IOC boost for senior hockey nationals

(From left): B. M. D. T. B. Basnayake (Secretary SLHF), Swapan Haldar (Senior Vice-President – Lubes (M&P), P. Vishvanathan (President, SLHF), Dipak Das (Managing Director - Lanka IOC PLC), M. F. Laheer (Tournament Director SLHF), Amal Gunasekera (Working Committee Member – SLHF) and M. Manjula (SLHF)   

By Susil Premalal   

The Men’s and Women’s Senior National Hockey Championships, conducted by the Sri Lanka Hockey Federation (SLHF) and sponsored by Lanka IOC PLC for the second year will be held from January 25 to 28 at the Shalika Grounds in Narahenpita.   

A total of 15 teams will compete in the Men’s Tournament while seven teams will participate in the Women’s Tournament, SLHF President P. Vishvanathan told the Daily Mirror yesterday.   
The Senior Nationals will also serve as a trial to select the Men’s and Women’s national pool in preparation for the 2024 AHF Men’s and Women’s Championships, which will be held in February/March.   

The Defence Services HA will meet Sri Lanka Schools HA in the curtain-raiser match of the Men’s Tournament while Kandy HA will face the University HA in the opening match of the Women’s Tournament.   

In the Men’s Tournament, Defence Service HA, Sri Lanka Schools HA, Gampaha HA and Kandy HA are in Group ‘A’, Mercantile HA, Uva HA and Matara HA are in Group ‘B’, State Service HA, Matale HA, University HA and Nationalised Services HA are in Group ‘C’ while Colombo HA, Kalutara HA, Wennappuwa HA and Galle HA are in Group ‘D’.   
Meanwhile, in the Women’s Tournament, Defence Services HA, Sri Lanka University HA, Sri Lanka Schools Hockey HA and Kandy HA are in Group ‘A’ while Wennappuwa HA, Colombo HA and Matale HA are in Group ‘B’.