The World's Hockey Champions 1936

By Olympic Gold Medallist M. N. Masood

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Berlin and Bremen				We were received by a big crowd at the station platform. There was a still bigger crowd outside the station, and we had to be guarded by a cordon of volunteers who led us to a waiting bus through a raving crowd which wanted to snatch us away and tear us piece-meal to satisfy their curiosity. Mr. Gupta informed us later that never before had an Indian sports team been received by so many enthusiasts at a station abroad.
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e arrived in Berlin at 10:50 pm on 25th August. We were once more in Berlin, but not the Berlin of the XIth Olympiad. It had now settled down to its former routine, putting aside its gay appearance and the countless Nazi flags and flags of different nations. We put up in Hotel Russicher Hof, one of the best in the city.

The following evening we started in a char-a-banc for the Hockey Stadium, where India won her title of the 'World Champion' eleven days previously. The Hockey Stadium was full to its capacity and some of the enthusiasts had to go away for want of accommodation. Once more we felt the atmosphere of the Olympic Games in this stadium.

India 3 – Berlin 3

India played her fifth match of the tour against Berlin on 26th August at 6:00 pm, which resulted in a 3-3 draw. It was a very interesting game, full of excitement and thrills from beginning to end, taking the crowd several times to its feet by its unexpectedness.

The Berliners took the lead in the first few minutes and kept it till the interval. India equalized soon after it, but again the local champions led.

India took some time to equalise but the Berliners were not to be refused and soon after the second equaliser, added another goal and determined to keep this score of 3-2 in their favour to the finish.

And they almost succeeded in their determination for India could score the third equaliser only in the last second and managed to draw the game.

India took the field with her keenness for hockey deadened after the Olympic Games, her players inclined more to spectacular play than effective play, and physically weak by travelling and keeping late nights.

India lost her concerted attacks, and in her eagerness to score equalisers said goodbye to combination and compactness of the game. Individual efforts were relied upon, and the science of the game sacrificed recklessly at the altar of selfishness.

Three equalisers came in this way, but the unscientific tactics adopted by us gave a moral victory to the Berliners and left India with her confidence in herself shaken very badly.

The Indian team was as follows: Allen; Tapsell and Mohammad Hussain; Cullen, Masood and Gallibardy; Shahabuddin, Jaffar, Dhyan Chand, Roop Singh and Peter Fernandes.

The Indian Students Union in Berlin invited us to dinner after the game. A bronze medal with the inscription ‘Fine Play’ and the insignia of the Olympic Games was presented to each of us by the union.

We left Berlin at 1:00 pm on 27th for Konigsberg.

Konigsberg

We arrived in Konigsberg, the capital of Eastern Prussia, at 8:44 pm on 27th August and were received by a big crowd at the station platform.

There was a still bigger crowd outside the station, and we had to be guarded by a cordon of volunteers who led us to a waiting bus through a raving crowd which wanted to snatch us away and tear us piece-meal to satisfy their curiosity.

Mr. Gupta informed us later that never before had an Indian sports team been received by so many enthusiasts at a station abroad.

There appeared to be three reasons for this great outburst. Firstly, Konigsberg had never been visited by any foreign sports team, secondly, the people of Konigsberg had never seen a group of Indians in their town, and thirdly, we were the proud possessors of the Olympic gold medal, which by itself was sufficient to stimulate curiosity and interest in many a German.

At Hotel Nordbahnhof, another crowd of autograph hunters confronted us, but we were rushed to the dining room and the hotel door was closed. Still some of the more daring made their way somehow to the dining room, and were peeping through its glass doors.

There was not much to be seen in Konigsberg on the next day when we went out for sightseeing. The College of National Economy, the Opera House where Richard Wagner was the conductor and the Konigsberg Castle were the places visited by us.

Konigsberg is the birth-place of Kant, the greatest of German philosophers. He lived and died here, and we visited his monument and burial place, both of which are very simple in design and architecture.

The Mayor received us at the town hall where we had our lunch. In a short speech, he welcomed us and presented each of us with a piece of amber inscribed with the coat-of-arms of the town, in remembrance of our short visit to the historical capital of Eastern Prussia.

India 5 – Konigsberg 0

India played her sixth match of the tour on 28th August at 6:00 pm in an open ground situated in picturesque surroundings. As was expected, a very big crowd was present to see the world champions in action.

India gave a very indifferent display. The ground was to her liking and the opponents, awed by the occasion, played a soft game. A win by a dozen goals would not have been very flattering, but a goalless draw in the first half of the game and a score of 5-0 in the second one is very poor achievement for the Indian team.

The exchanges were slightly in favour of the local team till the interval, which was shaping itself more of a combined side than its famous opponents.

After the interval, India showed her superiority and scored goals through Emmett (2), Jaffar (1), Ahmad Sher Khan (1) and Cullen (1).

A goal or two to the Konigsberg boys for their untiring efforts would have been a truer index of the run of play.

The Indian team was as follows: Mitchie, Phillips and Mohammad Hussain; Nimal, Cullen and Gurcharan Singh; Ahmad Sher Khan, Jaffar, Emmett, Roop Singh and Peter Fernandes.

We left Konigsberg the same evening at 10:38 pm for Bremen. Sleepers were provided for us for the night, and we slept soundly.

We arrived in Bremen on 29th August at 1:40 pm, after a halt of about half an hour at Berlin where we took our breakfast. We put up in Hofel Europaiseherhof in Bremen.

India 5 – Bremen 1

India played her seventh match of the tour against Bremen on 30th August at 11:00 am in an open ground which was slightly slippery. The crowd which attended was the smallest so far, and this was a great contrast in regard to enthusiasm for hockey with the Konigsberg people.

India gave another very indifferent display of hockey. The Bremen side was by no means strong, only its defence tackled our spectacular forwards very determinedly. It may be of interest to note that our forwards actually came inside the striking area 67 times in a play of 70 minutes, and succeeded in scoring only five goals - Jaffar (2), Roop (1), Peter (1) and Shahabuddin (1).

To score only 5 times in 67 attacks either gives an impression of a very sound opposing defence or shows lack of understanding, combination or cohesion in India's forwards.

The full backs were more of spectators than players on the field. Allen was caught sleeping and the Bremen side scored their only goal in the second half of the game.

The Indian team was as follows: Allen; Tapsell and Gurcharan Singh; Nimal, Cullen and Gallibardy; Shahabuddin, Jaffar, Emmett, Roop Singh and Peter Fernandes.

The Mayor welcomed us in the ground before the game, and after the game presented each of us with a bronze medal engraved with an effigy of Roland, their famous warrior whose statue stands in the market place of Bremen and is the emblem of the city.

In the evening, we were invited to tea and dance in the Bremen club. An oil painting showing a beautiful hot-house in Bremen was presented to the team by the president of the Association.

We were not taken on any sight-seeing excursion and left Bremen at 1:51 pm on 31st August for Hamburg as quietly as we arrived there.

1936 Berlin Olympic Games Poster