Last week, the Indian women’s hockey team defeated Poland 3-1 in the final to emerge Hockey World League (HWL) Round 2 champions in New Delhi.
Following this keenly was Hazel Rowland of Chennai, a 71-year-old former hockey player who played competitively in the 1960s.
Playing for the ‘Shamrocks’, Rowland was one of many young women who played professionally for the city’s various women’s hockey clubs.
The Shamrocks, Penguins, Seagulls, Dolphins and the Falcons, were Madras’ most celebrated women’s hockey clubs, attracting the best talent. Five decades ago, women’s hockey was alive and kicking, with the Anglo-Indian community being its biggest patrons.
Rowland, reminiscing the days when hockey was all the rage, says, “We had very good players. The likes of Phylliss Huggins, and Joan Pearl even made it to the national team.”
Seventy-six-year-old Pam Hayward, who was a strong centre-half for the Penguins, says, “I started playing hockey when I was 19. Rajaratnam stadium and Nehru stadium were our regular haunts. The tournaments between the clubs were extremely cut-throat, but we also used to get to travel to Gwalior, Trivandrum and Bangalore for other tournaments.”
While the 1960s is referred to as the golden period of Anglo-Indian women’s hockey in Madras, the foundations were laid as early as in 1936.
According to The Hindu , it was on July 12, 1936 that history was made in Madras when an all-woman hockey game was played. The match between the Wasps and the Crickets in the Madras United Club was an exciting one, drawing large crowds.
While Wasps scored the only goal of the evening, there were many moments of high tension with players of both sides displaying impressive skills. The enthusiasm of the players was so overwhelming that The Hindu’s report said, “The formation of a women’s hockey association is only a question of time.”
Cut to 2015 and Pam Hayward concedes that while women’s hockey has come a long way, the city lags. She says, “There doesn’t seem to be any interest among youngsters in hockey in the city. But I continue to be very passionate about the game, and think we have a long way to go.”
