One of Klang’s favourite sons, A. Anthony Ravindra will be remembered during the Klang Hockey Fest 2020 (KHF) as the organisers have decided to name the main prize after him.
Synergy Hockey Club president Gurdip Singh Mann said the decision to name the main prize as the A. Anthony Ravindra Challenge Trophy was unanimous.
Anthony was a stalwart of Klang hockey, representing the state and nation with distinction and created history by being the first Malaysian to play in the Japanese league.
The 56-year-old suffered a heart attack after a match in Shah Alam last October.
“We lost a dear friend and a hockey icon when he passed away in October.
“We wanted to ensure the next generation of players remembers this wonderful human being whose passion for hockey knew no bounds,” said Gurdip.
“To commemorate that, we renamed the Challenge Trophy to Anthony Ravindra Arulanantham Challenge Trophy.
“We thank his family members for giving us the permission and blessings, to use his name.
“We plan to grow the Open Category to a stand-alone single day tournament in years to come under the Klang Hockey Fest Banner.”
This is the fourth year of the KHF which has two nine-a-side categories – Open and Veterans above 45.
Gurdip said Synergy is proud to continue the hockey traditions and passion of its predecessors.
Klang has been the bedrock of hockey for a long time, a name synonymous with the sport back from the days of the Chetty Padang and Pandamaran Hockey Stadium.
Klang Hockey Fest will see hockey enthusiast from all over Malaysia gather at Pandamaran Stadium on Feb 29 to participate in the fourth edition of this event.
This year, veteran teams from Singapore and Indonesia are taking part and we expect a crowd of 300 to flock to the stadium.
The main objectives of this invitational are to provide players with a platform to play and most importantly to socialise among friends and buddies alike.
For the Veteran Category, Cochrane will defend its title against 11 other teams, including Kelab Aman, Ipoh Lads, Chinese Veteran Team called Dragons and two teams from Synergy Hockey Club.
This year will also see the return of the Open Category featuring six teams.
KHF organising chairman Kuganeson Poologasingam is happy for the support from the hockey community.
“We are also thankful for our friends in hockey and sponsors OM Oil & Gas Sdn Bhd, Global Specialty Ingredients (M) Sdn Bhd and other well-wishers.”
The day-long Klang Hockey Fest will culminate with the tournament dinner and prize-giving ceremony.
The one unique fact of Klang Hockey Fest is that everyone receives a medal.
