The under-16hockey team from Isipathana College was crowned as joint cup champions alongside Vidyartha College, Kandy, after adverse weather conditions and bad light prevented play at the All-Island Hockey Tournament held in Uyanwatta Grounds, Matara, across four consecutive days. In the girls’ championship, Musaeus College, Colombo, and Holy Family Convent, Wennappuwa, were the joint champions under the same circumstances.
There was a great number of participants in this year’s tournament, as it featured 55 boy’s teams and 29 girl’s teams who vied for the all-island glory. In the preliminary round, the teams were pooled into the following groups.
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- Thomians and President’s Girls reign supreme at All-Island U20 Hockey Championship
BOYS “A” DIVISION POOLS
GROUP “A” – Vijaya College, Matale, Prince of Wales’ College, Moratuwa, Dharmadutha College, Badulla, D. S. Senanayake College, Colombo
GROUP “B” – Dharmaraja College, Kandy, Trinity College, Kandy, Maris Stella College, Negombo, Jaffna College, Vaddukoddai
GROUP “C” – President’s College, Maharagama, St. Sylvester College, Kandy, St. Benedict’s College, Colombo, St. Peter’s College, Colombo
GROUP “D” – Isipathana College, Colombo, St. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia, St. Aloysius’ College, Galle, Hindu College, Matale,
GROUP “E” – St. Thomas’ College, Matale, St. Joseph’s College, Colombo, Vidyartha College, Kandy, Vidyaloka College, Galle,
GROUP “F” – Elwala Maha Vidyalaya, Ukuwela, Ananda College, Colombo, St. Anthony’s College, Kandy, Maris Stella College, Thimbirigaskatuwa
GROUP “G” – Zahira College, Matale, Royal College, Colombo, Kingswood College, Kandy, Mahinda College, Galle
GROUP “H” – St. Joseph Vaz College, Wennappuwa, Nalanda College, Colombo, Manikdiwela Vidyalaya, Kandy, Richmond College, Galle
GIRLS “A” DIVISION POOLS
GROUP “A” – Janadhipathi Balika Maha Vidyalaya, Nawala, Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo, Mahamaya Girls’ College, Kandy, Wattegama Balika Maha Vidyalaya, Sangamitta Balika Vidyalaya, Galle
GROUP “B” – Holy Family Convent, Wennappuwa, Panadura Balika Vidyalaya, Panadura, Swarnamali Balika Vidyalaya, Kandy, Girls’ High School, Kandy, Musaeus College, Colombo,
GROUP “C” – Seethadevi Girls’ College, Kandy, Christ Church College, Matale, Pushpadana Girls’ College, Kandy, Ladies’ College, Colombo, Southlands College, Galle
GROUP “D” – Rangiri Dambulla National School, St. Anthony’s Girls’ College, Kandy, Sri Sangamitta Girls’ National School, Matale, Yashodara Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo, Ihalagoda Sri Sumangala Vidyalaya, Galle
BOYS “B” DIVISION POOLS
GROUP “T” – Tenna Maha Vidyalaya, Matale, Sri Dharmaloka College, Kelaniya, Royal College, Panadura, Vijitha Central College, NiyagamaGROUP “J” – Rangiri Dambulla National School, Ashoka Vidyalaya, Colombo, Labuduwa Siridhamma College Galle, Upananda College, Walahanduwa
GROUP “K” – Sri Dharmapala College, Pannipitiya, Bandaranayake College, Gampaha, Uva College, Badulla, Medagama Maha Vidyalaya, Polonnaruwa
GROUP “L” – St. Thomas’ College, Matara, Zahira College, Colombo, St. Thomas’ College, Gurutalawa, Kegalu Vidyalaya, Kegalle
GIRLS “B” DIVISION
GROUP “E” – Rahula College, Katugastota, CWW Kannangara Maha Vidyalaya, Gampaha, St. Paul’s Girls’ School, Milagiriya, Medagama Maha Vidyalaya, Polonnaruwa
GROUP “F” – Kengalla Maha Vidyalaya, Kengalla, Rathnawali Balika Vidyalaya, Gampaha, Pannipitiya Dharmapala Vidyalaya, St. Thomas Girls’ School, Matara, Yasodara Balika Vidyalaya, Monaragala
BOYS “C” DIVISION POOLS
GROUP “M” – Richard Pathirana College, Uluwitike, Pahatha Dumbara Vidyalaya, Kandy, Kengalla Vidyalaya, Kandy, Zahira College, Mawanella
GROUP “N” – Sri Medhankara College, Galle, Sri Parakrama National College, Rattota, St. Thomas’ College, Bandarawela,
One of the finalists, Vidyartha College, was pooled in the toughest group of the tournament, and they managed to beat Vidyaloka College, Galle (01 – 00), and St Joseph’s College, Colombo (02 – 00), respectively. During the crucial game of the pool stage, they went down to one of the title contenders, St Thomas’ College Matale, with a 1-0 goal margin.
