hockey veteran Samuel no more

Bengaluru: Former Services and Mysore state hockey player A Samuel passed away here on Saturday after a brief illness. He was 85. A tall and stylish left winger who mesmerised his opponents with his dribbling skill and speed, Samuel turned out for the Madras Engineers Group in the 1960s and 70s.
Samuel also played for the Southern Command besides Services and Mysore in the National championships.He was among the national team probables and attended camps. He was the captain of the Rest of India hockey team which played in Bangalore against the Indian Olympic team prior to its departure to Mexico in 1968. He played alongside many hockey greats such as VJ Peter, Manuel, Murthy, Krishnamurthy, Albert, Jayaram, Mohan Raj, K Narayanswamy, A Thangaraj, K Govindraj, AS Uthaiah, MB Poobalan, Baskar Dass amongst others while playing for MEG.
“Samuel was no doubt one of the finest hockey players of yesteryear who unfortunately did not play for the country. On the field, he was the cynosure of all eyes and admired by all. He would be always remembered for his affable nature,” Karnataka State Hockey Association secretary K Krishnamurthy said.
The KSHA has mourned his death.