Player hunt for junior team underway

PHF look to ‘groom’ younger talent after national hockey event.

KARACHI:

The newly appointed selection committee by the Pakistan Hockey Federation is on a talent hunt at the ongoing 33rd National Junior Hockey Championship being played at the Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium in Karachi. After the tournament, the committee will hold open trials for the youth and the junior team on May 22.

“We are watching the players’ performances and will select the names to be included in the junior pool by the end of the tournament,” said chief selector Islahuddin Siddiqui, while talking to The Express Tribune.

“The talent is there but there is a need for grooming. After the selection, they will be trained at the camps for the 2016 Junior Hockey World Cup.”

“Like the senior team, the junior team will consist of a large pool of players which will indefinitely turn out better for the national team in the upcoming championship,” he added.

Explaining the selection criteria, Siddiqui said: “Our focus is on the physical fitness and performance of the players.

“These players are good enough to be selected as juniors for now as they are not up to the level of the senior team, but I assure the nation that within a year we will produce higher quality teams for both categories.”

Meanwhile, four matches concluded at the fourth play-day of the championship on Sunday in which Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), Islamabad, Wapda and PIA conjured up victories.

Army’s Adnan Khalid scored in the 21st and 31st minute to give his team the lead against K-P as they entered the fourth half. But Hamza Sajid and a late equaliser by Atif levelled the scores as the match went into penalty shootouts — K-P won by 7-5.

In the second match, the Islamabad lads outshined Sindh C 3-1, while Wapda carved out a 7-0 thumping of an inexperienced Balochistan side in the third match. PIA had to struggle hard in the last match of the day against Punjab W, which they ultimately won 3-1.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19^th, 2014.

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