NEW DELHI, May 1: It was vintage hockey at the Shivaji Stadium on Friday evening. Olympians Zafar Iqbal, Ashok Kumar, Romeo James, Gundeep Kumar and several internationals, including Sukhdev Singh, Sudhir (Junior India), Amarjeet Singh, Jaspal Katoch (Junior India), Surinder Singh, Kishan Singh, Harinder Singh, Wazir Chand and Amardeep Singh, were back on the hockey field. The occasion: final of veterans' tournament held as a prelude to team's selection for the World Masters (above 35) to be held in Utretch, simultaneously along with the men's and women's World Cup later this month. Although Zafar, one of the best left-wingers the country had produced in the last two decades, was only a shade of his old self, the veteran did show glimpses of his touch when he dangerously moved towards the goal. Romeo James came up with some brilliant saves but could not contain the more energetic-looking Punjab team. For the record, Punjab beat Delhi 5-1 after leading 3-1 at the interval. Punjab skipper Gundeep Kumar scored three of the goals while Narinder Singh and Kishan (penalty corner) scored once each.For Delhi, D S Negi scored their only goal, a minute after Punjab had taken the lead in the 10th minute. The final team for the Masters tournament will be announced in a couple of days. About 30 nations are expected to participate. Zafar Iqbal termed the tournament as a ``welcome attempt to keep old players in good shape.''
