Madurai
Hockey was introduced to Kovilpatti even before Independence by Dr Durairaj, who was also a player. It was due to his efforts that Kovilpatti Sports Club was formed in 1944 and the first State-level Hockey Tournament was conducted in 1946. Since then hockey tournaments were regularly held in Kovilpatti.
Durairaj continued his contribution to hockey by constructing a hockey stadium at Kovilpatti in 1960 with the help of Lakshmi Mills and a trust for the development of hockey (Kuppusamy Naidu Memorial Trust) was formed. The tournaments were conducted in the name of Kuppusamy Naidu Memorial Tournament then.
A local team was also formed in 1962 which was coached by hockey wizard Dhyan Chand. Renowned players like Baskar, Peter, etc had played in Kovilpatti.
A veteran state level hockey player from Kovilpatti, Mathiah, said that the contributions of an Anglo-Indian coach, George, was also vital for the development of the game in Kovilpatti in the 1960s. George used to go to rural areas to train the youngsters and because of his efforts many rural hockey clubs were formed.
His legacy was continued by two of his students Sivakumar and Ramakrishnan who were his coaches. They too played a larger role in the development of hockey in the region and more number of players from Kovilpatti represented the state and national hockey teams. Durai, another veteran hockey player from Kovilpatti, recollected some of the renowned hockey players from Kovilpatti, including Senthil Jagan, who had represented India in junior and senior World Cups, Ramasamy and Radhakrishnan who had represented India in international matches. Recently, Ashwin represented India in junior and sub-junior categories.
Even children in Kovilpatti would set up two goal posts with available wooden logs and play only hockey instead of cricket and other games. “Many veteran hockey players had named their children after the famed hockey players,” Durairaj remarked.
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