Sri Lanka veterans win inaugural International Masters Hockey Cup

Jubilant Sri Lanka Maroons veteran team with International Masters Cup

Back row (from left): Thilina Perera, SLMHA Secretary Duncan Devendra, Captain Nadith Kudagama, Coach Ashok Peries, Mercantile Hockey Association Former President – Guest of Honour Dennis de Rozairo, Cargills Convenient Foods MD – Chief Guest Pirasanth Sivagnanam, SLMHA President Fouzul Hameed, Manager Ananda Silva, Ishanka Jayasundera

Middle row: Antony Suresh Kumar, Shihar Aneez, Damith Panditharatne, Maithri Ranasinghe, Sameera Wijekoon, Anju Hewage, Sameera Perera, Pramesh Cramer, Sandun Gajanayake

Front row: Sanjay Edgar Uduwara, Harendra Dharmarathna, Asanka Welagedara, Narada Perera, Rasiah Sathya Janagan (Shakthi) 

Sri Lanka Masters’ hockey teams led by former national striker Nadith Kudagama emerged unbeaten champions by defeating Dubai Hockey Club by 4-0 in the first ever Cargills International Masters Hockey Cup concluded on Saturday at Colombo Astro Turf.

The unbeaten Sri Lanka Maroons team aggressively attacked from the start of the game in the three-day tournament. 

The host team scored its first goal through a penalty corner at the second minute of the game by former army forward Asanka Welagedara. Later his ex-army colleague Harendra Dharmarathna scored the second goal at the eighth minute of the game, also off a penalty corner. 

Sri Lankan veteran team consisting mostly former national hockey players led the final by 2-0 at the lemons. 

The Dubai Hockey Club consisting expatriate players had three scoring opportunities including from the solitary penalty corner it was awarded in the second half though it was dominated by Sri Lankan veterans. 

In the second half, Welagedara increased the host team’s lead by 3-0 at the fourth minute of the second half through a field goal. Two minutes later, former Sri Lanka skipper and ex-army player Ishanka Jayasundera sealed the historic 4-0 victory for the hosts. 

Harendra Dharmarathna was adjudged player of the final for his impressive stick work and excellent penalty corner goal. 

 The 13-game tournament completely played under the newly fixed lights saw six veteran teams participating including two from the United Arab Emirates, one from India, one from Oman, and two from the host nation. 

Sri Lanka Maroons outclassed against all its opponents. The team, coached by former ex-national Ashok Pieris and managed by Ananda Silba, won against the Oman team in the opener by 4-0, but later had a scoreless draw with the same team. It won against the second UAE team, Dubai Hockey Club B team, by 4-0 in the both games it played. 

Dubai Hockey Club A team won against Indian team by 1-0 before having a scoreless draw with the same team, while defeated Sri Lanka Gold team by 2-1 in the second day of the game before having a 1-1 draw with the same team on the last day. 

The tournament saw over 120 international players with 80 foreign players amid an attempt to start positioning Sri Lanka as a vibrant sport tourism destination. 

The inaugural International Masters Hockey Cup is organised by Sri Lanka Masters Hockey Association (SLMHA) with Cargills partnering as the main sponsor while Hameedia’s and UTN London were the co-sponsors. The landmark tournament, which was the first international hockey event since 2016 in Sri Lanka, marked a new chapter in Sri Lanka’s sporting history, bringing together four international teams. 

The event showcased top-tier Masters-level hockey and ignited renewed enthusiasm for the sport among the younger generation. 

The SLMHA also organised a Schools hockey carnival with the participation of St. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia, St. Joseph’s College, Colombo 10, Ananda College, Colombo 10, and St. Benedict’s College under Boys’ category along with Museaus College, Colombo 7 and Janathipathi Balika Vidyalaya in the Girls’ category.