By Olympic Gold Medallist M. N. Masood
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Visit to Switzerland | We said good-bye to our friend,
Karal Gause, who had been with us as the representative of the
German Hockey Association ever since we left Berlin.
Like all Germans, he was very conscientious in the discharge of his duty. He helped us also in our little love affairs, which were by no means few, and translated for us letters into English received from girlfriends. We were sorry to miss his genial company. |
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arrived in Zurich after midnight, and met Mr. Jagannath at the station. He had
left us in London and had come to Zurich by way of Paris. We walked to the hotel
St. Peter, and after a light supper went to sleep.
India 5 - Eastern Swiss Xl 1
India played against an Eastern Swiss XI at Zurich at noon on 15th September, and some of the heavy sleepers in the team found the hour inconvenient.
The match was arranged at this unusual hour to enable the citizens to see the match during their lunch interval. However, the smallest crowd so far, in fact only a few in number, watched India play her first ever match in Switzerland. India had never played here in any of the previous tours.
The stands were empty, the ground unchalked and unmown. Our players gave a very indifferent display of hockey. None of them was, however, in the mood to play before empty stands.
India won 5-1, and the result is a true index of the run of the game. Roop netted twice, and Cullen, Dhyan and Fernandes once each.
The Indian team was as follows: Allen; Phillips and Mohammad Hussain; Nimal, Cullen and Gallibardy; Ahmad Sher Khan, Jaffar, Dhyan Chand, Roop Singh and Peter Fernandes.
After the game we returned to the hotel, took a hasty lunch, walked to the station and left Zurich in the afternoon for Geneva.
We arrived in Geneva on 16th September at 7:00 pm, and put up in Hotel de Geneve, a few minutes walk from the station. The next day it was cloudy, and we made a tour of the town and visited the buildings of the League of the Nations.
India 12 – Switzerland 0
India played her last fixture of her European tour on 17th September at 9:00 pm in a covered hall under electric lights. It was a gravel ground, and hence very fast and suited to our style of play, specially to the dribblers amongst us.
In length, it was equal to an open ground, but in breadth, about five yards shorter. The attendance was fair, and could not be larger as the Swiss do not appear to have any liking for hockey. In fact, it appeared as if they have an apathy for all kinds of sports except ice-sports.
The Swiss hockey players are inferior to the Germans in technique of the game, and do not play with the same determination as their neighbours.
The electric lights did not make any appreciable difference in our play; and dribbling and short passes were fully utilised. Dhyan scored five goals, Roop four, Emmett two and Tapsell one.
The Indian team was as follows: Mtichie; Tapsell and Mohammad Hussain; Nimal, Cullen and Gallibardy; Shahabuddin, Emmett, Dhyan Chand, Roop Singh and Jaffar.
The next morning at nine, we left Geneva for Marseilles and said goodbye to our friend, Karal Gause, who had been with us as the representative of the German Hockey Association ever since we left Berlin for the first time on 17th August.
He was a modest young man, and had a peculiar way of speech which was at once friendly and humorous. Like all Germans, he was very conscientious in the discharge of his duty - that of helping the Managers in the conduct of the tour and looking after the team.
He helped us also in our little love affairs, which were by no means few, and translated for us letters into English received from girlfriends. We were sorry to miss his genial company.
On a sight-seeing trip in a Char-a-banc