompson; 11. Chris Mayer; 12. Simon Nicklin; 13. Russell Garcia; 14. Robert Crutchley; 15. Simon Hazlitt; 16. Donald Williams. Manager: David Whittle; Coach: David Whitaker The Indian team had one Sikh in their squad for Sydney 1994 World Cup. Harpreet Singh Mander, a right half from Punjab Police was making his first appearance at a World Cup. He had played at Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games and also played at the Asia Cup and Asian Games in Hiroshima in 1993. India Team: 1. A B Subbaiah; 2. Alloysias Edwards; 3. Alexander Anil Aldrin; 4. Ranjnish Mishra; 5. K K Pooncha; 6. Harpreet Singh; 7. Jude Felix (Capt); 8. Shakeel Ahmed; 9. Sandeep Somesh Hamachimana; 10. Mukesh Kumar; 11. Varkey Sabu; 12. Dhanraj Pillay; 13. Mohommed Riaz Nabi; 14. Sanjeev Kumar; 15. Gavin Ferrera; 16. Edward Arahana. Manager: T Jesudanam; Coach: Cedric D'Souza Final Classification: 1. Pakistan; 2. Netherlands; 3. Australia; 4. Germany; 5. India; 6. England; 7. Argentina; 8. Korea; 9. Spain; 10. South Africa; 11. Belgium; 12. Belarus. Next week: 9th World Cup - Utrecht, Netherlands 1998. England Team 1994 photo above: Back row; L - R: Andy Humphrey (Reserve), Simon Nicklin, Simon Hazlitt, Nicky Thompson, Don Williams, Soma Singh, Middle row: Dr Ian Beasley, Neil Minter (Physio), Phil McGuire, Chris Mayer, David Luckes, Simon Mason, Julian Halls, Bobby Crutchley, Dick Clarke (Ass. Coach), Keith Sorrell (Ass. Coach), Front row: Russell Garcia, Jason Laslett, David Whittle (Manager), David Whitaker (Coach), John Shaw (V. Captain), Jon Potter (Captain).
Insert: Kalbir Takher and John Hurst (G/K Coach) Lahore at Last - World Cup 1990by Dil Bahra
25 April 2014 In our series of the impact Sikhs have had at men's hockey World Cups, we look at the seventh World Cup held in Lahore, Pakistan in 1990. The seventh Men's Hockey World Cup was held at the National Hockey Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan from 12 - 23 February 1990. The first World Cup should have been originally played in Lahore, Pakistan with the opening ceremony on the same date, nineteen years ago (12 - 21 February 1971), but had to be postponed because of threatened political interference and moved to Barcelona. The World Cup trophy was also donated by Pakistan. Twelve nations competed and were divided into two pools of six as follows: Pool A: Australia, Netherlands, India, USSR, Argentina, France. Pool B: West Germany, England, Pakistan, Spain, Canada, Ireland. Four Sikh Officials were appointed for the Lahore World Cup. Hardial Singh Kular of Kenya was appointed Assistant Technical Delegate for the Lahore 1990 World Cup. He was also an Assistant Technical Delegate at London 1986 World Cup, Bombay 1982 World Cup and a Judge at the Buenos Aires 1978 World Cup. Hardial was on the FIH Council since 1966 and a member of Hockey Rules Board since 1972. He was Kenya's Coach at the Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 Olympic Games. Surjit Singh Bhullar of India who was a Judge at the London 1986 World Cup was again a Judge at Lahore 1990 World Cup. Amarjeet Singh Dhak, of Kenya, born in Nairobi, Kenya, studied at Duke of Gloucester School, Nairobi, was on the Umpires panel. He was a former right winger for Khalsa Hockey Club, Nairobi before turning to umpiring. He was awarded his International badge in October 1984, his Grade 1 badge in April 1986 and his World Panel badge in October 1987. He umpired at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games. Amarjit Singh Bawa of India was also on the Umpires panel. He was awarded his International badge in September 1981, his Grade 1 badge in February 1985 and his World Panel badge in April 1987. He had umpired at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games. Two Sikh brothers were playing in the same team for the third time in the World Cup history. Hargurnek and Hargurpreet Sandhu of Canada were following brothers Harvinder and Amarjeet Marwa of Kenya who played in the 1st World Cup in Barcelona in 1971 and Harmik and Ajit Singh of India who played at the 2nd World Cup in Amstelveen in 1973. India, who finished sixth at the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988, included four Sikhs in their team which was also captained by a Sikh - Pargat Singh Powar. Pargat Singh Powar, a full back from Punjab was making his second appearance at a World Cup, this time as a captain. Born in Mithapur, Punjab, Pargat studied and played for Lyallpur Khalsa College in Jalandhar. He earned his first senior international cap, before his Junior cap, when he was selected to play at the 10 Nations Golden Jubilee Tournament in Hong Kong in 1983. He played at the Vancouver 1985 Junior World Cup and in the Champions Trophy in Perth, Australia in 1985. He played at the London 1986 World Cup and also at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games. Hardeep Singh from Ludhiana, Punjab played for Indian Airlines. He played at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games and the London 1986 World Cup. Jagbir Singh, a centre forward for Indian Airlines, was making his first appearance at a World Cup. He played at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games. Balwinder Singh Shammi, a forward