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Fond memories

Thomas Sebastian

Premnath Philip finds it hard to believe that his friend and foe (on the football field), the former Indian striker Thomas Sebastian, is no more.

"I played against him only a few months ago at Thrissur in a veterans' inter-district match," he says. Thomas, 46, died of a heart attack in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. "There were a few glimpses of the pacy striker during the veterans' match he played for Thiruvananthapuram. As I guarded the Kozhikode defence, I was reminded of our best days as footballers."

The Kozhikode-based Premnath recalls the Chackola Trophy final in Thrissur in 1983: "Thomas was at the peak of his career and had been scoring consistently for Travancore Titanium." Premnath's team, Mohammedan Sporting, was the opponent. "I was the right wing back, and the onus was on me to tackle the Thomas. I had a hard time doing it, but I did succeed in preventing him from scoring."

Titanium bagged the Chackola Trophy. P. Jamaluddin was the referee of the match. "Thomas was a player I enjoyed watching a lot. I have seen most of the games he played in Kozhikode in domestic tournaments as well as the Nehru Cup Tournament in 1987. Speed was his strength; I haven't seen an Indian striker who was as quick as Thomas Sebastian at his best."

Victor Manjila, former Indian goalkeeper, says: "Thomas was remarkably quick. I had seen him play in the Nehru Cup Tournament in 1983 in Kochi. He was a player whose movements excited the crowd."Premnath says he enjoyed playing against Thomas. "We have played against each other for about five years. I would say he was one of the toughest strikers I ever had to handle. Besides speed, he had great ball control too. I will miss him as a friend too."

P.K. AJITH KUMAR

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