AJINKYANS 1998 BATCH - HOCKEY CHAMPS

1996 was a great year in Ajinkyan history for the amazing performance by the hockey team reaching nationals. That was a first in many years for the school. The journey to reach there was full of grit, determination and hard work by the team in all stages right from the district level matches, through the zonal and then at State level culminating with our participation in Nehru Cup Junior National Tournament conducted at New Delhi.

The district level matches were conducted at Mudhoji High School at Phaltan where the team was unstoppable. Our class was evident. Suryavanshi Sir our coach had prepared the team well. The coach made us practice dribbling with our backs down to the ground for over an hour without any breaks. He ensured that our muscle memory was made so strong that for six months we don’t remember walking straight. We went round the campus with a ball and stick dribbling the ball till it became our second nature. We could now dribble even without looking at the ball and with one hand if necessary. Those were the skills achieved by the players by the end of the practice sessions. Not to forget the long runs organised by Jadhav Sir, sometimes as far as from School to Ajinkyatara Fort for strength training. But just before the matches started we had an injury. Our Captain, Santosh Kumkar fractured his ankle. This seemed like a severe blow to the team. But the coach had plans for this contingency. We had Samrat replacing Santosh for position of centre half and the practice continued. By the time Captain was back to fitness the team did not feel the need to change the centre half but now decided to make Santosh play as the ‘back’ alongwith another great player, Sandip Malwade. The two ‘backs’ were the best ‘backs’ that any team could have and proved a gift in disguise for us. Such was their class that no one dared to enter the ‘D’ area, with them around, during the district level matches. No team could score any goal against us till the state level finals.

After winning the district level comprehensively the divisional level matches were held at Sangli. These matches etched indelible memories of the class and caliber of two forwards, Amit Patil and Nilesh Vyawahare. There was a local team of Sangli who was a big bully of town and had the reputation of winning the zonal level matches all the time due to the home advantage and if one can say even with some home referee advantage. But the chop goal technique of our right out Amit Patil assisted by our right in Nilesh Vyawahare sealed the match against the Sangli team during semifinals. Finals after that was then like a walk in the park. The team looked absolutely fanatastic by now and the coach had set his eyes on winning the state level championship which was being played this time at Satara. But on civil ground, the biggest opponent for us at state level was the Bhosala Militray School of Nasik. There was this short and fit, centre half of that team who was very skillful and was a SAI player. But our team was flying high on the success of our win over the bullies of Sangli and no one could stop the Ajinkyan juggernaut now. Maj (later Col) R.S.Nehra, our headmaster ensured that the entire school was there to cheer us in the finals. First half was tense till we scored a goal. Key to that goal was our ruthless, centre forward Amit Kulkarni who could use his hockey stick as a weapon. Even the devil would fear of coming near him when this thin fellow had a hockey stick in his right hand. And who can forget the bravado and full split stretching skills of our Goalie Sandeep Bhandare. Outstanding acrobatics by him in the goal saved the day against a powerful Nasik team.

Our ‘Left In’ Mangesh G. Nimgaonkar ( LT COL MANGESH G. NIMGAONKAR (RETD.) (B.E. Civil, PMP?, LSSGB?) and ‘Left Out’, Samadhan Patil who outsmarted the opposing team every time thereby making way for us to score some goals at crucial time in the match. The One-Touch-Pass technique used by both of them baffled the opponents and the Left Wing Attack of the Team was indomitable. How can we forget the backbone of the team who maneuvered the game efficiently from one side to other, our left half, Rahul Jagtap and right half, Ramdas Kawdekar. Both of them were outstanding feeders to the forwards enabling them to make some great moves. The caliber of players like Anil Kadam, the swift right out and Kshitij Agrawal, right in was second to none. Our half back, Pankaj Bobde with his witty one liners and forward, Vivek Deshmukh with his oratory skills kept the team entertained in all tense situations. I cannot miss the contribution of Anup Gulhane, diamond man as we called him because of his raw strength, who was the reserve goalie and his presence gave us huge confidence in all our matches.

After winning at the state level the team got a rousing reception and the most awed red blazers of the school. We as a team strutted proudly in these red blazers around the school premises and felt like Demi-Gods in school, much to the dislike of our 12th class but they hardly had any say on this, courtesy our famous tour to New Delhi for the Nehru Cup Junior Nationals. The Delhi tour was something which we won’t ever forget. There, we were supposed to play on Astro Turf which was the first experience for us and due to lack of practice we could not perform well in our first match. The team did well in the second and third match but could not make it to the top of the pool and lost an opportunity to make it to the finals. There are so many anecdotes of the team worth mentioning which are repeated in all our get togethers.

There can be no experience as enriching as playing hockey for six months, the longest hockey campaign one can have in a school which is also revered for its academic performance. Cheers to Sainik School Satara where we received this once in a lifetime opportunity.

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