from Amritsar, Punjab earned his first international cap in December 1983. A student at Khalsa Senior Secondary School in Amritsar, he played for Railways. He played at the London 1986 World Cup and Seoul 1988 Olympic Games. At the Lahore World Cup, Jagbir Singh scored a field goal against USSR in their 1 - 1 draw in the pool match, a field goal against Argentina in their 3 - 5 loss and a field goal in their 3 - 5 loss to the Netherlands in their pool match. Balwinder Singh Shammi scored a field goal in their 3 - 5 loss to the Netherlands in their pool match. Pargat Singh Powar scored a field goal in their 2 - 1 win over Canada in the 9 - 12 classification match. India Team: 1. Ashish Ballal (G/K); 2. Pargat Singh Powar (Capt); 3. Ashok Kumar; 4. B K Subramani; 5. Vivek Singh; 6. Sujit Kumar; 7. Ram Prakash Singh; 8. Jude Felix; 9. Jagbir Singh; 10. Balwinder Singh; 11. Thoiba Singh; 12. Ajit Lakra; 13. Hardeep Singh; 14. Edgar Mascarenhas; 15. Dhanraj Pillay; 16. Mark Patterson Manager: Kumaresh Sen, Coach: M P Ganesh England had one Sikh in their team - Soma Singh. Soma Singh, born in Sangathpur, Punjab, India, emigrated to the UK in 1966 aged one. He studied at Loxdale School, Bilston in Wolverhampton and Wolverhampton Polytechnic in England. He started playing hockey at an early age and by the time he was 13, he was selected for England U16 squad. Three years later he was in the England U18 & U19 squads. He earned his U21 cap when he was selected to play against Ireland at Aberystwyth, Wales in 1983 and played at the Vancouver 1985 Junior World Cup. A centre half/sweeper, he played for Khalsa Hockey Club and Southgate Hockey Club in London. He earned his first England senior cap in 1985 when he was selected to play against Pakistan in Ipoh, Malaysia. Soma Singh scored a field goal against Germany in their 1 - 2 loss in the pool match at the Lahore World Cup. England Team: 1. Steve Taylor (G/K); 2. Sean Rowlands (G/K); 3. Paul Bolland; 4. David Faulkner; 5. Julian Halls; 6. Jon Potter; 7. Rob Hill; 8. Martin Grimley; 9. Stephen Batchelor; 10. Richard Leman; 11. Christopher Mayer; 12. Russell Garcia; 13. Sean Kerly; 14. Robert Clift; 15. Nick Thompson; 16. Soma Singh Manager: Bernard Cotton; Coach: Norman Hughes. The Canadian team, which finished 11th at the Seoul Olympics in 1988, had three Sikhs in their side - Satinder Singh Chohan and brothers Hargurnek Singh Sandhu and Hargurpreet Singh Sandhu. Satinder (Bubli) Singh Chohan was born in Ludhiana and moved with his family to Canada in 1962 at the age of five. Bubli earned his first international cap when he represented Canada against Pakistan in New Zealand in 1974. He played at the Montreal 1976, Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988 Olympic Games. This was his third World Cup appearance, having played at the Buenos Aires 1978 and London 1986 World Cups. Hargurnek (Nick) Singh Sandhu, who was born in Jamsher Khas, in Punjab, India, was making his second appearance at a World Cup, having played at the London 1986 World Cup. He studied at Cantonment Board Higher Secondary School, Jalandhar in Punjab and emigrated to Canada in 1977 at the age of fifteen. He graduated at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver in 1988 and played for India Field Hockey Club. He earned his first senior international cap when he represented Canada against Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1980 whilst still in the Junior squad. He was Canada's Captain at the Kuala Lumpur 1982 and played at the Vancouver 1985 Junior World Cups. He played at the Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988 Olympic Games. Hargurpreet (Bill) Singh Sandhu was born in village Bal, Gurdaspur, Punjab, India. He studied at Cantonment Board Higher Secondary school in Jalandar Punjab and emigrated to Canada in 1977 at the age of twelve. He studied at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and played hockey for India Field Hockey Club of Vancouver. He played at the 1982 Junior World Cup in Kuala Lumpur where he was one of the youngest players at the tournament and was the captain at the 1985 Junior World cup in Vancouver. This was quite unique as his brother Hargurnek Singh Sandhu captained the 1982 junior world cup team in Kuala Lumpur. He won his first senior international cap in a test series against USA in 1985 at Colorado Springs, scoring a penalty stroke goal on his debut. Satinder Singh Chohan scored a field goal against Ireland in their 3 - 0 win for the 11 - 12th place match at the Lahore World Cup. Canada Team: 1. David Ancrum; 2. Cedric Vaz; 3. Hargurnek Singh Sandhu; 4. Pat Burrows; 5. Hargurpreet Singh Sandhu; 6. Chris Gifford; 7. Douglas Knapp; 8. A Griffiths; 9. Mike Muller; 10. Satinder Singh Chohan; 11. Ross Rutledge; 12. Guy Manwaring; 13. Pat Caruso; 14. Peter Milkovich; 15. Lee Tamkee; 16. Ken Goodwin Manager: Don Bird; Coach: John Sacre Final Classification: 1. Netherlands; 2. Pakistan; 3. Australia; 4. Germany; 5. England; 6. USSR; 7. France; 8. Spain; 9. Argentina; 10. India; 11. Canada; 12. Ireland. Next week: 8th World Cup - Sydney, Australia 1994. World Cup comes to Londonby Dil Bahra