Still, Vidyartha Tigers marched into the pre-quarterfinals as the second-placed team in their group. There, they crushed the fancied Royal College with a 02-nil goal margin. In the quarter finals Vidyartha had a tough challenge from Maris Stella College, Negombo, and both sides failed to score. Then the determined Tigers clinched a victory in a penalty shootout (with a 05 – 04 score margin) to secure their place in the semifinal. In the tense semifinals, Tigers had a great challenge from Vijaya College, Matale, but they held their nerve to clinch a victory at penalty strokes.
Thomians from Matale managed to start their campaign with flying colours by beating St Joseph’s College, Colombo (06 – 00), Vidyartha College, Kandy (01 – 00), and Vidyaloka College, Galle (03 – 00), respectively, by keeping their unbeaten tag intact in the preliminary round. But unfortunately most of their players were victims of a viral flu, which hindered their opportunities. Hence, in the prequarter final, they lost their fine rhythm and went down to hometown rivals, Zahira College, Matale, with 05 – 04 goals at the penalty strokes after a goalless encounter.
The other finalist, Isipathana College, started the tournament with a positive mind and stamped three consecutive victories against St Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia (01 – 00), St Aloysius’ College, Galle (03 – 01), and Hindu College, Matale (01 – 00) in the preliminary round. In the pre-quarterfinals they clashed with the Maristella College Thimbirigaskotuwa, and they managed to win 04-03 in the penalty strokes after a one-all game at the full-time whistle. Isipathana brigade sent Presidents College Maharagama home with a 01-00 victory. In the semifinals they clashed against the giant-killing Zahira outfit, who came from Matale. It also was an acid test for the Green Brigade, and they held their nerve, pinching a 05 – 04 victory at the penalty strokes.
In the girl’s competition, the title contenders, Holy Family Convent, Wennappuwa side, came up with a spirited performance by starting their campaign on a positive note by thrashing Kandy Girl’s High School with a 05 – 00 goal margin. They earned three consecutive ties in the rest of their preliminary round games (against Panadura Balika 01 – 01, Swarnamali College, Kandy 00 – 00, and Musaeus College 00 – 00) and qualified for the quarter-finals.
In the quarterfinals they beat Sangamitta Balika Vidyalaya, Galle, with a score margin of 03 – 02 at the penalty strokes. Wennappuwa Familians secured their place in the finals after edging out Seethadevi College, Kandy, with a solitary goal in the semi-finals.
The other finalist, Musaeus College, Colombo, displayed their grit and kept their unbeaten tag intact by beating Panadura Balika Vidyalaya 01 – 00 and Kandy Girl’s High School 02 – 00. Further, they had a couple of tied games against Swarnamali College, Kandy (00 – 00) and HFC Wennappuwa (00 – 00).
In the quarterfinals, the Colombo-based stickers beat Yashodhara Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo, with a 01 – 00 goal margin, and later they secured their position in the finals with a thumping win over Janadhipathi Balika Vidyalaya, Nawala (02 – 00), in the semi-finals.
Though Isipathana College, Vidyartha College, Kandy, HFC Wennappuwa and Musaeus College reached the finals by showcasing their attacking flair and tactical discipline, the finals of the tournament were washed out due to the adverse weather conditions and bad light. Hence, the finalists were declared as the joint champions of this all-island championship.
The finals of the B division segment had the same fate with the weather. Hence, St Thomas’ College, Matara, and Upananda College, Galle, were declared as the joint champions of the boy’s B division tournament. Meanwhile, Rathnavali Balika Vidyalaya, Gampaha, and Medagama Maha Vidyalaya, Polonnaruwa, have also been declared as the joint champions of the girls’ B division tournament. The tournament was organised by the Sri Lanka School’s Hockey Association.
