Hockey and football player: Rest in peace Captain Christopher Gavin Coutinho

 

Hockey player: Rest in peace Captain Christopher Gavin Coutinho

By Armstrong Vaz

My first encounter with Christopher Gavin Coutinho was watching him in action on the make shift hockey field of Chowgule College Margao, during our student days.

That was in the late 80 and early 90’s a lot has changed in terms of the facilities at Chowgule College.  The ground were we played football, cricket hockey and also indulged in athletics events now hosts an artificial football surface, which was the first one in the state when it was installed in 2006. Now many artificial football surface of various shapes and sizes have surfaced in the state.

Coming to the ground and to hockey I do remember Christopher and his elder brother Boris along with Volusiano Dourado and not forgetting our George Goes, were some of the regular faces who practiced hockey on the pebble laden grounds ahead of the intercollegiate action.

The same pebble laden grounds which we played football and cricket with the likes of Ranji trophy player and our captain Jude Cardozo and Surendra Dessai and our state level footballers Saby Antao and Feliciano Menezes.

For the Coutinho brothers Gavin and Boris, the bond with hockey has been a continuous journey and it was no stopping back even after their left college and took jobs.

“He was tough and robust Goalkeeper. He played in the goal for Don Bosco School Matunga Mumbai, Spiders Hockey Club Margao, Chowgule College, Regular Coaching Centre (RCC) Fatorda during his prime days,” recalls Volusiano Dourado.

The Coutinho’s are originally from Millevaddo, Cuncolim but were some time based in Mumbai and then came back and settled in Housing Board Margao.

Gavin made it a point to pull on the hockey jersey and make it to the hockey field playing for Margao United team and he did not mind making the long journey from his home in Margao to Peddem in Mapusa to keep the hockey fires burning.

“He played as forward for Margao United team when we won the Goa league in 2010. Since then he was our regular player whenever he was in Goa.”

His recent pictures and videos of his playing hockey which have since been posted on various WhatsApp group and social media prove this undying love for the game, which is not so popular in the state but has been kept flying high in the state by the likes of Gavin and the dedicated warriors like
Father Dominic Alvares, Alex Remedios and others like Volusiano Dourado, Glestone Fernandes who have nothing to do with official custodians of the game Goans Hockey.

And thanks to the inspiration and a role model in front of him his son Cyrus is also playing hockey and continuing his legacy.

“His son plays for Kings School, Margao,” added Volusiano Dourado.

The hockey family will certainly will miss you and will be poor sans your absence but hopefully it will inspire many young guns to take to the sport in Goa and make it popular.

Your toil and sacrifices on the hockey field will be remembered for long from the journey which started from your school days to the College level and a journey which you continued till this date.

You were the few champion of Goan hockey not for the awards and prizes you won but for the passion and dedication for the game, which went unmatched.

And he played football too and was part of the Chowgule College football team which lost to arch rivals Damordar in the Goa University inter collegiate football final, says USA-based Salle Travasso, brother of former Salgaocar Sports Club player Anthony (Tony) Travasso from Sao Jose Areal.

May the soul of Captain Christopher Gavin Coutinho, Rest in Peace.

Condolences to the family.