18 April 2014 In our series of the impact Sikhs have had at men's hockey World Cups, we look at the sixth World Cup held in London in 1986. The sixth Men's Hockey World Cup was held at Willesden Stadium, London, England from 4 - 19 October 1986. Twelve nations competed and were divided into two pools of six as follows: Pool A: Netherlands, Pakistan, England, USSR, Argentina, New Zealand Pool B: Australia, West Germany, Spain, India, Canada, Poland Hardial Singh Kular of Kenya was appointed Assistant Technical Delegate for the London World Cup. He was also an Assistant Technical Delegate at Bombay World Cup in 1982 and a Judge at the Buenos Aires World Cup in 1978. Hardial was on the FIH Council since 1966 and a member of Hockey Rules Board since 1972. He was Kenya's Coach at the Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 Olympic Games. Surjit Singh Bhullar of India was a Judge at the London World Cup. Resham Singh Bains of Kenya was on the Umpires panel. Resham, a former Kenyan international was born in Bains village in Nawanshahr district in Punjab, India and emigrated to Kenya in 1955 at the age of 10. He played for Railway Gymkhana Nairobi and Sikh Union Nairobi. He earned his first international cap when he represented Kenya against Malawi in Dar-es-Salaam at the East African Championships in 1969. He played at the first World Cup in Barcelona in 1971 where Kenya finished fourth and also at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games. After retiring from playing he took up umpiring and earned his FIH Grade 1 badge in 1981. India, who finished fifth at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984, included four Sikhs in their team which was also coached by a Sikh. All four players were making their first appearance at a World Cup. Pargat Singh Powar, a full back from Punjab was making his first appearance at a World Cup in London. Born in Mithapur, Punjab, Pargat studied and played for Lyallpur Khalsa College in Jalandhar. He earned his first senior international cap, before his Junior cap, when he was selected to play at the 10 Nations Golden Jubilee Tournament in Hong Kong in 1983. He played at the Vancouver Junior World Cup in 1985 and in the Champions Trophy in Perth, Australia in 1985. Hardeep Singh from Ludhiana, Punjab played at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games. He played for Indian Airlines. Mohinder Pal Singh, a full back and a penalty corner striker from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, was also making his first World Cup appearance. He was the Captain of the Junior World Cup team held in Kuala Lumpur in 1982 and had played at the Champions Trophy in Perth, Australia in 1985. Balwinder Singh Shammi, a forward from Amritsar, Punjab earned his first international cap in December 1983. A student at Khalsa Senior Secondary School in Amritsar, he played for Railways. India's Captain at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games, where India won the Bronze Medal, Harmik Singh, who was the coach at Bombay World Cup, was again India's coach at the London World Cup. Harmik had also played at the 1st World Cup in Barcelona in 1971 where India won the Bronze medal and at Amstelveen in 1973 where India won the Silver medal. Balwinder Singh Shammi scored a field goal in their 2 - 0 win against Canada in their pool match. Mohinder Pal Singh scored a penalty corner goal and converted a penalty stroke in their 2 - 3 loss to Pakistan in the 11th - 12th classification match. India Team: 1. Rajinder Singh Rawat; 2. Pargat Singh; 3. Vineet Kumar Sharma; 4. Somaya Maney Panda; 5. Hardeep Singh; 6. Abdul Aziz; 7. Tikken Singh; 8. Marcelo Gomes; 9. Joaquim Carvalho; 10. Mohammed Shahid Capt.; 11. Thoiba Singh; 12. Mohinder Pal Singh; 13. Subramani Balada Kalaiash; 14. Balwinder Singh; 15. Ram Prakash Singh; 16. Neel Komal Singh Manager: D.S. Murthy; Coach: Harmik Singh England had one Sikh in their team - Kulbir Singh Bhaura. Kulbir, born in Jalandhar, Punjab, India came to settle in the UK in 1968 at the age of thirteen. He studied at Khalsa School, Jalandhar and at Featherstone School, Southall and Isleworth Poly in London, England. He played for Indian Gymkhana Hockey Club and Hounslow Hockey Club in London. He earned his first England cap in 1979 when he was selected to play against Belgium at Lords, London. He played at the Bombay World Cup in 1982 and since then has represented Great Britain, earning his first Great Britain cap against Pakistan at the 10 Nations Golden Jubilee Tournament in Hong Kong in December 1983. He represented Great Britain at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games where the team won the Bronze Medal. England Team: 1. Ian Taylor (East Grinstead); 2. John Hurst (St. Albans); 3. Paul Barber (Slough); 4. Richard Dodds Capt. (Southgate); 5. Paul Bolland (York); 6. Jon Potter (Hounslow); 7. David Faulkner (Havant); 8. Stephen Batchelor (Southgate); 9. Kulbir S Bhaura (Indian Gymkhana); 10. Martyn Grimley (Brooklands); 11. Robert Clift (Hounslow); 12. John Shaw (Southgate); 13. Sean Kerly (Southgate); 14. Norman Hughes (Wakefield); 15. Imran Sherwani (Stone); 16. Richard Leman (East Grinstead). Manager: Colin Whalley; Coach: David Whitaker The Canadian team had two Sikhs in their side - Satinder (Bubli) Singh Chohan and Hargurnek