Royal aiming to stick to their guns
For eleven years the Blue and Gold Hockey Sevens has acted as an assembly for the country’s top school talent in a unique format of the sport, which brings with it a broader berth of competition and excitement than its conventional incarnation. This year’s tournament too, which is set to ignite on October 12, will once again see a slew of geographically distant teams converge at the Royal College grounds for a fresh chapter of fast-paced and exhilarating hockey Sevens action.
Tournament organizers, Royal College revealed that this year’s championship is expected to draw 58 girls and boys school from across the island, with a projected 600 players likely to tussle for the title.
“It has produced a lot of quality players in the Sevens arena. It has improved their skills and because it is open there is wide
Royal College hockey captain Shahid Hussain officially hands over the Blue and Gold Trophy to his principal Upali Gunasekara. - Pic by Hasitha Kulasekara
competition; teams from Batticaloa and Jaffna come in and compete,” says Thushara Hettihamu, a member of the Royal College Hockey Club (RCHC), which is tasked with putting the tournament together.
“This allows for the development of the game. It gives teams an opportunity to play with the best and come out on top against them. It also creates a platform for Sevens players in our country to develop.”
He stressed that the RCHC constantly seeks to work towards expanding and improving the competition by adding new and clever features to it, such as the inclusion of Facebook in the tournament’s coverage.
Apart from successfully hosting the competition, Royal College will also be seeking to extend its dominant three-year reign as champions. Last year, Royal beat Vijaya College Matale 2-1 in a pulsating Cup final and will be expected to produce a similarly superlative showing in their home tournament this year too.
Wesley College strode into third position after their consolation clash against St. Thomas’ Matale drifted to a penalty shootout, which they claimed 3-1 after both sides were unable to break the shackles during a goalless regulation time.
The girls’ segment saw Pushpadana Girls’ College, Kandy craft a spectacular 4-1 upset over Janadhipathi Balika Vidyalaya following a sensational hat-trick by Jeewanthi Jayarathne.
In the third place game, Seethadevi knocked in a single goal against Panadura Balika to struggle to victory.
This year’s competition will be split into two phases, the first of which will be a preliminary round where teams will be funneled into eight groups. The winners and runners-up from each of these groups will then proceed to the competition’s second phase, which will be played on a knockout basis.
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