The Hindu : Sport / Hockey : It's been a `Steller' show

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Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007
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It's been a `Steller' show

S. Thyagarajan

Casas has added immensely to Veerans's cause

Chennai: As the third segment of the Premier Hockey League is all set to resume on Wednesday, it is reasonable to assume that the coaches have used the break to rework their strategies in order to inject some verve into the competition. The show so far in the 14 encounters, involving the seven contestants, has been a mixed bag.

Clearly, it is the foreign component that has lent a touch of glamour. While the sizable number of Pakistanis, headed by the mercurial Rehan Butt and the ebullient Shakeel Abbasi, have captured the attention, the contribution of the two Euro stars — Tjeerd Steller for Orissa Steelers and Albert Casas for Chennai Veerans — should also be acknowledged.

The Dutch touch

The two penalty corner goals by Steller, when they were most needed to turn the course of the contests, received spontaneous approbation. They reminded one of the Dutch ethos in this art. Stellers probably belongs to the line of stalwarts like Thies Kruize, Laul Litjens, Floris Bovelander, Bram Lomans and the current striker Taeke Takema, who have all added a new dimension to penalty corner conversions.

How far can Steller take Orissa Steelers remains a matter of conjecture as the team begins its quest to get back to the top. The best way is to forget the tempestuous tie against Sher-e-Jalandhar, sullied as it was by poor umpiring, protest and what not.

Nothing better could have happened for Chennai Veerans than the presence of Spaniard Casas. The match-winner he netted against Chandigarh Dynamos underlined the charm of the backhander that is the hallmark of Spanish stars like Eduard Tabau and Pol Amat.

The stage is set for the teams to elevate the level of competition to a different plane. The players in each squad have it in them to do this.

Distractions on umpiring infractions are needless. In any case, they do nobody any good, apart from creating bitterness and impairing the image of the sport, not only to the viewers at the venue but to the millions watching it on television.

The decision of the Indian Hockey Federation to view such aberrations seriously and slap exemplary punishment has not come a day too soon.

Even while agreeing with the general perception that the quality of supervision is below the accepted level at competitions of this magnitude, the aggressive attitude displayed by the players and the theatrics indulged in by some are condemnable.

Everything now hinges on how well the Tournament Director, Shakeel Quereshi, a renowned umpire in his heyday, seizes the initiative and marshals the umpiring resources at his command to ensure strict discipline and application of the laws on the field.

There is a feeling that the concept of a video umpire is misunderstood and misinterpreted. The best umpire is one who does not take frequent recourse to consult the third (video) umpire.

Points position: Sher-e-Jalandhar (4 games, 10 points); Orissa Steelers (4-8); Bangalore Lions (4-8); Chennai Veerans (4-6); Maratha Warriors (4-5); Hyderabad Sultans (4-3) and Chandigarh Dynamos (4-2).

Wednesday's match: Bangalore Lions v Chandigarh Dynamos (7 p.m.).

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