ICF champions

Chennai: A brace each from R. Ashok Kumar and E. Charles helped ICF down Southern Railway 4-1 in the final of the D.S. Rajamanickam memorial 1st state level hockey tournament here on Sunday. More than the '1 lakh prize money, what must have tasted sweeter for ICF was the fact that the title was their first in Chennai in many years. Even coach R. Suresh Babu doesn’t remember ICF’s last title on Chennai soil or astro-turf.

ICF grabbed the lead in the sixth minute when the strapping fullback R. Ashok Kumar converted his team’s first penalty corner with a low drive. He was at it again soon with a carbon copy of his productive first attempt. 

Railway coach C.R. Kumar reacted by replacing his goalkeeper P. Naveen Kumar with M.G. Suresh. But the change failed to prevent ICF from taking a 3-0 lead. And, it was the best goal of the evening. Charles steered in Shyam Kumar’s perceptive long pass from the left  with aplomb. The half-time buzzer that followed the fine goal must have provided a respite for the poor Railway team.

Upon resumption, Charles continued from where he left off with a similar goal he had scored at the other end. The match was effectively over in the 55th minute. N. Suresh pulled one back five minutes from time and it was nothing more a consolation goal. Railway lacked a cutting edge up front. And, both teams were short of artistry in midfield. 

The score line was an accurate reflection of ICF’s clinical performance. But the quality of the match between the two sworn rivals was a far cry from the days of yore. The standards have plumbed the very depths of ineptitude. Railway legend V.J. Philip was in attendance and his mind must have wandered to the days when the Railway derby was the pick of local matches. The grand stand was full of fans on Sunday and they did not get to enjoy a riveting contest.  

Suresh Babu said his boys had been confident of winning the title. “They were more confident than I was because they had beaten Railway 7-3 in the senior division league. Our goalkeeper Udaya Kumar was outstanding today. He saved two or three certain goals in the first half. Taking a 2-0 lead early in the match put us in a strong position,” he added.

All teams were unanimous in their praise of S.R. Baaskaran who organised the tournament in memory of his father. The cash prizes given away were the highest for a state level tournament in Chennai. Southern Railway were richer by '60,000 and Income Tax, who finished third, took home '40,000. The trophies were splendid as well.

Results: Final: ICF 4 (Ashok Kumar 6, 15; Charles 33, 55) bt Southern Railway 1 (Suresh 65). 3rd place: Income Tax 3 (Muthu Krishnan, Selvakumar, Sivamani) bt Wesley HC 1 (Dinesh Babu). 

Special awards (each worth Rs 5,000): Best goalkeeper: Bharani Raja (Wesley). Best centre-halves: Sathish Kumar (Loyola) and Meghanathan (Income Tax). Best player: Shyam Kumar (ICF). Up-and-coming players (each one was awarded a bicycle): Shabaz and Rahman (St. Paul’s). Albert John (Wesley).