The inaugural edition of the “Nomads Super 9’s Men’s and Women’s Hockey Tournament” was held at the Sri Lanka Hockey Federation Astro Turf over the last weekend. After an intense competition, the Men’s and Women’s outfits from the Wennappuwa Hockey Club showcased incredible skill to clinch the titles, displaying some unforgettable hockey action.
The tournament was organised by the Nomads Hockey Club, and 17 top-quality Hockey clubs (13 Men’s and 4 Women’s teams) in the island were featured in the event, which gave a novel experience to local Hockey enthusiasts.
In the preliminary round of the Men’s segment, the teams were drawn into four groups as follows.
Group A – Royal College HC, Old Cambrians HC, Old Bens SC, Old Zahira SC
Group B – Old Nalandians HC, Singhe HC, Old Asokians HC
Group C – Old Joes HC, KDU, Old Thomians HU
Group D – Wennappuwa HC, CH & FC, SLIIT
As the powerhouses in the Sri Lanka domestic hockey arena, Royal College HC, Old Nalandians HC, Old Joes HC, and Wennappuwa HC secured their places in the Quarter Finals with an unbeaten record. Further, Old Cambrians HC, Singhe HC, KDU and CH & FC sides also walked into the Quarter Finals as the Runners-Up of the respective groups.
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There, Royal College HC, Wennappuwa HC, Old Nalandians cruised into the Semi Finals by posting victories over CH & FC, Old Cambrians HC and KDU respectively. The 4th Quarter Final was an acid test for Old Joes and Singhe HC, as they failed to score until the full-time whistle. However, the lads from Old Joes held their nerve to win at the crucial penalty strokes.
In the Cup Semi Finals, CH & FC and Wennappuwa HC showcased their class with comprehensive victories over Old Nalandians HC and Old Joes HC respectively. Further, the Royal College HC outfit and Old Cambrians HC secured their spots in the Bowl Final after beating the Singhe HC and KDU sides.
In the high-stake Men’s Final, the fancied CH & FC side clashed heavily with high-riding Wennappuwa HC. With some eye-catching passes, Wennappuwa HC took the upper hand in the game and earned back-to-back penalty corners during the initial phase. Without wasting much time, the lads from Wennappuwa managed to open the scoring. After a few minutes Wennappuwa HC launched a brilliant attack from the left corner and brought the ball towards the goal to score their second. While the Wennappuwa lads were cruising to a victory, the determined red shirts from CH & FC opened up the game by scoring their first by following a penalty corner. While CH were searching for an equalizer, Wennappuwa HC managed to defend well with some solid blocks. Then the Wennappuwa lads put the final nail in the coffin for the CH by scoring their third with some magnificent passes followed by a strong reverse sweep into the nets.
In the Women’s segment, KDU, Nomads HC, Wennappuwa HC (Women’s) and Visakha Vidyalaya HC battled it out for the glory. The lasses from Wennappuwa were outstanding throughout their matches and cruised into the Final with an unbeaten record. There was a penalty stroke play to decide the other finalist, as the hosts and Visakhians ended with the same points. The Old Visakhians rallied with accurate flicks into the net, while their goalkeeper delivered some magical saves to secure a crucial win to keep them in the title hunt.
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There was an electric clash in the Finals as spirited lasses from Visakha Vidyalaya HC met the heavily favoured Wennappuwa HC. The lasses from the coastal town delivered a thunderous statement by toppling talented Visakhians with a couple of unanswered goals to clinch the title.
This remarkable twin victory is a testament to the skill, determination, and teamwork of the teams from Wennappuwa, as they conquered from the start of the tournament to the final cheer, conceding only a solitary goal in the tournament while scoring a goal bag of fourteen. The victorious Wennappuwa Men’s outfit was steered by the talented striker Tharaka Indrajith, while the champion Women’s side from the same town was captained by the stylish player Sithmi Nicoll.
Preliminary Round Results
Old Zahira SC 01 – 01 Old Bens SC
Old Cambrians HC 02 – 00 Royal College HC
Wennappuwa HC 01 – 00 CH & FC
Old Asokians HC 00 – 01 Old Nalandians HC
Old Thomians HU 00 – 01 Old Joes HC
Old Bens SC 01 – 00 Old Cambrians HC
Old Zahira SC 00 – 01 Royal College HC
Wennappuwa HC 01 – 00 SLIIT
Old Asokians HC 00 – 01 Singhe HC
Old Thomians HU 00 – 01 KDU
Old Bens SC 00 – 01 Royal College HC
Old Zahira SC 00 – 00 Old Cambrians HC
CH & FC 02 – 01 SLIIT
Old Nalandians HC 01 – 00 Singhe HC
Old Joes 01 – 00 KDU
Nomads HC 00 – 00 Visakha Vidyalaya HC (Women’s)
Wennappuwa HC 02 – 00 Nomads HC (Women’s)
Wennappuwa HC 02 – 00 Visakha Vidyalaya HC (Women’s)
Visakha Vidyalaya HC went to the Final after penalty strokes (1st set 02 – 02, 2nd set 01 – 00)
Quarter Finals
Royal College HC 00 – 02 CH & FC
Wennappuwa HC 01 – 00 Old Cambrians HC
Old Nalandians 02 – 00 HC KDU
Old Joes HC 00 – 00 Singhe HC (Old Joes won on penalty strokes as 02 – 01)
Bowl Semi Finals
Royal College HC 00 – 00 KDU (KDU won on penalty strokes as 03 – 01)
Old Cambrians HC 02 – 01 Singhe HC
Cup Semi Finals
CH & FC 01 – 00 Old Nalandians HC
Wennappuwa HC 02 – 00 Old Joes HC
Bowl Final
Old Cambrians HC 02 – 00 KDU
Plate Final
Old Nalandians HC 01 – 01 Old Joes HC (Old Nalandians won on penalty strokes as 02 – 01)
Men’s Cup Final
Wennappuwa HC 03 – 01 CH & FC
Women’s Cup Final
Wennappuwa HC 02 – 00 Visakha Vidyalaya HC
Men’s Best Player – Bhathiya Alwis
Best Goal Keeper – Ishara Kulathunga
Women’s Best Player – Nipuni Ishara
The Champions – Wennappuwa HC men’s team
The Champions – Wennappuwa HC women’s team
Plate Champions – Old Nalandians HC
