Kingswood - Kandy District men's hockey champions

S.M. Jiffrey Abdeen Kandy Sports Correspondent

In a bitterly fought out home and home contest Kingswood College, Kandy, edged out Old Kingswoodians Sports Club 1-0 to become champions at the inaugural Men's Open Hockey Tournament conducted by the Kandy District Sports Development in the finals played at Police grounds, Kandy. At half time there was no scoring.

Though played in the fading light, both teams played with gusto and the battle for supremacy prevailed and finally it was the youthful Kingswood College stickers emerged winners.

The winning goal came in the final minute of play when skipper Raj Mohan scooped the ball to beat the Kingswood Club custodian who probably could not have sighted ball in the poor light conditions.

G.B. Dissanayake and Mangala Karunaratne umpired.

In the semi finals Kingswood College defeated Old Sylvesters Hockey Club 1-0 (K.D. Priyantha 1) and Old Kinswoodians Sports Club beat University of Peradeniya (A.B. Godigamuwa 1).

Old Sylvesters Hockey Club clinched the third place defeating University of Peradeniya 1-0. Before the commencement of the finals the two teams were introduced to the Guests of Honour Senior Vice President Deva Amunugama, SP Prisons Pallekelle Tissa Jayasinghe and Sunil Munasinghe.

The results of other matches played were Old St. Sylvesters Hockey Club beat Vidyartha College 2-0. Green Park SC beat Menikdiwela Central College 4-0, Sri Sumangala College beat KH & FC 'B' 2-0, Old St. Sylvesters Hockey Club beat Asgiriya SC 2-0, Anniewatte SC beat Green Park SC 3-0, KH & FC 'A' beat Sri Sumangala College 3-0, Vidyartha College drew with Asgiriya SC 0-0, Anniewatte SC beat Menikdiwela Central College 1-0, Sri Sumangala College 'A' beat Sri Sumangala College 'B' 2-0, Old Vidyartha SC drew with Dharmaraja College 0-0, Trinity College beat Asoka Vidyalaya 2-0, Old Kingswoodians SC drew Old Sylvesters HC 0-0, Old Vidyartha SC beat Hindu SC 5-0, University of Peradeniya beat Menikdiwela Central College 6-0, Dharmaraja College beat Hindu SC 3-0.

A total of 24 teams participated in this tournament for the Kandy District Sports Development Foundation Presidents Trophy held for the first.

The President of the Kandy District Sports Foundation General Anuruddha Ratwatte said that the objective of the Foundation is to promote, develop and popularise sports in the district and to take all sports to the rural areas with the passage of time. They have conducted tournaments for all sports and this is the first time they had conducted the hockey tournament. Next they will be conducting a hard ball cricket tournament for schools in Kandy at which top schools from Kandy will participate at the invitation of the Foundation.

The champions Kingswood College team was made up of K.D. Priyantha (Captain), M.S. Ali, M.V. Bandara, V.G. Raj Mohan, N.R. Ubeysiri, A.R.G. Gunatillake, S.M. Fernando, L.D. Gunatillake, S.K. Ubeysiri, M.Z. Ali (A.B. Godigamuwa Coach).