Dharmaraja, Sylvesters joint champs

S.M. Jiffrey Abdeen-Kandy Sports Corr

Dharmaraja College held St. Sylvesters College to a one all draw in the finals of the Kandy District Schools boys under 13 hockey championship organized by the Kandy District Schools Hockey Association to end up as joint champions at the university grounds, Peradeniya.

A point of interest is that the Dharmaraja College hockey figured in the final of the under 13 hockey championship for the tenth successive year. Eight times they became champions, once joint champions and in one year they finished runner-up, a very remarkable record indeed.

The match started off at a hot pace with Sylvestrians having more territorial advantage but they could not pierce their opponents due to some good spoiling work by the Rajans defence.

With two minutes to go for the short blast a long clearance by the Sylvestrians saw their centre forward Yasmin Niroshan take play into the semi circle and sounded the board with a neat drive. But after the turn around the Rajans keen on wiping out the single goal deficit were seen more on the offensive.

They were rewarded almost on the stroke of time when centre half Samitha Madusanka scored to equalise.

Mangala Karunaratne and D.R.B. Dissanayake umpired.