49th National Sports Festival NWP clinches netball gold

 Netball Gold Medalists North Western Province team with officials

By Susil Premalal

North Western Province (NWP) emerged victorious in the netball tournament at the 49th National Sports Festival (NSF) 2025, held at the Kotavila National Stadium in Matara. 

This marks the first time in 14 years that a team from the North Western Province has won the prestigious NSF Netball Gold Medal.

The event, conducted under the guidance of the Ministry of Sports and the Department of Sports Development, saw the participation of netball teams representing all nine provinces of Sri Lanka.

The NWP team was coached by Amalka Gunathilaka, a renowned coach at both school and national levels, while the team captaincy was held by Dulangi Wannithilaka, former captain of the Sri Lanka team. Dulangi was also honoured with the Most Outstanding Player Award of the tournament for her exceptional performance.

In the semi-finals, Central Province defeated Southern Province 73-13 and North Western Province secured a hard-fought win over Western Province 65-49, setting the stage for a thrilling final between North Western and Central.

The final was closely contested, with NWP narrowly defeating Central by two points, 50-48, to claim the gold medal.
The North Western squad consisted of Dulangi Wannithilaka, Rukshala Hapuarachchi, Ishara Dharmasri, Chalani Neesha, Sanduni Bandara, Tania Gunasekara, Nithasha Dias, Sarani Samarakoon, Janudi de Silva, Tumalka Ekanayake, Bhashi Udagedara and Malsha Ratnayake.