# Indian field hockey team in Malaya and Singapore

An Indian field hockey team toured the Federation of Malaya and the Colony of Singapore between 11 February and 10 March 1954. The Indian Hockey Federation XI (IHF XI) played 16 games out of which three were international fixtures. India won all 16 matches, scoring a total of 121 goals. Captain of the touring side Balbir Singh Sr. finished with most goals (44), while Susainathan scored 25 and vice-captain Randhir Singh Gentle, 14.

## Background

The idea of inviting an India team to Malaya was first mooted in 1949 and officially expressed by G. E. N. Oehlers, then president of the Malayan Hockey Council (MHC). In November 1952, the MHC wrote to the Government of India inviting a team in 1954. It suggested that the touring side include five or six national team players and that the side play nine games in Malaya and three in Singapore. However, this was the second tour of Malaya by an Indian team; the first by the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics gold-winning national team that had toured the same year just before the Olympic Games. They played All-Malaya XI and beat them 7–0.

## Squad

A 16-member Indian squad for the tour was named on 30 October 1953. Balbir Singh Sr. was named captain of the side and Randhir Singh Gentle, the vice-captain. The squad included six players from the team that won gold at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. The squad arrived on 9 February 1954.
The touring squad included:

### Key

GK = Goalkeeper, FB = Fullback, HB = Halfback, FW = Forward
| Pos. | Player | Age | Club |
| GK | Ranganathan Francis | 34 | |
| GK | Ram Prakash | | |
| FB | Randhir Singh Gentle (vc) | 32 | |
| FB | Abid Ali Rizvi | 32 | United Provinces |
| FB | Bakshish Singh | 25 | Punjab |
| FB | Leslie Claudius | 26 | Bengal Nagpur Railway |
| HB | O. P. Malhotra | | United Provinces |
| HB | Albert Middlecoat | 29 | Bombay |
| HB | T. M. Padavat | | Mysore |
| HB | Joseph de Mello | | Bombay, Tata |
| FW | Raghbir Singh Bhola | | Delhi, Sanaspur SC |
| FW | I. Susainathan | 28 | Madras Police |
| FW | Muniswamy Rajgopal | 27 | Mysore |
| FW | Bhaskaran | 24 | Mysore |
| FW | Balbir Singh Sr. (c) | 30 | |
| FW | Raghbir Lal | 33 | |

## Fixtures

* 11 February 1954
| India | 3–1 | Singapore |
| Gentle 12' Bal. Singh Sr. 35', 69' | Report | Dozey 40' |
* Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore Attendance: 6,000 Umpires: G. A. Tessensohn (SIN) Ram Prakash (IND)
* 13 February 1954
| IHF XI | 7–1 | South Malaya |
| Bhola 12', ?' Rajgopal 21', 67' Bal. Singh Sr. ?', 70' Susainathan 68' | Report | Dozey 36' |
* Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore Attendance: 5,200 Umpires: Randhir Singh Gentle (IND) G. A. Tessensohn (SIN)
* 15 February 1954
| IHF XI | 10–0 | Malacca |
| Susainathan 8' Bal. Singh Sr. 14', 35', 40', 42', 50', ?', ?' Bhaskaran 18' Bhola 29' | Report | |
* Malaya Attendance: 4,000 Umpires: V. Hicks (MAL) Ranganathan Francis (IND)
* 17 February 1954 17:15
| IHF XI | 4–1 | Negeri Sembilan |
| Rajgopal ?', 3?', 57' Bhola 55' | Report | Noordin ?' |
* Station Padang, Seremban, Malaya Attendance: 5,000 Umpires: Ram Prakash (IND) W. Harben
* 18 February 1954
| IHF XI | 8–0 | Selangor |
| Susainathan 6', 14' Bal. Singh Sr. 8', ?', ?', 69' Gentle 48' Rajgopal ?' | Report | |
* Malaya Umpires: Ram Prakash (IND) L. S. Greening
* 20 February 1954
| India | 14–2 | Malaya |
| Bal. Singh Sr. 5 goals' Susainathan 4 goals' Gentle 3 goals' Malhotra Bhola | Report | EJ Van Lidth Coutts |
* Malaya
* 23 February 1954
| IHF XI | 2–0 | Perak |
| Bhola 43', ?' | Report | |
* Malaya
* 25 February 1954
| IHF XI | 13–0 | Federation of Malaya XI |
| Bal. Singh Sr. 3', 11' Gentle 8', ?', ?' Susainathan 29', 31', ?' Rajgopal 36' Middlecoat ?' | Report | |
* Chinese Assembly Hall Ground, Ipoh, Malaya Umpires: Bakshish Singh (IND) M. Muthucumaru
* 27 February 1954
| IHF XI | 12–0 | Penang |
| Rajgopal 3' Bal. Singh Sr. 5', ?', ?', ?', ?', 58', 65', ?' Susainathan ?', ?', ?' | Report | |
* 4,000 Attendance: Western Road Ground, Penang, Malaya
* 28 February 1954
| IHF XI | 7–1 | North Malaya |
| Middlecoat ?', 56' Gentle 45', ?' Bhola 46' Malhotra 52', 63' | Report | Arul ?' |
* Chinese Assembly Hall Ground, Ipoh, Malaya Umpires: Ram Prakash V. T. Durai
* 2 March 1954
| IHF XI | 4–0* | Pahang |
| Susainathan 5' Bhola 9', ?' de Mello ?' | Report | |
* Headquarters Malaya Ground, Kuala Lumpur, Malaya Umpires: Ranganathan Francis (IND) Gurmukh Singh (IND)
* 3 March 1954
| IHF XI | 8–0 | Negeri Sembilan |
| Gentle 7' Susainathan 22', ?', ?' Bal. Singh Sr. ?', ?', ?' Raghbir Lal ?' | Report | |
* Station Padang, Malaya Attendance: 5,000
* 4 March 1954
| IHF XI | 4–0* | MHC President's XI |
| Bal. Singh Sr. 19', 35', 46', 52' | Report | |
* Headquarters Malaya Ground, Kuala Lumpur, Malaya Umpires: S. Mackenzie S. Sockanathan
* 6 March 1954
| India | 6–0 | Malaya |
| Rajgopal 3', 33' Susainathan ?', 19', ?' Bal. Singh Sr. 64' | Report | |
* Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore Umpires: M. Muthukumaru B. S. Soin
* 8 March 1954
| IHF XI | 8–1 | Malayan Indians |
| Rajgopal 17' Bal. Singh Sr. 22', ?', ?' Malhotra 23', ?' Susainathan 28', 63' | Report | J. Vohra 39' |
* Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore Attendance: 2,000 Umpires: G. A. Tessensohn (SIN) M. Muthucumaru
* 10 March 1954
| IHF XI | 11–0 | Johore |
| Gentle 6', 36', 41' Lal 13', ?', 51', 28' Bhola 20' Susainathan 32', 50' Malhotra 55' | Report | |
* Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore Attendance: 1,500 Umpires: J. C. Smith F. A. Milne
* Match was stopped after 25 and 65 minutes of play respectively due to rain.