Hither to confined in Sundargarh district, HOCKEY, the most productive sport in Orissa, made a stylish return to the capital city with the commencement of the 2nd State-level six-a-side tournament at Kalinga Stadium here today.
Floodlight, smaller field, shorter game, plethora of goals and presence of several internationals combined to give the six-day tournament an glamorous look. Provision was also there for cheer girls to perform, but the idea did not work initially due to failure of music system.
East Coast Railway, Governemnt Sports Hostel (Panposh, Rourkela), SAIL Academy (Rourkela) and South Central Railway (Hyderabad) posted wins in four league matches of the opening day.