Such shows don’t come often. It was right out of the top drawer. The Dar HA colts, 80% of them under 18 year of age, battling against a side with one of the finest records in the Dutch hockey, seemed well out of the contest having conceded four unanswered goals until the last minute of the first half. It appeared a mismatch to many.Moreover, they were playing fourth match in as many days. Yet, the young lads made all the Pakistanis present really proud by drawing 6-6.
H.C. Klein Zwitserland, have a proud history: hold the record of winning the Dutch league for eight consecutive seasons besides winning the European Club championships a couple of times. The club in the Hague boasts eight synthetic turfs probably as many as Pakistan, a country of 180 millions, has.
A number of foreign stars have plied their trade for the club including Dilip Tirkey and Gagan Ajit Singh of India, Grant Schubert of Australia, Seo of Korea as well as many Dutch greats like Ties Kruize and Taeke Taekema. They entered the field with six former Dutch junior internationals players. Scorers: Tanvir Dar Hockey Academy, Pakistan: 6 (Bilal Mahmood 3, Salman, Awais, Rizwan) Klein Zwitserland, Holland: 6