Defending champions Team Coorg in this file photo is with their strong supporters in Oman. Photo – Supplied photo
Muscat:
Defending champions Team Coorg Oman is all set to participate in the Gulf Cup Hockey Championship 2013, organised by the United Thalassery Sports Club (UTSC), due to be held in Dubai next month.

Team Coorg won the crown during the second edition last year and was also a finalist in the inaugural edition in 2011.

Team Coorg has been working hard to improve its players’ fitness and skills in the face of the vastly improved opposition, who have had a lot of exposure to Club-level tournaments in Dubai over the last few seasons. Team Coorg, however, will enter the tournament without much match practice, but they are confident of taking on the might of the other expatriate teams.

Scheduled for March 1 at the Dubai Sports City Turf, Team Coorg Oman will field a team of players of mixed ages since a few of its original members have left Muscat, while a few others are nursing injuries; some of the newly married guys have succumbed to the temptation of good food, and the ongoing exams keep the schoolboys indoors, further limiting the team’s options.

A few newcomers will strengthen the aging team, and a lot will be expected of the few players who have improved their skills over the last year.

Team Coorg’s popularity can be gauged by the increasing support it receives from all quarters.

Hugely popular
Many supporters will travel with the team from Oman, and many more in Dubai are eagerly looking forward to joining them at the venue.

Team Coorg has picked up the thread from back home and has endeavoured, over the years, to keep alive the esprit de corps of sports, its customs, and its traditions.

A total of 10 teams, including one Pakistani team, are participating in this edition of the championship. The chief guest of the tournament is Mustafa Zafeer, the patron of UTSC.

source: http://www.timesofoman.com / Home / by Times News Service / Tuesday, February 26th, 2013