Singh Sandhu. The Team coach was also a Sikh, Shiv Sharan Singh Jagday. Bubli Chohan was born in Ludhiana and moved with his family to Canada in 1962 at the age of five. Bubli, who earned his first international cap when he represented Canada against Pakistan in New Zealand in 1974, had played at the Montreal 1976 and Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games. This was his second Word Cup appearance, his first being at the Buenos Aires World Cup in 1978. Hargurnek Singh Sandhu, who was born in Jamsher Khas, in Punjab, India, was making his first appearance for Canada at a World Cup in London. He studied at Cantonment Board Higher Secondary School, Jalandhar in Punjab and emigrated to Canada in 1977 at the age of fifteen. He graduated at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver in 1988 and played for India Field Hockey Club. He earned his first senior international cap when he represented Canada against Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1980 whilst still in the Junior squad. He was Canada's Captain at the Kuala Lumpur 1982 and Vancouver 1985 Junior World Cups. He also played at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984. Shiv Sharan Singh Jagday, Canada's National Coach since 1982 was born in Ludhiana, Punjab. He studied at Malwa Khalsa High School, Ludhiana and Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana. He emigrated to Canada in 1977. He was appointed Coach of the Canada's Junior team in 1981. He was the coach at 4 Pan Am Games in 1983 when Canada won the Games for the first time in their history. He was the coach at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games. Hargurnek Singh Sandhu scored a penalty stroke goal in their 2 - 6 defeat to Australia in their pool match. Canada defeated Pakistan, the reigning World and Olympic Champions, 2 - 1 in the 9th - 12th place classification match. Canada Team: 1. Ken Goodwin (Edmonton Selects); 2. Ajax Dube (Ookpiks, Toronto); 3. Pat Burrows Capt. (Ookpiks, Toronto); 4. Alan Bramst (Toronto); 5. Mike Muller (Falcons Delta); 6. Kim Ewasechko (Edmonton Selects); 7. Hargurnek Sandhu (Indian Club, Vancouver); 8. Douglas Knapp (Huronia, Toronto); 9. Kip Hladky (Devils, Edmonton) ; 10. Satinder Chohan (Indian Club, Vancouver); 11. Ross Rutledge (Falcons, Delta); 12. Wayne Grimmer (Ookpiks, Toronto); 13. Pat Caruso (Edmonton Selects); 14. Guy Manwaring (Falcons Delta); 15. Cedric Vaz (Richmond); 16. Trevor Porritt (Winnipeg Selects) Manager: Dennis Crooks; Coach: Shiv Sharan Singh Jagday Final Classification: 1. Australia; 2. England; 3. West Germany; 4. USSR; 5. Spain; 6. Argentina; 7. Netherlands; 8. Poland; 9. New Zealand; 10. Canada; 11. Pakistan; 12. India Next week: 7th World Cup - Lahore 1990. World Cup comes to the backyard of hockey wizardsby Dil Bahra
11 April 2014 In our series on the impact Sikhs have had at men's hockey World Cups, we look at the fifth World Cup held in Bombay in 1981/82. The Fifth Men's Hockey World Cup was held in Bombay, India from 29 December 1981 - 12 January 1982. The World Cup came to the sub-continent for the first time, and it also turned out to be the final one to be played on natural grass at the Wankhede Stadium and the adjoining Bombay Hockey Association Stadium in south Bombay. Twelve nations competed and were divided into two pools of six as follows:
Pool A: Pakistan; West Germany; Spain; Argentina; Poland; New Zealand.
Pool B: Netherlands; Australia; India; England; USSR; Malaysia. Hardial Singh Kular of Kenya was appointed Assistant Technical Delegate for the World Cup. He was a Judge at the Buenos Aires World Cup in 1978. India, the reigning Olympic champions, included five Sikhs in her team which was also captained and coached by a Sikh. Surjit Singh, who had manned the Indian defence at the Montreal Olympic Games in 1976 and at the 2nd World Cup in Amstelveen, where India won the Silver medal and at the 3rd World Cup in Kuala Lumpur where India won the Gold, was the captain at this World Cup. Deep defender Rajinder Singh Sr., who was a member of India's gold medal winning team at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, emerged as the leading goal scorer in the Bombay World Cup with 12 goals. Centre-forward Surinder Singh Sodhi, who was star striker in India's Gold medal team at the Moscow Olympics where he had scored 15 goals, had earlier played at the Buenos Aires World Cup in 1978. He scored 5 goals at the Bombay World Cup. Half-back Gurmail Singh, also a member of India's team at Moscow Olympics, and Onkar Singh were the other Sikh players in the Indian squad. India's Captain at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games where they won the Bronze medal, Harmik Singh was now the coach at Bombay. Harmik had also played at the 1st world cup in Barcelona in 1971 where India won the Bronze medal and at Amstrveen in 1973 where India won the Silver medal. India Team: 1. Ashok Devan (G/K); 2. Rajinder Singh Sr.; 3. Surjit Singh (Capt); 4. M M Somaya; 5. Ravinderpal Singh; 6. Gurmail Singh; 7. Charanjit Kumar; 8. Mervyn Fernandes; 9. Surinder Singh Sodhi; 10. Mohd Shahid; 11. Syed Ali; 12. Mir Ranjan Negi; (G/K); 13. Vineet Kumar; 14. Onkar Singh; 15. Zafar Iqbal; 16. M K Kaushik.
