Twenty six teams for Under 15 hockey tourney

Sanjaya Ariyaratne

Seventeen boys teams and nine girls teams will battle it out in the Colombo Inter Schools Hockey Tournament for Boys and Girls under 15 conducted by the Colombo Schools Hockey Association which will be commenced on May 7 with the finals scheduled for May 8.

All matches will be played at the Astro Turf, Reid Avenue, Colombo. Singer `Sisil' a foremost promoter in hockey in Sri Lanka is the main sponsor for this event.

The championship will be conducted on round robin basis with two groups each for boys and girls categories. The last year champions Nalanda College will defend their title this time where they will play in group `A' which features altogether nine teams.

The other teams in the group `A' boys are St. Benedict's College, Wesley College, St. Peter's College, St. Joseph's College, President College, Maharagama, Zahira College, Colombo, Dharmapala Vidyalaya, Pannipitiya and Isipatana College.

Royal College which emerged runners up last year compete in the group `B' with D. S. Senanayake College, Hindu College, Ananda College, Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa, Asoka College, Mahanama College and Sri Sumangala College, Panadura which will be making their debut in this event. Visakha Vidyalaya will be hoping to retain their title for the second successive year but will face stiff opposition from Ladies College, Musaeus College and Bishop's College in the group A.

Competing in the group B last year runner up Gothami Vidyalaya will be up against Yasodhara Balika Vidyalaya, Janadhipathi Vidyalaya, Nawala, Srimavo BMV and Sri Sumanagala BMV, Panadura who are taking part in this tournament for the first time.