Punjab ready for National Hockey championship

Chandigarh, Oct 15 (UNI) Fifteen matches are billed on the opening day of the Dainik Bhaskar-Tracers 62nd National Hockey Championship for the Rangaswamy Trophy to be hosted by the Punjab Hockey Association (PHA) from October 20 to November 3.

Punjab is hosting this prestigious championship after a gap of 25 years.

Addressing a press conference here today, PHA president and Director General of Police (DGP) S S Virk said as a large number of teams were staking their claim for the top honours, the matches would be played at Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Amritsar and Bhaini Sahib.

Besides, 14 associate team would play qualifying matches in New Delhi from October 20 to 24.

Mr Virk said that Senior National Championship would provide a platform to the players to impress upon the National selectors.

''The Indian team for the coming Doha Asian Games is expected to be announced after the 62nd Nationals,'' the PHA chief and organising secretary Hardeep Singh Dhillon said.

Thirty seven affiliated states are taking part in the championship. The teams have been divided into eight groups.

In the first phase the matches will be played on league bases.

The winners and runners-up of each pool will qualify for the knockout stage. Eight teams from the knockout stage would make it to the super league.

The winners of each group from the Associate Members who will be playing in Delhi, will join the super league to be conducted from October 28 to 31. The winners of each pool will then qualify for the semi-finals to be played on November 2. The match for the third and fourth places and final will be held on November 3.

Meanwhile, international umpire Kukoo Walia has been appointed technical director of the tournament.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh will inaugurate the tournament.

Groupings and venues: --------------------------- Pool A at Jalandhar: Punjab, Universities, Maharashtra, Bihar, Chattisgarh.

Pool B at Amristar: Railways, Andhra Pradesh, Andeman and Nicobar, Patiala, Pondicherry.

Pool C at Jalandhar: Karnataka, Mumbai, Manipur, Vidharbha and Madhya Pradesh.

Pool D at Amritsar: Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Orissa, Madhya Bharat, Uttranchal.

Pool E at Bhani Sahib: Indian Airlines, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland.

Pool F at Ludhiana: Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Bhopal.

Pool G at Bhaini Sahib: Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Tripur.

Pool H at Ludhiana: Services, Kerala, Haryana and Mizoram.

Associate Members Qualifying matches to be played in New Delhi from October 20 to 24: Pool A: Punjab and Sind Bank, Central Industrial Security Force, Customs.

Pool B: Air India, Border Security Force, Food Corporation of India, All Inida Electricity Board.

Pool C: Namdhari XI, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Sports Authority of India.

Pool D: Indian Oil Corporation, Steel Authority of India and Postal.

UNI XC-HS AY KP1850