MOCKERY: 20 mins and match is over!

DSO schedules 16 matches in one day

NAGPUR, Oct 13
By Paritosh Pramanik

MATCH duration is 30 minutes. Ten minutes and it’s half-time. Second half begins, as the stopwatch shows 20 minutes the umpire blows the final hooter. The match is over! Budding hockey players leave the field bewildered, looking at their coach (school PTI) asking “Is that all we waited for more than three hours”?
Welcome to District Sports Office (DSO) organised inter-school hockey tournament under way at Dr Ambedkar College ground. The tournament is nothing but a formality. It hardly matters to the officials whether it is played according to rules and for full duration.
On Wednesday, a whopping 16 matches in different age groups were scheduled on only one ground. Officials were told to complete all matches. No postponement for the next day. The helpless umpires and technical officer were forced to reduce the duration of play.
According to sports incharge of one of the schools his team arrived for his match in the afternoon but had to wait for hours.
“We waited for hours for our match. In the end the players got only 20 minutes to play (10 minutes each half). Why does DSO conduct tournaments when they don’t have time,” asked the PTI.
One of the umpires officiating the match said, “Even though we arrive for our match on time DSO does not pay us if the match is a walkover. We are paid a paltry Rs 25 per one completed match.”
“The PTIs call us and request to postpone their match for an hour as students have to appear for examinations. We have instructions from DSO that no team should be given walkover. The match has to be completed even if it is played two hours late,” said one official.
Hockey Incharge of DSO Dilip Itankar first denied that 16 matches were scheduled for a day. But he had to accept the fact when this scribe told him that he had in possession the match schedule.
“Past experience shows that most of the matches do not take place (walkovers). We had an idea that all teams would not come hence these many matches were scheduled.
“The divisional meet is to be held in Wardha from 16th and we have to complete the fixtures,” said Itankar.
According to DSO schedule, there is no half-time break for a match. If a match starts at 9 am, then the second match is scheduled for 9.30 am. Itankar failed to convince how a match could be scheduled immediately after completion of the earlier match. “It gets adjusted,” was his unconvincing reply.