GOAL!

Autobiography of Hockey Wizard Dhyan Chand
Published by Sport & Pastime, Chennai, 1952

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Selection Intrigues				Jaipal Singh was then back home from Oxford, and had joined a firm in Kolkata. He was participating actively in hockey, and was the captain of the Mohun Bagan team. But Jaipal was not included in the Bengal team, despite him being much better than Brendish. Being intimately familiar with Bengal hockey, I knew why Jaipal was excluded. For years, Indians had very little say in the affairs of the Bengal Hockey Association.
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hen any historian attempts to chronicle the early days of Indian hockey, it is only fair to acknowledge the debt of gratitude to the Bengal Hockey Association (BHA). It is not that I want to disburse bouquets to Bengal, but I would like the truth to be known.

I have already mentioned that back in 1928, the inter-provincial tournament was held in Kolkata, and was a financial success, but for which India would not have visited Amsterdam.

In 1932, once again the IHF asked BHA to undertake the responsibility of staging the inter-provincial hockey tournament, and raise funds for the tour. No other province came forward to shoulder the responsibility. Bengal contributed more than Rs. 21,000 towards the cost of the Olympic tour, which was a lot of money in those days.

In the 1932 tournament in Kolkata, 10 provincial associations participated, as against 5 in 1928 and 4 in 1930. Two other associations - Bundelkhand and Manavadar - wanted to take part, but that situation was tactfully handled by the IHF authorities.

Although Jhansi is geographically situated in the United Provinces (UP), the local region is known as Bundelkhand. The Bundelkhand Hockey Association, now extinct, applied to the IHF for direct affiliation. This was rightly resented by the UP Hockey Association.

Similarly, Manavdar also applied for direct affiliation, with the Nawab of Manavdar showing interest in hockey. Being a ruler, no one wanted to earn his wrath by disappointing him.

Both requests for affiliation were refused, and the IHF decided not to include these two teams in the inter-provincial tournament. Thus baulked, Bundelkhand Hockey Association barred members of the Jhansi Heroes from playing for UP. A serious split was in sight. The IHF was in a predicament.

IHF president A. M. Hayman saved the situation by suggesting a compromise. The Bundelkhand and Manavdar teams would play in an exhibition match that would not form part of the inter-provincial tournament, but would be considered official for the purposes of selecting the Olympic team.

Earlier Bundelkhand had refused to allow Roop Singh of Jhansi Heroes to play for UP, but with the compromise, Roop played for both teams and was selected for the Olympic team from UP.

I will briefly narrate the course of the 1932 inter-provincial tournament. Even though I was not a participant, for the purposes of historical continuity I feel I should do so.

The ten teams that took part in the 1932 inter-provincials were Bengal, Sindh, Delhi, Gwalior, Mumbai, Rajputana, United Provinces, Bihar & Orissa, Punjab and Railways. Punjab beat Bengal 2-0 in the final to win the championship. In the exhibition match, Manavadar beat Bundelkhand 3-1.

After the inter-provincial tournament, two trial matches were held to select the Olympic team. In the first, the Provisional Olympic team beat Railways 5-1. The next match was between Probables and Possibles, with the former winning 3-0.

After these fixtures, the Olympic team for Los Angeles was selected. The selection committee comprised one representative from each of the participating team in the inter-provincial. The selection was made by voting, and the team was as follows:

Goalkeeper: Richard J. Allen (Bengal), A. C. Hind (Punjab)

Backs: C. Tapsell (Bengal), L. C. Hammond (UP), S. Aslam (Punjab)

Half-Backs: F. Brewin (Mumbai), S. Lal Shah Bokhari (Punjab - captain), Masud Minhas (Punjab), E. C. Pinniger (Punjab)

Forwards: R. J. Carr (Railways), Gurmeet Singh (Punjab), Dhyan Chand (Army), Roop Singh (UP), Syed Mohammad Jaffar (Punjab), W. P. Sullivan (Mumbai)

There was some dissatisfaction when the names were announced. Bengal felt that seven players from Punjab were too many. Nestor, Henderson, Frank Wells, Shaukat Ali and Seaman were all strong candidates for inclusion from Bengal. When the selectors chose only Allen and Tapsell from Bengal, naturally there was considerable agitation in the Kolkata press.

I also felt that there were players in Kolkata whose rightful inclusion in the team was ignored. I will quote just one example.

Jaipal Singh was then back home from Oxford, and had joined a firm in Kolkata. He was participating actively in hockey, and was the captain of the Mohun Bagan team. But Jaipal was not included in the Bengal team, despite him being much better than Brendish who played left-back for the Bengal team.

Being intimately familiar with Bengal hockey, I knew why Jaipal was excluded. For years, Indians had very little say in the affairs of the Bengal Hockey Association.

Johnny Pinto of Mumbai was a great player, and he had my sympathies for his non-inclusion. The selectors preferred Roop Singh to Johnny Pinto, but I would have been happy if both had been included.

Of my 1928 colleagues, Allen, Shaukat Ali, Kher Singh, Feroze Khan, Gateley, Pinniger and Hammond fought for places in the 1932 team, but only Allen, Pinniger and Hammond were lucky.

Lal Shah Bokhari was chosen the captain. Let me tell you something about Lal Shah. He, I understand, is presently holding an important position in the External Affairs department of the Pakistan government in Karachi. I have heard that he has taken up a diplomatic appointment somewhere in Saudi Arabia. He was a Punjab civil service man, and at the time of partition he was the president of the Delhi Hockey Association and also held a post in the Haj Pilgrim department in Delhi. On partition he opted for Pakistan. He was a grand teammate and a great leader. I had a very fine time with Lalji during our round-the-world trip in 1932, though I have lost touch with him since our return from Los Angeles.

I heard that Eric Pinniger, who was still the best centre-half in the hockey world, and who captained India towards the end of the 1928 Olympics, expected to be chosen as captain. It was reported in the press that Eric had declined to make the trip when he was not made the captain. Later I learnt that Charles Newham, one of the founding officials of the Punjab Hockey Association, and then on the staff of the Lucknow-based newspaper Pioneer, successfully persuaded Eric to revise his decision.

Finally, Mr. G. D. Sondhi, who was then a professor at the Government College, Lahore, and Honorary Secretary of the Indian Olympic Association, was appointed as our manager. During the entire tour, Sondhi (and his wife) travelled separately, stayed separately, and finally left us in Europe. We could not have the advantage of Sondhi's company as often as we wished, though it must be said to his credit that he represented India ably in all social functions.

The 1932 Indian Olympic Hockey Team