Former Mumbai and Tata Sports Club hockey stalwart, Avitus D’Cruz, 81, passed away on Sunday. D’Cruz was a centre of attraction during the well-contested Bombay Gold Cup editions held in the city in the 1960s and 1970s.

Former India captain MM Somaya called him a “lion-heart centre-half” who he particularly remembers stretching every sinew and dominating in the Tata SC-Border Security Force (Jalandhar) final in 1969 when both teams shared the honours. D’Cruz wrote the book, Goans in Sport in 2012.