Negombo Youth SC and Al Hilal emerge Beach Football Champions

Bernard Perera

Negombo Youth SC and Al Hilal Vidyalaya from Negombo won the Clubs and the schools Beach Football championships to carry away the Ran FM Challenge Trophies and cash prizes in the presence of thousands of Football fans at the Negombo beach.

The tournament created an environment of a true festival and the games too were fiercely contested andwatched by spectators from all walks of life.

Eight schools and the same number of clubs teams were invited to participate in this tournament which was conducted in association with Sri Lanka Schools Football Association and sponsored by Colombo Communications Ltd, The preliminary round was played on a league basis and the final round on a knockout basis.

In the schools final Al Hilal had the home advantage and won on a tie breaker system beating much fancied De Mazenod College, Kandana. At the final whistle the match was drawn with the score reading 1-1. In the tie breaker Al Hilal got the better of the Mazenodians 4 - 3 to carry away the trophy and the cash award.

In the club championship the tournament favourites Negombo Youth SC playing good soccer gave their home town fans the maximum entertainment confronting another team from Negombo Don Bosco SC. This final was something that the spectators will remember for a long time as supporters of both teams got the opportunity of seeing their two teams engage in final of a tournament conducted by the FFSL.

The Negomop Youth and Don Bosco SC were on equal terms at the final whistle 2 -2, and the NYSC won 3-2 during the tie breaker. The winners carried away the Ran FM Trophy and a cash prize of Rs. 50,000. I. Imitiaz (Al Hilal College) and Manoj Fernando (Negombo Youth SC) club section were adjudged as Most Valuable Players and were awarded the Ran MVP Trophies.

The co-sponsors for the tournament along with Ran FM were Elephant House, Hutch Mobile, Apollo Hospitals, Keels Foods, and Scan Imports.

R.M.U. Mahindapala was the technical adviser and Rukaml Perera was the Event Director for the tournament.