Manager: Jhaman Lal Sharma; Coach: Harmik Singh England had two Sikhs in their team - Sutinder (Suti) Singh Khehar and Kulbir Singh Bhaura. Sutinder, born in Nairobi, Kenya, emigrated to the UK in 1971 and won his first international cap in 1974 when he played for England against West Germany at Lord's, London. He played at the previous World Cup in Buenos Aires in 1978 and earned the first of his 12 Great Britain international caps in 1979 against Belgium at Crystal Palace, London. He also won his first England indoor international in 1980 against Switzerland in Zurich. Sutinder was an instrumental member of Slough Hockey Club that won the European Club Championship in 1980. The Bombay World Cup was only the second time Sutinder was visiting India. The earlier occasion was also with England's hockey team during their visit in 1978. Sutinder was in the squad of 20 for Great Britain's team for the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games, which were boycotted by Great Britain for political reasons. He had played for Great Britain in the Champions Trophy held in Karachi, Pakistan in January 1980. Kulbir, born in Jalandhar, Punjab (India), came to settle in the UK in 1968. He studied at Jalandhar's Khalsa School and thereafter in England at the Featherstone School, Southall, and Isleworth Poly in London. He played for Indian Gymkhana Hockey Club and Hounslow Hockey Club in London. He earned his first England cap in 1979 when he was selected to play against Belgium at Lord's, London. The World Cup in Bombay was the first time Kulbir was visiting India since he left the country in 1968. During the Bombay World Cup, Sutinder had the honour of captaining England in his last outdoor international match - England won 3 - 2, coming back from 0-2 down against Malaysia in the play-off for the 9th place. Kulbir scored one of the goals for England in that match. England Team: 1. Paul Barber; 2. Kulbir Singh Bhaura; 3. Roly Brookman; 4. David Craig; 5. Richard Dodds; 6. James Duthie; 7. Neil Francis; 8. Norman Hughes (capt); 9. John Hurst (G/K); 10. Sutinder Singh Khehar; 11. Richard Leman; 12. Mark Precious; 13. Chris Rule; 14. Ian Taylor; 15. David Westcott; 16. Malcolm Wilkinson. Manager: Colin Whalley; Coach: David Whittaker. The Malaysian team included two Sikhs - Mohinder Singh Grewal and Avtar Singh Gill. Both had played at the last World Cup in Buenos Aires in 1978. Malaysia Team: 1. A. Fadzil (G/K); 2. Abbas (G/K); 3. F K Seong t; 4. J Murthy; 5. A. Rahim; 6. S. Prakash; 7. C B Gee; 8. ; Mohinder Singh Grewal; 9. S V Huisen; 10. L. Oliveiro; 11. O S Kooi (capt); 12. T C Seng; 13. M Shurentheran; 14. P F Loke; 15. C S Maria; 16. Avtar Singh Gill.
Manager: Datuk Haji Hohd Nor Bin HJ; Coach: R Yogeswaran Final standings were 1. Pakistan; 2. West Germany; 3. Australia; 4. Netherlands; 5. India; 6. USSR; 7. New Zealand; 8. Poland; 9. England; 10. Malaysia; 11. Spain; 12. Argentina. Next week: 6th World Cup - London 1986. Sikhs galore at Buenos Aires - 4th World Cupby Dil Bahra
4 April 2014 In our series of the impact Sikhs have had at men's hockey world cups, we look at the fourth world cup held in 1978. The Fourth Men's Hockey World Cup was held at Campo del Polo grounds, Buenos Aires, Argentina from 18 March - 1 April 1978. Fourteen nations competed and were divided into two pools of seven as follows. Pool A: Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, Germany, India and Poland.
Pool B: Argentina, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Pakistan and Spain. Hardial Singh Kular of Kenya was a Judge at the world cup. The Canadian team included four Sikhs - Bubli Chohan, who was born in Ludhiana and moved with his family to Canada in 1962. Bubli, who earned his first international cap when he represented Canada against Pakistan in New Zealand in 1974, had played at the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games. Sarbjit Singh Dusang, born in Powandara, Punjab had also represented Canada at the Montreal Olympics. Parmjit Singh Bahia, born in Kukar, Punjab and Mohinder Pal Singh were the other Sikh players in the Canadian team. The highlight of Canada's appearance at her first world cup was their historical 3 - 1 victory in Pool A match over the world cup holders, India. During the tournament Bubli Chohan scored field goals against Belgium and Poland. Canada Team: Sarbjit Singh Dusang; Julian Austin; Alan Herbrirk (Capt); Dave Bisset; Mohinder Pal Singh; Paramjit Singh Bahia; Peter Motzek; Doug Pready; Hash Kanjee; Satinder Singh Chohan; Fred Hoos; Antonie Schouten; Reg Plummer; Howard Fernandes; Mike Mouat; Kelvin Wood.
Manager: Victor Warren; Coach: John McBryde. England had two Sikhs in their team - Sutinder (Suti) Singh Khehar and Balwant (Bal) Singh Saini. Suti, born in Nairobi, Kenya emigrated to the UK in 1971 and won his first international cap in 1974 when he played for England against West Germany at Lords, London. Bal, born in Kisumu, Kenya, won his first England cap in 1977 when he played against West Germany at Lords, London, scoring a spectacular goal on his debut. Both Suti and Bal played for Slough Hockey Club, who had won the National Club Championship in 1977. England Team: Ian Taylor; Paul Barber; David Whitaker; Peter Freitag; Bernard Cotton (capt); Rui Saldanha; Ian Thomson; Sutinder Singh Khehar; Ian Stuart; McGinn; Alistair Kirk McGinn; Norman Hughes; Roly Brookeman; Balwant Singh Saini; Stephen William Long; John Andrew Hurst; Robert William Smith. Manager: Anthony Ekins; Coach: Trevor Clarke. The Malaysian team had three Sikhs in their side - Mohinder Singh Amar who had represented Malaysia at the Montreal Olympic Games and earned his first international cap in 1973, Avtar Singh Gill who had also played at the Montreal Olympic Games and Updesh Singh Gill. Avtar scored a penalty stroke and a penalty corner in the match against Ireland, a penalty stroke in the match against Canada and a goal in the match against Italy. Malaysia Team: Azrai Md. Zain; Zulkifli Bin Abbas; Brian Sta Maria; N Srishanmuganathan; Seong Foo Keat; R Ramakrishnan (Capt); Mohinder Singh Amar; Seng Tam Kum; K Balasingham; K Rajan; Kooi Ow Soon; Loke Poon Fook; R Utamarajah; Avtar Singh Gill; Spender Oliveiro Lennar; Updesh Singh Gill.
