Nagesh Singh with the cup at the Jorhat Gymkhana Club on Sunday. Telegraph picture

Jorhat, May 27: A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it was not enough for Jorhat Gymkhana Club. Nothing but the real thing would suffice and finally the club got back the Becc Dunlop Cup — the oldest gold cup in the state — after winning the golf tournament.

Becc Dunlop Company Limited — a supply firm to tea companies during the British era — had donated the cup to Jorhat Gymkhana Club more than a century ago. But it has been in the possession of the Assam Branch Indian Tea Association (Abita) for several decades now.On many occasions, trophies once won are never returned. So, Abita only allows winners to be photographed with the cup. But, when Jorhat Gymkhana Club won the tournament played at Sonari in Sivasagar, it would not settle for anything less than taking the trophy home.

“The Gymkhana Club is the rightful owner of the cup since it was donated to it. This is (a) homecoming for the priceless trophy. From now on the tournament for the particular trophy will be held at Jorhat Gymkhana Club,” golf captain of Jorhat Gymkhana Club, Nagesh Singh, told The Telegraph today.

The golf tournament for the Becc Dunlop Cup was introduced by the British to commemorate the coronation of Edward VII on June 26, 1902. Goldsmith and Silversmith Company of London made the trophy. The first winner of the cup was C.M. Hutchinsun (1903), the then in-charge of the Heelika Experimental Station, which was later renamed as Tocklai Experimental Station and shifted to its present location near Gymkhana Club.

Although there are no known records of how the trophy went into the possession of the ABITA Zone-II, the golf tournament for the trophy has been held regularly at Sonari.

After the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, the Jorhat Gymkhana golf course, established in 1876, is the second oldest golf course outside the British islands.

Abita Zone-II secretary Abhijit Sarma said the tea association is in possession of several such British-era trophies and has been organising tournaments regularly among tea planters, members of various clubs and defence personnel — who are honorary members of these clubs.

“Abita sponsors these tournaments under the Planters Amenities Fund,” he said.

On the Becc Dunlop Cup, Sarma said Gymkhana Club had been claiming the trophy belongs to them and they want to host the tournament from now on. “However, we have not decided on this,” he added.

In the past, golfers from Jorhat Gymkhana Club had won the cup several times but had remained unhappy with nothing to show for their efforts other than a few photographs with this priceless trophy.