Unique tourney vying for Guinness record

AMMATHI (KARNATAKA), MAY 13. It was a unique hockey tournament which saw participants from a record number of 226 family teams vying for the title.

Curtains came down on Monday on the three-week long hockey festival, Nike Nellamakkada Cup 2001, in the hockey crazy district of Kodagu, also known as the `coffee land of the country'.

Some of the current and former India international players participated with their families in the tournament, which saw as many as 225 encounters, creating an all-time record and staking claim for an entry into the Guinness Book.

Claimed to be the first of this kind in the world, players hailing from one family formed themselves into teams and played out the tournament, which aimed to keep the hockey tradition of Kodagu alive. Representatives of the Guinness Book of World records witnessed the tournament, which already finds mention in the Limca book of records.

In the final, which also saw the 1000th goal of the tournament, Koorthanda family scored a 3-1 victory over Cheppudira in the newly-built stadium.

The first goal for the winner was scored by K.M. Ganesh of Koorthanda in the sixth minute after the start. K.K. Appaiah sounded the board in the 16th minute and just before the breather, C.M. Appanna converted a stroke to reduce the margin for Cheppudira. Immediately after changing ends, Ganesh struck the last goal of the tournament.

- UNI

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Section  : Sport
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