Jagjit Club win hockey tourney

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, September 20

Jagjit Club (Uplina) beat Bikram Club (Baramulla) by 6-2 in the finals of the 2nd Kashmir Open Hockey Tournament played at Polo Ground here on Thursday.

The tournament was held with an aim to promote hockey in the Valley, said a spokesman of the Kashmir Hockey Academy (KHA).

The KHA organised the tournament with the support of J&K State Sports Council. It was sponsored by Greenend Corps and co-sponsored by Jio & Rajinder Enterprises.

Sixteen teams of the Valley participated in the tournament, which commenced on September 4.

SS Kotwal, Commandant, 6th Battalion, IRP; Anand Singh, Commanding Officer, 21st Battalion, CRPF; Haji Abdul Qayoom, Chief Sports Officer; and Nuzat Ara, Divisional Sports Officer; were present on the occasion.

Hardeep Singh of Jagjit Club was declared man of the match for scoring three goals. The man of the tournament award was given to Gurdeep Singh, also from Jagjit Club.

Even as the players welcomed the revival of hockey, they rued lack of proper infrastructure for the promotion of the national sport.

“The main motive behind organising the tournament was to promote the ailing sport in the state, especially in the Valley, and to boost young talented players. While the players appreciated the efforts of the KHA to give talented players a platform to showcase their skills, the lack of infrastructure remains a pressing issue,” said a player wishing anonymity.