Manager: P Alagendra; Coach: Chye Moroh India, the reigning world champions, included four Sikhs in their team which was also managed by a Sikh - Kartar Singh. Varinder Singh had played at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games where India won the Bronze medal and Montreal 1976 Olympic Games. Varinder Singh had also played at the 2nd World Cup in Amstelveen where India won the Silver medal and at Kuala Lumpur where India won Gold. Baldev Singh had also played at Montreal and was a member of India's team that won the Bronze medal at the first World cup in Barcelona in 1971 and Silver in the second world cup in Amstelveen in 1973. Surinder Singh Sodhi and Sukhvir Singh Grewal were the other Sikh players in the Indian squad. India Team: V J Phillips (Capt); Sait; Syed Ali; Ashok Kumar; Olympio Fernandes; Baldev Singh; M Fredricks; Robert Clandius; Surinder Singh Sodhi; Zafar Iqbal; John Kerketta; V Bhaskaran; Gopal Bhengra; Dung Dung; Vincent Lakra; Sukhvir Singh Grewal; Varinder Singh.
Manager: Kartar Singh; Coach: R S Gentle Final standings were 1. Pakistan; 2. Netherlands; 3. Australia; 4. West Germany; 5. Spain; 6. India; 7. England; 8. Argentina; 9. Poland; 10. Malaysia; 11. Canada; 12. Ireland; 13. Italy; 14. Belgium. Next week: 5th World Cup. Sikhs top of the world - 3rd World Cupby Dil Bahra
28 March 2014 In our series of the impact Sikhs have had at men's hockey world cups, we look at the third world cup held in 1975. The third Men's Hockey World Cup was held at Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 1 - 19 March 1975. Twelve nations competed at this world cup: Malaysia; New Zealand; Netherlands; Pakistan; Poland and Spain in Pool A and Argentina; Australia; England; Ghana; India and West Germany in Pool B. India, the bronze medal winners at the first World Cup in Barcelona in 1971 and runners - up at the second World Cup in Amstelveen in 1973, were led by a Sikh, Ajit Pal Singh and the team included seven Sikhs. Both the Team Manager and Team Coach were Sikhs - Balbir Singh Sr. and Gurcharan Singh Bodhi. Hardial Singh Kular of Kenya was on the FIH Jury of Appeal for the tournament. Gurdev Singh of India was on the umpires' panel. Kenya failed to qualify for the World Cup, having lost the African Championship to Ghana in 1974. Although Sikh players scored only seven goals in the tournament, these goals were scored at crucial periods of the tournament. In the semi-final against the host, Malaysia, left winger, Harcharan Singh scored the winning goal in extra time to take India to the final with a 3 - 2 win. The final was a classic India v Pakistan match. Both teams played brilliant open hockey and Pakistan took the lead through Mohammad Zahid's goal in the 17th minute. Surjit Singh equalised from a penalty corner in the 44th minute. India's winning goal, scored by Ashok Kumar, in the 52nd minute is still being talked about today. The point that is widely disputed is whether the ball hit the backboard and rebounded, or hit the goal post and rebounded. The very experienced Malaysian umpire, Vijayanathan had no doubt and awarded the goal. There were no video referrals in 1975. India had won a world title for the first time since 1964. They had beaten Pakistan for only the fifth time (in 15 attempts), and they had scored two goals against Pakistan for the first time. Ajit Pal Singh and Harcharan Singh now have a complete set of Gold, Silver (Amstelveen 1973) and Bronze (Barcelona 1971) medals at world cups. India Team: Ashok Diwan; Aslam Sher Khan; Surjit Singh; Varinder Singh; Ajit Pal Singh (Capt); Mohinder Singh; V.J. Phillips; Ashok Kumar; Shivaji Pawar; B.P Govinda and Harcharan Singh. Subs (not used) Leslie Fernandez; Michael Kindo; Onkar Singh; P.E.Kalaiah and Harinder Jit Singh Chimni. Pakistan Team: Saleem Sherwani; Manzoor-ul-Hassan; Munawar-uz-Zaman; Saleem Nazim; Akhtar Rasool; Iftikhar Ahmad; Islahuddin (Capt); Mohammad Azam; Mansoor Jnr.; Mohammad Zahid and Samiullah. Sub used, Safdar Abbas for Samiullah (15 minutes). Umpires: A. Renaud (France) and G. Vijayanathan (Malaysia) The Final standings were 1. India; 2. Pakistan; 3. West Germany; 4. Malaysia; 5. Australia; 6. England; 7. New Zealand; 8. Spain; 9. Netherlands; 10. Poland; 11. Argentina; 12. Ghana. Next week: 4th World Cup. Sikhs impact at Mens second World Hockey Cup, 1973by Dil Bahra
21 March 2014 The second Men's Hockey World Cup was played at Wagener Stadium, Amstelveen, Netherlands from 24 August to 2 September 1973. Twelve nations competed at this world cup: India; West Germany; Spain; Kenya; New Zealand and Japan in Pool A and Argentina; England; Pakistan; Netherlands; Belgium; and Malaysia in Pool B. Kenya's team, which included nine Sikhs, was: Kenya: 1. Surjit Singh Rihal (Capt); 2. Amarjit Singh Marwa; 3. B. R Mgalu; 4. Brajinder Daved; 5. Davinder Singh Deegan; 6. Jagjit Singh Kular; 7. Jagmel Singh Rooprai; 8. Nahar Singh Kalsi; 9. Naran Dass Rajput; 10. Naresh Verma; 11. Nashon Ochieng; 12. Odour Tabais; 13. Ranjit Singh Sehmi; 14. Reynold Pereira and 15. Tarlochan Singh Channa. Team Manager: Maurice Dantas and Coach: Alu Mendonca. Harvinder Singh Marwa, was selected for the World Cup but had to withdraw at the last minute due to injury. The Kenya Team was captained by Surjit Singh