Central Province hockey champions

S M Jiffrey Abdeen, Kandy Sports Correspondent reporting from Matale

Central Province struck gold at hockey when they won both the men's and women's championships at the National Sports Festival organized by the Sports Ministry and worked off at the Nandimithra Ekanayake International Hockey Stadium in Matale on Sunday.

A tense battle was witnessed in the women's championship when the Central Province team were made to fight hard for victory in the finals against Western Province who played a very defensive game by having nearly nine players inside the semi circle for most part of the game to thwart Central Province from scoring. The match ended in a scoreless draw. In the penalty tie breaker system which followed Central Province won 4-2. This was the 19th successive time that the Central Province women's team had won the national championship. In fact they had won it right from the inception and never tasted defeat. This 19 successive championship title wins is a record which may be hard to beat.

Duminda Fernando and Mangala Karunaratne umpired. Earlier, in the semi-finals Central Province beat Sabaragamuwa Province 9-0 after leading 4-0 at lemons. Skipper Chathurika Wijesuriya scored 4 goals and the other goals were scored by Shanika Priyadarshani (2), Buddhika Gunaratne (1), Madushani Jayanetti (1) and Yamuna Wijesuriya (1).

Sabaragamuwa Province clinched the third place defeating Uva Province 3-2 on penalty strokes after the match ended in a scoreless draw. In the championship for men, Central Province turned the tables on the defending champions Southern Province by trouncing them 5-2. At half time the scores were deadlocked at two all. It was the stickers from Southern Province who had many players from Central Province who dominated in the first 25 minutes of play. It was Southern Province who scored first through Priyalal Sandaruwan in the 10th minute. Central Province equalized shortly afterwards through Mohamed Ghazzali.

Southern Province once again took over the lead through a goal scored by Priyalal Sandaruwan. Just before the lemons Anju Hewage sounded the boards for Central Province to draw level.

But the second half belonged to the Central Province as they punched holes in the Southern defence to score as many as 3 goals whilst conceding one.

In the second half Anju Hewage once again sounded the boards. But the sticker who really turned the game around was centre forward Prameshy N Cramer who in fading light conditions displayed speed and skilful stick work to slam two goals to put the issue beyond doubt.

S N Jayasinghe and Indika Jayawardena umpired.

North Western Province won the third spot by defeating Sabaragamuwa Province 4-3 on penalty strokes after the scores were level nil all at the end of the regulation time.