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The prestigious 118th Beighton Cup hockey tournament – the country’s oldest hockey tourney – will begin at the SAI, Eastern Centre AstroTurf Complex in Kolkata from October 28-November 12. The coveted tournament is being organised by the Bengal Hockey Association (the Indian Football Association was in charge of organising the Beighton Cup in the first few years).
According to sources close to the Bengal Hockey Association, the state body took this call at a recent meeting.
As many as eight outstation teams will be invited for this year’s edition. Defending champions Indian Oil, last year’s runners-up Punjab National Bank, Air India, ONGC are considered among the strong contenders for this year’s edition.
The tournament will be played on a three-tier format. The first tier will involve a knockout qualifying stage from where eight teams will make it to the quarter final league round. The quarter finalists will be divided into two groups with the top two teams from each group making the semi-finals.
The Beighton Cup hockey tournament used to be usually held in March-April, but since 2008 the event has been held in peak winter.
The Beighton Cup was first instituted in 1895 and is named after the then Legal Remembrancer of the Government of Bengal, Mr. T. D. Beighton.
The Beighton Cup has a rich history attached to it – the great Dhyan Chand also played in this prestigious event – helping Jhansi Heroes to glory beating Calcutta Customs by a solitary goal in the 1933 final.
The tournament used to be played at the Mohun Bagan ground (grass) before it was held for the first time on a synthetic turf in the 2009 edition at the SAI, Eastern Centre AstroTurf Complex.
At the 2012 Beighton Cup, which was the 117th edition, Indian Oil retained the crown decimating Punjab National Bank 5-2 in a one-sided final. It was the oilmen’s second consecutive triumph and their third crown in five appearances in the final.
The tournament has attracted sponsors over the years. Sahara sponsored the 2012, while Coal India sponsored the 2010 and 2011 editions.
Indian Oil had won the 2011 edition, beating ONGC 2-0 in the final after finishing runners-up to Air India in the 2010 edition, when they to lost them by a 1-2 margin.
