Ramesh Patel on verge of sporting history

Press, 13 July 1984, Page 23

Ramesh Patel on verge of sporting history

By

KEVIN TUTTY

Ramesh Patel is one of New Zealand’s most enduring sportsmen whose talents have never been fully appreciated in New Zealand.

For 12 years he has been a leading forward in the New Zealand hockey team, and his class is such that he is ranked with the best forwards in the world today.

In two weeks he will be playing in his third Olympic Games — it would have been his fourth but for the withdrawal of the New Zealand team from the 1980 Moscow Games. At some stage during the Los Angeles Games he will create a unique piece of New Zealand sporting history.

At the East Los Angeles College Stadium — the venue for the Olympic hockey matches — Patel will become the first New Zealand sports person to represent his country in 100 full international matches. When the team left Auckland this week for Vancouver where it will complete its preparation for the Olympics, Patel had 92 internationals to his credit. New Zealand has three full international games in Vancouver — two against Canada and one against the United States. Patel is likely to play in all three, and he will certainly be a

first choice for the Olympic matches. Barring injury or illness he will reach the magic three figures against Canada in New Zealand’s final pool game on August 7.

Patel was a raw lad of 18 when he first played for New Zealand against Australia on May 25, 1972, at Whangarei. Three days later he scored the first of a record 39 goals for New Zealand — a goal he remembers vividly. It came from the first movement of the game. Barry Maister broke through the centre, passed to Patel in the circle, and he scooped the ball over the head of the goal-keeper.

“It was a shot which 99 times out of a 100 would fail,” recalled Patel this week.

Since he first played for New Zealand the national team has played 100 internationals, and Patel has missed only eight.

He was on the reserves bench for two matches during the 1972 Munich Olympics, and in 1975 when India toured New Zealand Patel was unavailable for the four tests because of university studies. That was the only time he has been unavailable for his country.

He missed two other games and they were because of illness. In 1981 at the Inter-Continental Cup in Kuala Lumpur he missed a match, and a week later illness forced him out of another game in Singapore. In December the same year he missed the first game at the World Cup in Bombay.

That was not a happy tournament for Patel. He had recurring illness throughout the tournament. In hindsight he said: “I think I retired five times during

that tournament I was so ill.”

But the tall, graceful forward of Indian descent has regained his old enthusiasm and is eagerly awaiting the 1984 Olympic tournament. He already possesses an Olympic gold medal, and remembers the 1976 tournament fondly, even though he had mixed success.

Half-way through the first game, against the defending champion, West Germany, Patel broke a thumb. But with typical grit he played in ail the remaining tournament games.

He remembers his consternation at pushing a penalty-stroke over the top of the goal in the first five minutes of the final against Australia. But that pales compared with the elation he felt at the end of that final, and after beating Spain in a play-off to win a semi-final place.

“But the real elation was after beating the Netherlands in the semi-final,” said Patel. “We knew we had a medal and it would be either silver or gold.” Patel has one regret. Only 19 of the internationals he has played have been in New Zealand.

“The public haven’t seen the better side of us. We have played some good games overseas which they haven’t seen. Any team plays well in front of home crowds, but we haven’t had

that many opportunities to play in front of New Zealand crowds.” New Zealand has two difficult matches to start the Los Angeles Olympics. The first is against Pakistan, and the second against the Netherlands. New Zealand has lost every international it has played against Pakistan, but Patel thinks that record could change on July 30.

“We know the Pakistan style of play. We are attuned to it now and I think we have the ability to beat them. I feel confident about this team. It has taken a while to build it up, but it will be competitive." A few years ago Patel looked two or three years ahead at international fixtures. Now at 30 years of age and with two young children he looks only a few months ahead. He will wait until after the Olympics to decide whether he will continue in international hockey. There is a tournament in Melbourne in January, and if New Zealand finishes in the first six at Los Angeles it will be invited to the Champions Trophy in Karachi in December. Whether he is available will depend on family commitments. Whatever Patel’s decision he will have created a special niche in New Zealand’s sporting history.