hockey2015

89^th MCC Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey Tournament 2015

By Dhurai A.N. July 27, 2015

The 89^th All India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey Tournament was held at the newly renovated Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium at Egmore. The annual tournament was held over a period of 11 days from July 16 to 26, 2015 after a gap of two years. There were 10 teams in the fray that were divided into 2 groups. Defending champion Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), Karnataka Hockey, Mumbai Hockey and Namdhari XI fought for a place in the last four in Pool A. The 2013 runner up Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) was placed in Pool B along with Punjab and Sind Bank (PSB), Army XI, Steel Authority of India (SAIL) and Indian Railways. As per the custom, an exhibition match was held on July 15 between the MCC (Madras Cricket Club) and The Hindu (MCC won 7-3).

Mumbai in action against CAG Photo: Dhurai A.N.

The best player of the tournament was inarguably IOC’s Deepak Thakur who was also the Man of the Match for the final. He scored 9 goals in the tourney. The prize money has been doubled this year. The winner received 5 lakhs (as compared to the 2.5 lakhs earlier) and the runner up 2.5 lakhs (unlike the 1.5 lakh rupees give before). Apart from these there were also cash prizes (each 10,000 rupees) given for various categories such as the Best Midfielder, Best Forward, Best Goalkeeper, Best Defender and Most Promising Player of the tournament.

The players fighting for possession of the ball during the semifinal between IOC and PSB Photo: Dhurai A.N.

Every match was divided into two halves, each 35 minutes, making the game a 70-minute affair. This sparked many questions from former Indian players such as Rajinder Singh (coach of PSB) and V. Baskaran (captain of the 1980 Indian men Hockey team which won the gold at the Moscow Olympics) who said that the Federation of International Hockey (FIH) had implemented the rule that a match be divided into four quarters, each 15 minutes. However, H.S. Sokhi, the tournament director said that the new rules which were introduced over a year ago are applicable only for nationals or events certified by the FIH and not for invitational or domestic ones.

The crowd watching the game with rapt attention Photo: Dhurai A.N.

IOC emerged the winner after a hard fought tournament. A draw against Karnataka in the tournament opener was the only deadlock for the team. From then onwards the defending champion defeated all the teams it played with, though narrowly. The runner up Army XI meanwhile drew a couple of matches and then thrashed their opponents in the remaining ones. But their remarkable campaign came to an end after a close loss to IOC in the final (2-3). IOB could not match its result in the previous edition in which the team was runner up. This year it lost in the league stage. Some international players also took part in the cup including Manpreet Singh and ex-captain of the Indian team Sandeep Singh.

Originally called the Madras Challenge Cup when the tournament was first held in 1901, it was then changed to A.M.M. Arunachalam Challenge Cup and is presently known as The MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup since the 1990s. A good crowd was present on most days indicating the popularity of the sport in the city. After the end of every day, a raffle was held for the spectators and prizes like cycles and gift hampers were given out.

V. Baskaran, former captain of Olympic Indian Hockey team, at the venue Photo: Dhurai A.N.

Results

Semifinals: IOC bt PSB 2-1 & Army XI bt CAG 3-0

Finals: IOC bt Army XI 3-2