A Jharkhand player skids and falls down during the All-India BSNL Hockey Tournament in Ranchi. Players and officials have been complaining that the condition of the turf is bad. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, April 6: Players at the All-India BSNL Hockey Tournament complained of an ill-maintained astro-turf at the Morabadi Grounds today.

The slippery and soggy turf made it difficult for players to stand on the first day of the tournament.

It was common to see players slipping while running and the ball bouncing dangerously, making trapping difficult.

To make conditions worse, the turf has been patched up at some of the places without being levelled, making it more strenuous for the players.

The Bengal team was vocal about not being able to play properly.

?There is too much mud on the turf so many of our players have tripped or fallen down,? said Sanjay Rai, one of the BSNL, Bengal players.

Rai said the studs in their boots were not able to grip the turf which was why players were falling down.

Players from Tamil Nadu said such frequent slipping and skidding was affecting the game.

?A player forwards a pass, then slips because the grounds are in such a poor state. The ball goes into someone else?s possession. How are we supposed to play under these conditions?? asked a player from Tamil Nadu.

The state government has taken up the initiative of developing the astro-turf into a full-fledged stadium in the run up to the National Games-2007 scheduled to take place in the state.

Apart from the mega sports complex in Hotwar, the astro-turf is also planned to be developed with a seating capacity of around 25,000 apart from constructing the three-storyed administrative block in the stadium.

This is not the only event that has been hampered by the poor grounds conditions.

Women in the All-India Railway Hockey Tournament had a difficult time playing on the grounds, as did the players in the All-India Civil Services Hockey Tournament.

GM, (Development) Arun Kumar said he was aware that it was difficult to play under the conditions.

?This was the only turf available with us and that is why we had to conduct the tournament seeing no other option,? said Kumar.