Rihal who had taken over from Avtar Singh Sohal who retired at the end of Munich Olympics after captaining Kenya for a period of just over 10 years. Avtar did, however, accompany the team as assistant coach. India's team, which included eight Sikhs, was: India: 1. M.P. Ganesh (Capt); 2. Cedric Pereira; 3. Charles Cornelius; 4. Michael Kindo; 5. Baldev Singh; 6. Surjit Singh; 7. Ajit Pal Singh; 8. Harmik Singh; 9. V. Bhaskaran; 10. B.P. Govinda; 11. Ashok Kumar; 12. Harcharan Singh; 13. Chand Singh; 14. Ajit Singh; 15. V.J. Philips and 16. Varinder Singh Manager: R S Gentle; Coach: Balkrishen Singh Hardial Singh Kular of Kenya was on the FIH Jury of Appeal for the tournament. Gurdev Singh of India was on the umpires panel. In the Pool A match, India defeated Kenya 4 - 0, Chand Singh and Baldev Singh scoring in the first half and Ajit Pal Singh and B.P. Govinda scoring in the second half. Sikh players scored 20 goals out of the 132 goals scored in the tournament - Surjit Singh scoring 6, Baldev Singh, Chand Singh and Ajit Pal Singh scoring two a piece and Harmik Singh and Harcharan Singh scoring a goal a piece for India. Kenya's goal scorers were Jagjit Singh Kular and Tarlochan Singh Channa with two goals a piece and Jagmel Singh Rooprai and Brajinder Daved with a goal a piece. India, one of the fittest teams, went into the final as firm favourites, having scored 13 goals and conceded only 1 goal on their way to the final. Netherlands, however, won the 2nd World Cup after a dramatic penalty stroke competition 4 - 2. India's penalty corner taker, Surjit Singh gave India a perfect start by converting a penalty corner in the 7th minute and adding a second one in the 12th minute to give his team an early 2 - 0 lead. Ties Kruize replied with a penalty stroke before half time and converted a penalty corner in the 45th minute to make the score 2 - 2 at fulltime and take the final into five periods of extra time. With only 31 seconds of the second period of extra time remaining, India was awarded a penalty stroke. B.P. Govinda shot weakly and Marteen Sikking saved easily. In the penalty stroke competition, Paul Litjens, Ties Kruize, Jeroen Zweerts and Bart Taminiau successfully converted for Netherlands whilst Harmik Singh and Ajit Pal Singh converted for India. The Final standings were 1. Netherlands; 2. India; 3. Germany; 4. Pakistan; 5. Spain; 6. England; 7. New Zealand; 8. Belgium; 9. Argentina; 10. Japan; 11. Malaysia; 12. Kenya The brilliant action photo accompanying this article, which was featured on the cover page of World Hockey in the Oct - Dec 1973 issue, was taken by Morley Pecker who won first prize in the FIH competition for the best photograph taken at the World Cup. Next week: 3rd World Cup. Sikhs impact at Men's First Hockey World Cup, 1971by Dil Bahra
13 March 2014 The first Hockey World Cup was held in Barcelona, Spain from October 15 - 24, 1971 at Real Polo grounds. It should have been originally played in 1970, was arranged for Lahore, Pakistan in February 1971, and had to be postponed because of threatened political interference. Ten countries competed at this world cup: India; West Germany; France; Kenya; Argentina in Pool A and Australia; Japan; Pakistan; Netherlands and Spain in Pool B. Kenya, a powerhouse in World hockey in the 1960s, had thirteen Sikhs in their squad of sixteen. The team Captained by Avtar Singh Sohal included Amarjit Singh Marwa; Brajinder Daved; Davinder Singh Deegan; Harvinder Singh Marwa; Jagjit Singh Kular; Jagmel Singh Rooprai; Ravinder Singh Laly; Resham Singh Bains; Santokh Singh Matharu; Surjeet Singh Panesar; Surjit Singh Rihal and Tarlochan Singh Chana. The Team Manager and coach were both Sikhs - Kulwant Singh Bawa was the Manager and Hardev Singh Kular was the coach. Kenya had recorded more victories over India and Pakistan than any other country leading up to the World Cup. They beat Pakistan, the Olympic Champions the last time they met. India's squad of sixteen, led by Ajit Pal Singh included five Sikhs, namely Baldev Singh; Harmik Singh; Kulwant Singh and Rajwinder Singh. Balbir Singh Sr was India's coach. Charan Singh of Kenya was on the Umpires panel. Both Kenya and India reached the semi-finals of the 1st World Cup but both lost their semi-final matches, India losing 1 - 2 to Pakistan and Kenya losing 0 - 1 to Spain after extra time. In the Bronze medal match Kenya lost 1 - 2 to India after extra time. Rajwinder Singh and M P Ganesh scoring for India and Avtar Singh Sohal scoring for Kenya. Sikh players scored 14 goals out of the 67 goals scored in the tournament - Rajwinder Singh scoring 3, Kulwant Singh scoring 2 and Harmik Singh scoring 1 goal for India. Kenya's Captain, Avtar Singh Sohal scored 4 goals. And Jagjit Singh Kular, Davinder Singh Deegan, Ravinder Singh Laly and Tarlochan Singh Chana scoring a goal apiece each for Kenya. India's Captain, Ajit Pal Singh, was named in the Press World X1. It is interesting to note that every journalist voted for Shahnaz and Ajit Pal Singh for the World X1 but the man who received the most votes as the player of the tournament was the brilliant Japanese goalkeeper, Otsuka. Pakistan won the World Cup, defeating Spain 1-0 in the final. The Final standings were 1. Pakistan; 2. Spain; 3. India; 4. Kenya; 