Bhopal: All-India Civil Services Hockey tournament begins

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): MP Secretariat team on Wednesday defeated Gujarat by 13-0 and RSB Indore defeated RSB Ahmedabad by 5-1 in the All-India Civil Services Hockey Tournament that began at Major Dhyan Chand Hockey Stadium on Tuesday.

The most intriguing match of the day was between RSB Chennai and Central Secretariat, where the outcome hinged on the outcome of the final shootout, which Central Secretariat won by 5-4.

All India civil services men and women’s tournaments will continue till June 30.

Twenty nine teams comprising 24 men and 5 women teams will compete in the competition.

On June 19, the MP Secretariat team was declared. Amrit Kumar Kiro, a former international hockey player, is also playing for the men's team. The men's team coach is Rehan Khan, while the manager is Moin Uddin Qureshi.

“All team members are unique. We have three to four new players, so we have yet to see their game in the tournament,” said coach Rehan Khan. The Madhya Pradesh women's game in this league will take place at 9 am tomorrow.

MP praised

Former Hockey Olympian Sameer Dad was also present at the stadium during the tournament. He appreciated the way hockey is growing in the country. Former hockey player said, “I am certain that we will get many star players like Vivek Sagar from MP to represent India in future”.

He also praised the CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Minister of Sports and Youth Welfare Yashodhara Raje Scindia for felicitating hockey players in the state. He said that it felt good to see that the players were being appreciated in every manner.