Joes emerge Joint Plate champs with Vidyartha
View(s):The St. Joseph’s College Under-18 hockey team was crowned as joint Plate champions alongside Vidyartha College, Kandy, after adverse weather conditions and bad light prevented play at the All-Island Hockey Tournament held in Wennappuwa. Under the leadership Mark Ruiz Victoria, the Joes delivered an impressive performance in the group stages, winning four out of their five matches.
During the group phase,
St. Joseph’s dominated their opponents with decisive victories. They triumphed 3-0 over Aloysius College, Galle, beat Royal College, Colombo 2-0, and claimed a 2-0 win against Hindu College, Matale. They also managed a hard-fought 1-0 win over Kingswood College, Kandy.
St. Joseph’s Under-18 hockey team
However, the Joes suffered a 0-2 defeat at the hands of St. Joseph Vaz College in their final group match, but this setback did not prevent them from advancing to the Cup quarter-finals. In the quarter-finals, they were narrowly defeated by eventual champions, Trinity College, with a 2-1 scoreline.
In the Plate semi-finals, St. Joseph’s bounced back with a gritty 2-1 victory over Prince of Wales College, securing their place in the final. However, due to the weather disruptions, the tournament ended with the Joes being declared joint champions along with Vidyartha College, Kandy. The team is coached by Shane Ratnam and Kavindu Nayomal with Upali Rathnayake as the Master-in-Charge.