Silver can be expected from women’s hockey team
Women’s team
The coaches of the Sri Lanka Hockey team – Anuruddha Herath Bandara (men) and G.G. Dharmaratne (women) spoke confidently that their teams will do well at the South Asian Games.
Men’s team coach Anuruddha Herath Bandara said that in 2006 Sri Lanka bagged a Bronze medal at the SAG held in Sri Lanka and prior to that Sri Lanka occupied fourth place at the SAG held in Madras. In 2010 Sri Lanka failed to obtain a place in the last edition of the SAG in Bangladesh.
The skippers of the Sri Lanka teams (men and women) are Nalantha de Silva and Madhara Dharmaratne. Both are from the Sri Lanka Navy.
“Since we have not been taking part in the SAG for the last ten years, the lads are fresh and have trained hard and I expect them to do well at the SAG in this year,” said Anuruddha Herath Bandara.
In 2015 since the Sri Lanka Hockey Federation was inactive Sri Lanka did not take part in any international tournaments there were no local tournaments and even a proper national pool was formed.
“The Sri Lanka team had only two weeks training. Both the men and women’s team possesses talented players. We can rely on these players to do their best. We are unaware of the draw of the SAG competition and we are also unsure of who are our opponents are.
Men’s team
“There is the hope of winning a Silver medal in the women’s competition.
This is the first time that a women’s competition is held in the SAG and the very reason that Pakistan and Bangladesh have not fielded teams for the competitions which gives Sri Lanka hopes of Silver.
There is the hope that Sri Lanka can topple Nepal and come into the final to clash with India in the final,” concluded Anuruddha Herath Bandara .
Anuruddha is a national hockey player and a first class hockey umpire in Sri Lanka.
There was a courts order to the Sri Lanka team regarding team selections and before a solution could be found to it the Sri Lanka hockey team took wing to India on Friday morning.
| Tearms: Men: T.D. Ratnasiri, T.K. Hendeniya,.M.I.K. JayasundaraN.D. de Silva, D.B. Dissanayake, D.M. Wijesinghe, P.K. Hendeniya, T.I. Gunawardana, A.D. Ratnasiri, P.K. Dharmaratne, D.M. Bandara, L.G. Weerasooriya, S.S. Priyalanka, R.D. Kulathunghe, L.H. Nanayakkara, C.A. Welagedara, S.N. Gunawardhana, A.P. Fernando Women: G.J. Keerthiratne, S.M. Eleperuma, G.P. Nilmini, H.S. Wickramasinghe, G.K.K. Aberatne, Shanika Prabashini, Prarthana Upeksha, G.G. Damayanthi, D.T. Ekanayake, M.V. Dharmaratne, Y.A. Wijesooriya, I.D. Weeabahu, C.J. Wijesooriya, N.M. Jayanethi, K.S. Jayarathne, C.T. Themiyadasa, L.K. Gunarathne, C.D. Premasiri Officials: A.H. Bandara (Men’s Coach), G.G. Dharmaratne (Women’s Coach), P.C. Lanarol (Women’s Asst. Coach), G.R. Fernando (Men’s Manager), Sunethra Rupasinghe (Women’s Manager), A.D. Gamage (Messier), Lakshman Abeygunawardana (Bench Official), Muhammad Akhlaq (Consultant Coach). |