Beighton Cup hockey begins on Sunday

Kolkata: Defending champions Air India, last year's runners-up Indian Oil will be the top teams when the 117th edition of the Beighton Cup hockey tournament begins at the SAI artificial turf from October 28. Local teams, alongside seven outstation sides, will fight it out in the knock-out preliminary round to determine four teams to make the quarterfinal stage of the three-tier tournament.

The four qualifiers will join four seeded teams -- Air India, Indian Oil, ONGC (Dehradun) and Army XI -- in the quarterfinal league stage that will be held from November 3-8.

The eight quarterfinalists will be divided into two groups and the top four will make it to the semifinals on November 10 while the summit clash will be held on November 11. One of the oldest hockey tournaments, the Beighton Cup will carry a prize purse of Rs 3 lakh that includes Rs 1.5 lakh for the winners.

One of the oldest tournaments in Hockey Beighton cup kicks off on Sunday.

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