Hockey hotbed lives up to its billing

Orissa has had a knack of producing some of the best talents in hockey. The Michael Kindos, the Tirkeys, the likes of William Xalco, junior national Sunil and Amardeep Ekka… the list goes on and on.

One of the powerhouses of hockey in recent times, a lot has gone into the development of the ‘dying’ sport in Orissa. The Panposh Sports hostel is one such development centre. Based in Rourkela, the hockey centre provides free training and stay to 101 male and female players.

“Hockey is a part of our lives,” says KC Choudhary, one of the coaches at Panposh. “We have produced enough role models to ensure that the trend will pass on from one generation to the other.”

On Friday, Panposh put up a wonderful display of traditional Indian hockey. The swift movement of their players, smart dribbling and effortless finishing against Lucknow United was a delight to watch for the scattered crowd at the 47th Bombay Gold Cup. Their 8-3 thrashing of Lucknow asserted their supremacy in that match and left their rivals in a state of shock.

What makes their performance more commendable is the fact that the team arrived in the city just hours before their match. “It was not easy for the boys to take the field immediately after spending two nights in train. But they are a tough lot,” said Choudhary.

One of the leaders of the tough lot has been Dilip Tirkey, who is a product of this academy. “He has made all the tribal players proud with his achievements. The best thing about him is that he is a very level headed person, perhaps that’s the reason he is such a good defender,” Choudhary, who has traced Tirkey’s progress since his childhood, said.

“We admit a child in our academy based only on his natural fitness. Their skills can be polished as they play but fitness is the key,” Choudhary said of the Panposh academy. At Rs75 per day per person, the centre, managed by the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs (Orissa), takes care of the diet of each individual and their education.
Proud of the sons of their soil, who also are a result of this academy, Choudhary says the incentive to get a proper job and earn respectful living is drawing more people to hockey in Orissa.

As is the state of most hockey teams in the country, they do not have a sponsor but that does not bother them much.
“We tried to get a sponsor but our efforts did not pay off. But it’s ok. We are happy with what we have and look forward to play same exciting hockey and beat tougher opponents here,” Choudhary said.
Result
Western Rly bt MS Police 5-3 via tie-breaker (FT: 1-1); Panposh XI, Orissa 8 bt Lucknow United 3; Indian Navy bt Mumbai Customs 10-9 via tie-breaker (FT: 2-2).