15.12.1944 – 26.01.2025

 

Few hockey players will have experiences to match those of Avtar Singh Bhurji, who died in London on 26 January 2025 at the age of 80. He played hockey at a high level in three countries: Uganda, England and Kenya. He was a hockey Olympian at the troubled 1972 Games in Munich. He faced confiscation of property and expulsion from Uganda under Idi Amin. On returning to England after studying to be a civil engineer, he played for several leading clubs in London before taking up coaching, including being appointed a Director of Hockey. When no longer coaching, he was seen in the press box at hockey events worldwide with his camera, renewing friendships made in his earlier hockey life.

Avtar survived the coup when Idi Amin overthrew Milton Obote in 1971. During shooting and shelling, he carried out a rescue in a remote location. In 1985, he encountered shelling and bombing when Tito Okello overthrew Obote for a second time. He also survived when shot at as he shepherded a young mother and her two children to take shelter in his home when they were being robbed. In another incident, at the end of a training session in Kenya, seven armed gunmen robbed Avtar and his friends of their watches and wallets before shooting randomly. Avtar was hit in the leg, but the bullet went through his calf. He needed treatment in London whereupon he decided it was time to leave Kenya and in 1988 he arrived back in England.

Avtar played for Uganda in the Munich Olympic Games of 1972, which coincided with the demand from dictator Idi Amin that all Asians leave Uganda within 90 days.

After the Games, Avtar packed up his kit and arranged for its despatch to England.

Avtar moved to England with his sister where they were joined later by their father, who stayed for three months before he set off for Kenya. There he started a business with others who had worked with him in Uganda. Avtar moved to Kenya in support.

 

 

Avtar was born on 15 December 1944 in Bika, a small village in the Punjab, India, and moved with his family to Uganda when he was one year old. His father was a police officer but later started his own construction business. The family settled in Kampala and Avtar attended what he called a “guinea pig school”, the Demonstration Primary School where the teachers were trained. He achieved very successful results in pre-secondary school exams. He then moved to Kololo Secondary School in Kampala where he took up hockey, though cycling was his initial sporting focus. The captain of the school team was Rajinder Singh Sandhu, who later captained Uganda at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.

Avtar’s elder brother was a good athlete who excelled in hockey. When once short of players he asked Avtar to stand in on the left side of the pitch and instructed him simply to stop the ball and just hit it in. He complied and team were happy, recognising his ability and they invited him back a week later. His hockey career had begun.

He joined Ramgarhia Hockey Club in Uganda until he came to England in 1966 to further his engineering studies at Kingston Polytechnic. Avtar started playing Saturday hockey with Hayes Hockey Club and within a few weeks, in his words, was virtually playing first eleven hockey. In the summer he was invited to play for London Indians, a team of Anglo Indians formed by the late Jimmy James, who played the Asian style of hockey, initially as a Sunday side.

 

 

Avtar left London on the completion of his civil engineering studies and returned to Kampala in 1969. He re-joined Sikh Union Kamapala in 1970. Any international hockey ambitions Avtar may have had were shelved in favour of the needs of the family business. As an example, in 1971 he was due to travel to Zambia to play in the All Africa Games but had to pull out because the event coincided with award of the largest contract in Uganda at the time.

In hockey, Uganda qualified for the 1972 Olympic Games for the first time and Avtar was selected to play. The squad was relatively unknown and started the tournament with three defeats, each by 1-3 to Malaysia, then France and Pakistan, before holding Argentina to a goalless draw. In the following game, Uganda played West Germany and caused a stir by holding the eventual gold medal winners to a 1-1 draw. After a 0-2 defeat to Belgium and a 2-2 draw with Spain the side finished bottom of Group A. However, Uganda defeated Mexico 4-1 in the classification match to finish the Olympic Hockey Tournament in fifteenth place. Avtar played in all of Uganda’s games, other than the first and last matches.

 

 

At international level, Avtar played predominantly at left half and later centre half. He played in England from 1972 until 1978. He regarded himself as very fortunate to have met Rui Saldana, who played for Great Britain at the 1972 Olympic Games. Rui welcomed him to Blackheath Hockey Club, who had several Asian diaspora players in the team. At Blackheath he was encouraged to play for Kent but after a trial he was told that his style of play was incompatible. When selected for the President’s Eleven at the hockey festival at Weston super Mare, he was asked why he was not playing at county level and would he like to play for Surrey? He was invited to a trial and played for Surrey from 1973 until 1978 as an inside left or left midfielder. With Blackheath, Avtar won the National Indoor Championship in 1976. He also played for the well-known touring teams Llamas and Lusitanians, and for Impala who played in Asian summer festivals in the 1970s. He captained London Indians from 1973 until 1978 when he left for Kenya. There he joined Nairobi Gymkhana.

 

 

Avtar had gained a National Level 3 coaching badge and ill heath in 1991 led him to coach. He did so at several clubs, including London University, Imperial Medicals, Wimbledon, Bracknell, Hendon, Hampstead and Spencer. At Hampstead he guided the Women’s First Eleven to promotion to the South League. As Director of Coaching at Richmond Hockey Club he won five successive promotions between 2008 and 2011. Latterly he helped a friend in the Third Eleven of Spencer Hockey Club, which allowed him to enjoy himself and maintain his contact with hockey. During the summer he played veterans’ hockey with Spencer when he could. He was also occasionally called upon to play for Hampstead’s Veterans’ Eleven.

 

 

His resilience was put to the test in 1991 on a return from hockey in Brussels, Belgium, when he virtually passed out. An ambulance took him to Dunkirk in France. Tochi Panesar accompanied him. He was by his own account, virtually in a coma for 12 days. He could not be treated in Belgium and had to be accompanied by two doctors back to England for treatment. It took three months to ascertain exactly what was wrong with him and it put an end to his playing career.

The Hockey Museum trustee Tochi Panesar was a teammate of Avtar at Llamas, Lusitanians, London Indians, Spencer and a fellow touring member with the hockey fan group Kalasingha Globetrotters, who travelled to watch hockey at major tournaments round the world. Tochi pays this tribute to his friend:

“Avtar ‘Nikka’ was a good friend who was always smiling and helpful. We had many great hockey moments with Lusitanians, Llamas and London Indians. Avtar’s time coaching at my club Spencer was very well respected and he is still remembered very fondly. He was always a fun summer hockey player at Spencer playing with his cheeky grin and marvellous hockey dummies! Nikka was also an enthusiastic member of the Kalasingha Globetrotter group. He is a great loss to the hockey family and will be missed.

Rest in peace, friend.”

 

 

This obituary was compiled from information gleaned from Avtar Singh Bhurji’s oral history interview with The Hockey Museum (listen below) and from additional independent research.

Listen to Avtar Singh Bhurji’s oral history interview: Oral Histories – The Hockey Museum