The PSO Super Hockey League kicked off at the Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi with a rousing match between Baloch Lions and Sindh Qalanders. Both teams displayed fine attacking hockey with the game swinging from end to end at blistering pace. A plethora of chances at both goals almost throughout the 70 minutes of open play had the crowd on the edge of their seats till the very end.Finally the Lions came off victorious 3-2 but they owe a lot to an outstanding performance under the bar by Adrian D’Souza who pulled off a series of outstanding saves. Captain Shakeel Abassi also was a constant thorn in the side of the Qalanders defense and scooped the Man of the Match award.As for my team, the Frontier Falcons, we went down to Shan-e-Punjab 1-4 in the day’s second match. I was really disappointed because the score line was a poor reflection of the way we played overall. We wasted 10 penalty corners and innumerable field opportunities and were punished in the end. Salman Akber in the Punjab goal again proved why he is rated one of the top goalkeepers in the world and he was rightly adjudged Man of the Match.Although both the matches were fast and exciting, I think the hockey on display was also a bit patchy at times as players struggled to strike a rhythm and understanding amongst themselves. Probably just two days of training and a few meetings to get to know each other isn’t the ideal preparation for a tournament of this stature. But we have to make the most of this opportunity and I’m sure that, in the matches to come, the players will definitely turn on the style.The matches were preceded by a short but colorful opening ceremony. Thankfully, there were no long speeches as is normally the case with events like this in India and Pakistan. Although there was a decent crowd for the opening ceremony and the first match, it was a bit disappointing to see the fans thinning out considerably for the second match. I think the late start at 9.30pm isn’t helping matters too much in that regard. But I’m hoping that the crowds will come in large numbers as the tournament progresses because for a player there is no better feeling than soaking in the appreciation of the fans for his skills and efforts.Finally, two heartening stories from back home. First, its wonderful that the IHF has taken the initiative to send four of our very talented junior players — V.S. Vinay, Raja, Nitin Kumar and Sandeep Singh — for a stint in the leagues in Spain and Holland. These leagues are highly competitive and I’m sure their European experience will benefit them immensely. I hope more young players get the chance to go abroad and learn something new.The second piece of good news is the return of Jugraj Singh to the Indian training camp. He has been really brave to make it back so far after his horrific accident and I honestly feel that proper planning and training aside, the Indian hockey team needs the spirit and commitment of 16 Jugraj Singhs if we want to have any chance of winning a medal in a major tournament.Gagan Ajit steals the showKARACHI: Gagan Ajit Singh stole the show with a superb display of hockey but his brilliance could not save Capital Dynamos from a 1-2 defeat against Northern Cavaliers.Gagan Ajit, who was adjudged the man-of-the-match, scored in the 15th minute after Pakistan striker Rehan Butt put Cavaliers ahead in the 10th minute from an indirect penalty corner. The Indian dodged past three defenders and put the ball on top of the net with a reverse flick from top of the circle to put Dynamos on even terms at the Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium.