5. West Germany; 6. Netherlands; 7. France; 8. Australia; 9. Japan; 10. Argentina. Next week: 2nd World Cup. Hockey in IndiaAs Published in The Navy and Army Illustrated, August 2nd, 1902. The ancient game of the hooked stick, whether it be called "hockey," "hookey," or "hawkey," has become very popular in India, and especially in the Punjab. For many years after its disappearance from England this game was continued in Ireland under the name of "hurley," and many of our more elderly Irish readers will remember with what enthusiasm the county hurling matches were carried on, and how keenly they were criticised by the onlookers. This keen criticism led to the pithy proverb that "the best hurlers are always in the ditch," which being interpreted means that those who do not take part in a game generally know more about it than those who do- an opinion held in many other games than that of "hurley". The Irish game was wild and the rules were vague. A disputed point generally led to a free fight, necessitating the interference of the priest or some other popular person in authority. Gradually then the popularity of the game died out, and even in Ireland a game which led to constant disputes became "taboo." For years one never heard of a great hockey match, until the present rules were decided upon, and the game became nearly as popular as football. It took some time, however, to spread to India, and even when we had in England several ladies' clubs, as well as men's clubs, the game was not a recognised one in our Indian Cantonments. It may be remarked, in parentheses, that polo, a game borrowed from the Persians and Indians, was at first familiarly known as "hockey on horseback," though the old game of foot-hockey was not heard of. The game of the Manipuris, the great exponents of the original pony game, was not unlike that of the modern hockey. They played on very small ponies, as Englishmen did originally, before the present galloping game of polo was recognised as the only game. The present writer remembers well when there were two games of polo at Calcutta, one on small ponies and another on those of 13-h, 2-in., which was regarded as an extreme height. The sporting Maharajah of Kuch Behar, now in London, played in both games, forwarding, as he always has done, all sorts of good sport. To hark back to hockey, which is now firmly established in most of the native regiments in India, and especially in those of the Punjab, it may be mentioned that the chief difficulty in starting it is to make the men adhere to rules. A new player thinks it very hard line to be ruled off-side or to incur a penalty by lifting his stick above the shoulder. He thinks that these "wilayati" (rules) are framed to impede the free and independent play which he loves. Very soon, however, he grasps the situation, and sees the reason of the rules, and he becomes as keen an enforcer of them as he was before a denouncer. We are told that this peculiarity is not confined to Indian players, but that a similar difficulty is found in training teams at home. The 15th Loodhiana Sikhs, whose team we show in our picture, were the winners of the last Punjab Native Army Hockey Tournament, played last Christmas at Lahore. The runners up on the occasion were the representatives of another splendid regiment- the 26th Punjab Infantry. The final game was a splendid one, and the winners secured victory by the narrow majority of one goal to love. The Loodhiana Sikhs have always been a popular regiment in the Indian Army, and any success of theirs is, for some reason not easily discernible, peculiarly acceptable to Thomas Atkins. Wherever the 15th Sikhs have been quartered there has sprung up an unusual brotherhood between them and their European brothers in arms. It was good to hear the way in which the Royal Scots Fusiliers cheered this regiment on meeting it returning from the front when the Scots themselves were going out. The Sikhs cheered back, wishing their comrades good luck, and in the two battalions there was not a face that was not smiling. The conditions of the Hockey Cup only allow of three European officers of the contending corps competing. Our picture shows that the 15th furnished its full quota. The tournament of last Christmas was only the second one in which the Native Army of the Punjab competed for the cup. The first tournament was won by the 38th Dogra's, a very distinguished regiment, of which we have published illustrations from time to time. On this first occasion the 15th Sikhs were the runners-up. The picture which we publish reached us from Hampton Court, where the representatives of the gallant 15th could no doubt tell visitors much about hockey. Canada Qualifies for Youth Olympicsby Dil Bahra
9 February 2014 Congratulations to the Canadian Youth Team who have qualified for the Youth Olympics to be held in Nanjing, China in August 2014. The squad of ten included six Sikh players and the Team Coach was also a Sikh. Well done to all. Sikh Players in the Team with shirt numbers in brackets: Balraj Panesar (Capt) (No.19); Jodhveer Singh (No. 7); Vickramjeet Sandhu (No. 9); Ganga Singh (No. 11); Arshjit Sidhu (No. 12) and Jugraj Kalkat (No. 13). Team Coach: Inderpal Sehmbi. |
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