Junior Hockey: Maha open against Tripura

The stage is all set for the 1st Hockey India Junior National hockey championship with host Maharashtra taking on Tripura in a Pool G match soon after the formal opening ceremony at the Hockey Pitch of the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Mhalunge-Balewadi on Sunday.

On the opening day when five matches have been scheduled, Punjab takes on Puducherry in the inaugural match at 8 am with Maharashtra's match being the last engagement of the day. Jammu and Kashmir meets Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh takes on Karnataka and Jharkhand squares off with Assam in the other matches scheduled on Sunday.

Speaking at a press conference on the eve of the championship, Organising Committee Head Manish Anand said, "After so many hurdles and years of wait, junior players in the country will finally get a platform to showcase their skills and get noticed on the national scene."

Organised by Maharashtra Hockey, under the aegis of the Hockey India, the national governing body for hockey, the championship will see teams from 28 states and 625 players completing for supremacy in hockey from December 11 to 22.

Hosts Maharashtra meanwhile announced their team with Vikram Yadav handed the honour of leading the 18-member team. Mukul Pandey is coach, while Sagar Singh Thakur is manager.

The squad, initially selected included the Valmiki brothers Anup and Devendra, however the owing to Junior India camp call-ups had to be excluded from the final list. Nevertheless, the team has consistent performers in Aftab Alam, Upendra Pillay, Rajendra Ekka, Ashutosh Lingesh and Abhijit Kadam.

The state team will have orange and green as team colours with black shorts and orange socks.

Also speaking on the occasion was Hockey India Joint Secretary, Manoj Bhore, who incidentally is also Treasurer, Hockey Maharashtra explained, "This is a splendid opportunity for young players. The venue couldn't be better given that so many facilities including gymnasium, swimming pool are available within walking distance of the hockey turf."

As Tournament Organising Secretary, he added, "Our mission is to provide all the best during this tournament."

All the matches will be played during the day with group toppers making it to the quarterfinals. December 20 has been designated as Rest Day with semi-finals slated for December 21 and the final and third-place match on December 22.

The National Egg Co-ordination Committee (NECC) and Sanjay Kakade Group are the main sponsors of the championship. Maharashtra Natural Gas Limited (MGNL), Narmada Water, Sancheti Hospital and Maharashtra Uttar Bharatiya Ekta Manch are other sponsors on board.

Balaji Rao of Venky's and Sanjay Kakade will grace the opening ceremony along with India's promising hockey star Yuvraj Valmiki and Pune's very own Vikram Pillay. The opening ceremony is slated for 3.45 p.m.

Chief National coach Michael Nobbs, who has returned from South Africa where Indian national team performed fantastically by reaching the final of the Champions Challenge Hockey tournament in Johannesburg, has agreed to watch the action live from quarterfinals onwards.

Rekha Bhide, President Maharashtra Hockey said: "His presence will give a tremendous boost in inspiring the young players to perform up to their potential as Michael Nobbs will take a few days off from the National camp for Olympic Qualifier that is now scheduled at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi, and watch the youngsters perform here."

Teams from Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry, Kerala, Tripura, Tamil Nadu, Uttrakhand, Punjab and Manipur have already arrived in the city for the championship.

Maharashtra Team: Abhijit Kadam, Akash Chikte, Rajendra Ekka, Harjeet Singh, Anand Rai, Boynoa Singh, Vinay Shukla, Razik Shaikh, Vikram Yadav (Capt.), Anup Valmiki, Shivakumar Renjarla, Ashish Chetty, Paras Gupta, Nitin Kumar, Upendra Pillay, Ankur Patel, Devendra Valmiki, Reuben Kedari.