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The Bengal Hockey Association is bracing up to stage the prestigious 118th Beighton Cup hockey tournament – the country’s oldest hockey tourney – at Kolkata from October 28-November 12.
The tournament will be held at the SAI, Eastern Centre AstroTurf Complex.
The Bengal Hockey Association is sparing no effort to make the event a resounding success. As many as eight outstation teams will be dishing out their hockey skills in 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.
It may be pertinent to mention that the Beighton Cup hockey tournament used to be usually held in March-April, but since the year 2008 the tourney has been held in peak winter.
The coveted 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, getting the better of ONGC 2-0 in the final showdown after finishing runners-up to Air India in the 2010 edition, when they to lost them by the odd goal in three.
