While the new hockey AstroTurf at the outer ground of the National Hockey Stadium (NHS) is a beautiful addition to the sports infrastructure of the city, deteriorating situation of the grounds of the Lahore City Cricket Association, just 100 yards away to the new turf, is giving a haunting look.

The AstroTurf was laid after a lapse of four years by the Sports Board Punjab. Two changing rooms, though small, one store and four floodlights poles are giving a good look to the venue. The challenge before the sports board now is to maintain it with expert staff. The main problem with the board has been the lack of quality in maintaining the infrastructure due to slackness. The first tournament at the turf also ended this last week which was organised by Dar Hockey Academy. Besides two teams of the academy, one team each from Bannu, Manga Mandi, Gojra and Kasur, took part in it.

The boys from Bannu and other small cities were very happy for playing on a high standard pitch.

“It is looking fantastic and it is the first time that I am here to play hockey in Lahore,” Subhan Ahmad, a young player from Bannu, said.

“We faced problems regarding settling down on the new pitch earlier but now we are in the final and we will go back to Bannu with the title,” Azmat Khan, another player from Bannu, said.

Though the floodlights facility has been provided at the new venue, the lights have never been tested to examine if these are enough to make the play possible at night.

Meanwhile, the poor grass condition at the LCCA ground has disappointed its visitors and it is an open secret that no proper maintenance is going on to keep it fit for the matches. It is among fewer grounds of the city where the first-class matches could be played.

Aamir Hayat Rokhari had led the LCCA as its president for many decades. After his death, his son, Shahraiz Rokhari, managed to win the seat from Khawaja Nadeem. But it seems, Shahraiz has no interest in the LCCA. The ground is located just 200 yards from the Gaddafi Stadium, the headquarters of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). So far no PCB official has taken any notice of the deteriorating situation. The main reason behind the ground’s poor condition is that the water system has not been working for the last eight months. No ground could be kept in order without water through a proper system. However, good news for the LCCA is that the provincial sports board has installed the much-delayed floodlights poles in the ground to make the night matches possible. But again the lights have never been tested so far to check if they are enough for the players to play cricket at night.

Last week, the Punjab Squash Association held an international tournament at its Squash Complex. Sadly no foreign player came to participate in the contest which proved blessing in disguise for the Pakistani players who won the top spots and total cash prizes of US$10,000. The foreign players are reluctant to play in Lahore due to security fears.

While seasoned campaigner Farhan from Peshawar won the men’s title, defeating Tayyab Aslam in a highly electrified final, Madina Zafar of Karachi, scooped the women’s title, ousting Faiza, her sister in the final.

No player of Punjab could excel in the event, exposing the players of Punjab. Though the Punjab Squash Association is making some efforts for the promotion of the game, it still needs to work harder to change the fortune of its players.

Twenty-eight men and 16 women from across the country were registered for the tournament.

The Olympic Day, under the auspices of the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA), was also celebrated at the Wapda Sports Complex last week. A good number of players belonging to different sports like basketball, handball, karate, swimming, table tennis volleyball and wrestling had gathered at the venue to participate in the exhibition matches. However, the heavy rains in Lahore created some hurdles for the POA to organise the event. The day celebrated throughout the world to convey a strong message about the IOC Charter among the member countries of the International Olympic Committee.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2018