The Dialog Junior National Netball Championship 2023 took place at the D. S. Senananayake College Grounds, Colombo on the 17th and 18th of February 2024.
The tournament was brought to life with the participation of 27 institutions representing an array of districts from around the country. While the first stages of the tournament and the quarter finals took place on the 17th, the Semi finals, Third place and the Final matches were carried out on the 18th.
The tournament was initially played in a Round robin draw. 8 groups were divided, from which the winners proceeded to the quarter finals. The following teams were those that ascended to the quarter finals,
Group A – SLS (A)
Group B – Kurunegala (B) Group C – Kurunegala (A) Group D – Galle (B) Group E – Galle (A)
Group F – Gampaha (A) Group G – Kandy (A) Group H – SLS (B)
The teams representing Kurunegala (A), Kandy, SLS (B) and Kurunegala (B), had the opportunity to battle in the semi finals, where the winner of the two matches qualified for the finals, and the remainder battled to secure the third place. The results of the semi final matches were as follows,
Kurunegala (A) beat SLS (B) ~ 26-12 Kandy (A) beat Kurunegala (B) ~ 18-15
After an intense 40 minutes of play, team Kurunegala (B) managed to secure the title for the second runner up at the third place match.
The final showdown for the championship title was undertaken by Netchamps squad Kurunegala and Hillwood College Kandy, and was played in 4 of 10 minute quarters. Both teams consisting of experienced national players, clashed for the glory of the junior national netball title. Although starting off with a simple lead of one goal, (6-5) Netchamps Kurunegala, at the end of 40 minutes of play, managed to beat Hillwood College with an astounding score of 25 – 17, taking with them the grand champion title, whereas Hillwood College settled for a runner up this year.
The following players who lit the court with their skill in shooting, defense and play, were felicitated for their remarkable performance at the prize distribution.
Best Shooter – G. P. S. Kariyawasam (Netchamps Kurunegala)
Best Center Court Player – B. A. Dewasinghe (Netchamps Kurunegala) Best Defense Player – Kavindi Athauda (Hillwood College Kandy) Netball Queen – Neesha Chalani (Netchamps Kurunegala)
