Handball Tournament

About this event

Handball Tournament is an intercollege handball cup at the college ground in Punalur, Kollam. Handball here is seven a side. Players move the ball by throwing and catching, and a goal is scored by throwing the ball into a goal. It is not volleyball, not basketball, and not the wall game some people mean by the same English word. If you arrive expecting a net at head height and six players, you are at the wrong sport.

A cup means more than one college team and a result. The result might be a final, a league table, or a knockout. Which colleges enter, and whether men and women both play, comes with the draw. Until that draw exists, do not travel to support a named college. The ground is Punalur College Ground. No longer college name is part of the event. The court might be outdoor concrete, an indoor floor, or a temporary marking on a field. Shoes, balls, and the length of a half are for the organisers to set.

Punalur railway station is in town, under a kilometre from the centre. That distance is not a measure of the walk from the station to the college ground. Ask the way. No special train runs for the cup. Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is about 83 kilometres away. Buses use the Punalur bus stand. Rooms named for the town are A One Hotel, Hotel Panacea Ventures, and Shaji Hotel. The court is not in the hotel.

October is the month for the tournament. College sport moves for exams, rain, and ground bookings. A week of tests can push a cup into the next month without a public poster on the road. Players bring their own kit unless the organisers say otherwise. Spectators stay off the court. A thrown ball at that speed is not something to stand in front of. A college match can be closed to the public, or it can be open without a formal gate. An open gate is not the same as a ticket window.

The 1877 suspension bridge helps you recognise Punalur. It is not the ground. The town hall is not the ground either, unless the college has said the match moved indoors somewhere else.

Do not follow a crowd to the town hall or the bridge and expect handball. The court is Punalur College Ground, and the walk from the station is not the ""under a kilometre"" that describes the station's place in town. Ask the way. October can be rearranged around exams. A cup without a published draw is a plan, not a match you can time your arrival to. Seven a side, throwing into a goal, is the sport. If you have come to watch volleyball, you are at the wrong fixture. Spectators who are allowed in still stay off the court. A One Hotel, Hotel Panacea Ventures, and Shaji Hotel are beds. Ask which colleges and when the first whistle is before you leave for Punalur.

College sport moves. A ground booking, a week of exams, or rain can shift the first whistle without a banner on the road. Men and women may both play, or only one group. The draw is the document that says so. Kit is the player's own unless the organisers say they will supply it. An open field with no whistle is not a match you arrived early for. It is a college ground on an ordinary day.

Ask which colleges are entered, when the first whistle is, and whether spectators may attend. October is the month to ask about. It is not a match every evening.

"🚆 Railway: Punalur Railway Station is under 1 km from Punalur.

✈️ Airport: Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is approximately 83 km from Punalur.

🚌 Bus: Punalur bus stand.

🏨 Stay: A One Hotel, Hotel Panacea Ventures and Shaji Hotel are nearby stay options.

✅ Notes: Punalur town, measured from the railway station area. A separate bus-stand pin was not used. Dates in this sheet are the listing window (10/1/2026 to 10/31/2026), not a confirmed daily show."