He may have shuttled between two different continents in his early years, but that did not stop a Goan from pursuing his love for hockey and winning tournaments, thereby leaving a mark on the field.
Michael Fernandes, presently based in Mombasa-Kenya which is the place of his birth, not only played in the Goa hockey team but also went on to represent Kenya at a number of tournaments.
Asked how he got into sports, Fernandes said his father was a sports personality who excelled in football while his mother was a hockey player.
“So, they always encouraged me being the eldest son and my two younger siblings to take part in sports. It was my father's wish that I would become a footballer like him, but I chose to take up hockey,” said Fernandes.
Michael Fernandes said his hockey journey began as a 13-year-old in Mombasa-Kenya, when he played his first game for a team of youngsters called ‘The Out Laws’.
“In 1965, when I was 14 years old, my parents packed my bags and sent me to a boarding school in Goa, where I did my secondary education at St Anthony’s High School, Monte De Guirim,” recalled Fernandes.
“The moment I arrived in Goa and started playing hockey, I was selected by the school coach Sir Wilson Paes to represent the school team and played in the forward line in the inside left position. The following year, I became the school team captain and held the position until I completed my SSCE. During these years, we won the inter-school tournament thrice, if my memory serves me right.”
Since his grandparents originated from Anjuna, Fernandes would go to live with his grandmother during school holidays in the mid-sixties.
“I started moulding into a promising young player and played in several positions, including full-back. Thanks to the Capuchin priests at the boarding school who drilled strict discipline in us, I became a self-disciplined person on and off the hockey field.”
In 1970, Fernandes was selected to represent the Goa hockey team at the National Inter-State Hockey Tournament in Jalandhar.
“After high school in 1970, it was my intention to go to Bangalore to further my education in aeronautical engineering. Unfortunately, this never happened as the approval for my application to join the college took rather long to be received,” said Fernandes.
“Meanwhile, it was running late for me to get into any other college in Goa. So, I decided to send in a late application to join St Xavier’s College in Mapusa.”
“No sooner the college coach, Prof. P V Tarakan, heard that I wanted to join the college, and having known of my talent in hockey, he immediately used his influence to persuade the head of the college to accept my late application for a degree in Bachelor of Arts.”
On joining the college, Fernandes quickly began demonstrating his hockey skills and was immediately selected to represent the college team.
“The very first year of college, our team won the inter-collegiate hockey tournament in Goa,” recalled Fernandes.
“Sadly, a year later while in college, I received a letter from my mother to return to Kenya so that I could apply for Kenyan citizenship. I had to accept my mum’s wishes and returned to Kenya,” he added.
