BHOPAL, 15 June — National champions Indian Airlines added one more feather in their cap when they annexed 9th All India Akbar Rafiq hockey tournament title here at the historical Aishbagh Stadium.
In a one-sided summit clash which did not rise to dizzy heights airmen trounced Punjab and Sind Bank Academy, Jallandhur 4-0. The winners gave no leeway to their opponents and virtually the entire game was played in the PSBA territory. In fact it was experience which triumphed over youth.
Star-studded Indian Airlines, with half a dozen present and past Olympians and a host of International players in their ranks, were in full flow from the word go and their penalty corner conversion was also of highest order today when they made good use of two out of three awarded to them. The airmen went one-up in the very first minute of the match when International Rajnish Mishra converted the first penalty corner with a stinging shot.
In the 17th minute Olympian Muhammad Riaz worked up on the right flank and centered the ball. International Virender trapped the ball on the left side in the circle and fired home to the glee of his teammates. With scoreline reading 2-0 in favor of Airlines the teams trooped out for lemon-break. After change of ends Virender completed his brace five minutes into the second half when he found the target in an indirect conversion of the third penalty corner earned by the Airlines team to cement the lead to 3-0. Olympian Brojen Singh rounded off the tally in the 57th minute with a field goal (4-0).
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh distributed the prizes to the winners and runners-up teams. The players of both the teams were presented golden chain as individual prizes. Indian Coach Factory, Chennai team, one of the losing semifinalists, received the best disciplined team of the tournament award. Rajnish Mishra of Indian Airlines was adjudged as the best right back of the tournament.
Meanwhile, the versatile Indian hockey player Padamshree Dhanraj Pillay, a three time Olympian, and former Olympian Inam ur-Rahman, were felicitated on the occasion by the chief minister on the occasion on behalf of the organizers. Qamar Pasha, a veteran hockey player of yesteryears popularly known as “Qamar Ustad” was also felicitated on the occasion and presented rupees 10,000 in cash with a shawl.
