Parnham at the helm against all odds

22/02/2002

CRAIG Parnham returned to Malaysia after his horrific accident in the
Azlan Shah Cup on Aug 6, and the first thing he did was to personally
thank the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) officials for the care they
provided during the trying time.
His next plan is to visit the Universiti Malaysia Medical Centre to
thank the doctors there for saving his life.
And for the World Cup, he has made another sacrifice - postponing his
wedding so that he can fully concentrate on the sport.
The Cannock club player, 29, nearly died during the Azlan Shah Cup
following a serious injury sustained in the match against Pakistan. The
injury occured during a late corner, when Sohail Abbas went to sweep the
ball home on the reverse and caught Parnham in the process. He needed
oxygen at the scene and an emergency tracheotomy.
"I was really moved by the care and attention given to me after I got
injured and I would like to personally thank the doctors who attended to
me," said Parnham after meeting MHF officials at the Concorde Hotel in
Kuala Lumpur.
Parnham made a courageous comeback from the life-threatening injury and
will captain the English side in the World Cup starting on Sunday.
When asked if he was psychologically ready to play in Malaysia again
after the bad experience: "It has crossed my mind, but I shrugged it off
and since I am physically ready, I see no problem playing in Malaysia
again."
Parnham is a coach by profession and teaches hockey and cricket.
Cricket? "Yes, I was a cricket player before I switched to hockey. I saw
a brighter future in hockey and made the switch and have represented
England in the Sydney 2000 Olympics, so there were no regrets."
Parnham plans to get married after the Manchester Commonwealth Games and
his fiancee, a horticulturist, understands and supports him.
"I have had great support from my family and was up and about two weeks
after I got injured. I started with some light workouts and two weeks
before Christmas, I was able to play my first match.
Parnham fought his way back into the England team and was re-called for
the King's Cup in Spain. England came out tops when they beat Poland and
Spain in the tournament.
Has he ever thought of quitting the sport?:
"The only moment I felt like quitting was when I was lying on the green
turf of the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil, but after that, I was
determined to make a comeback into the England squad."
He did, and was named as the skipper for England and he hopes to take
his team into the semifinals on the same pitch that Sohail Abbas's stick
crashed into his windpipe.
Such courage should be admired. He could not speak for several weeks
after the incident and surgeons had to rebuild his larynx and he was
informed that he might never speak again; a skin graft from his thigh was
needed to repair his windpipe, which had been smashed in four places.
Parnham is a talented defender with a low tackling style that makes him
extremely effective, but also puts him at risk.
"But that is part and parcel of hockey," were his parting words.
jugjet@nstp.com.my
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