Camp to select Punjab team for Junior National Women Hockey Championship hits row

As many as 26 players from different districts of Punjab were selected in the trials held at Jalandhar earlier this month, said a player from Amritsar. (Source: Express photo)

A camp to select Punjab team to participate in the upcoming Junior National Hockey Championship (Women) has sparked a row with a number of players selected during the trials held in Jalandhar earlier this month.

Alleging that as many as 11 players from Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University Hockey Academy at Fatehagrh Sahib were taken into the training and selection camp to finalise the team despite those players not participating in the trials.

As many as 26 players from different districts of Punjab were selected in the trials held at Jalandhar earlier this month, said a player from Amritsar.

The player was among the players asked by the authorities organising the camp to leave after 22 players including the 11 from Fatehgarh Sahib were retained for further camp, the venue of which has been shifted from Jalandhar to Fatehgarh Sahib.

“After the trials earlier this month, the camp began at Jalandhar on April 18. 11 players from Fatehgarh Sahib Academy who did not even attend the trials were taken into the camp. And we were not given enough chance to play. We were made to sit out most of the time. If this was how the team was to be selected, why the trials were held in first place,” said Navjot Kaur, a hockey player from Amritsar who plays as goalkeeper.

“Though there are 11 girls from Punjab in the 22 players retained for the remaining camp, we are being told that it would be Fatehgarh Sahib academy team only that will play in the tournament and remaining players from Punjab would be in team as spare/extra players only,” said another player from Amritsar Rajwinder Kaur, who plays at left half position.

A four-member selection committee comprising of Arjuna award winner hockey player Rajbir Kaur, Olympian Varinder Singh and noted hockey player Shashi Bala and coach Baljit Kaur had selected the probables for the camp at Jalandhar.

“I had raised an objection to the entry of 11 players in the camp without trials. Taking those players in the camp who did not participate in the trials and who we did not see playing was like insult to the selection committee,” said Rajbir Kaur.

Kaur said she was not aware that some of the players selected during the trials had been asked to leave the camp. She added that she was not informed about the same.

A players’ coach who were asked to leave the camp, while wishing anonymity, said the Fatehgarh Sahib Academy players were once Haryana players and used to train at Shahabad Hockey Academy.

The girls who were asked not to continue the camp being shifted to Fatehgarh Sahib are from Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Jalandhar, said a player who arrived at Amritsar Railway station today afternoon.

But, the Hockey Punjab justifies the selection of probables. Office secretary of Hockey Punjab Kulbir Singh Saini said all the 11 players from Fatehgarh Sahib Academy were noted players who had proved themselves in the past by winning various top notch tournaments in different age categories at different levels. “Due to some communication gap, they could not arrive for the trials, but were taken into the camp when it began,” he said, adding that the players in question had qualified to play for Punjab after due approval from Hockey India and after completing all the formalities this January. Saini said among the 11 players in question, there were those who had played for Punjab in national games in February where Punjab beat Haryana 3-1 to clinch gold. Final selection will be made two days ahead of the tournament by the selection committee, he added.

“The fact is that the Fatehgarh Sahib Academy team scored as many as eight goals on Monday against the players selected from other districts. What is all the more shocking is that one of the players who was selected in the trials had not even played for school team,” said Saini.

Hockey Punjab secretary Pargat Singh who is also MLA from Jalandhar cantonment constituency, when contacted, said “Our aim is to select players who will best represent the team.”

Source:: Indian Express