Central Province showcase absolute hockey dominance

The Best of the Best: Vikum Karunaratne and Shehani Fernando 

By Susil Premalal

Rising stars from the Central Province, Vikum Karunaratne and Shehani Fernando, stole the spotlight at the 49th National Sports Festival (NSF) by pocketing the Best Male and Female Hockey Player awards.
Both players also captained their respective teams to a double hockey championship victory at the inter-provincial event, organised by the Ministry of Sports and the Department of Sports Development at the hockey turf at Torrington in Colombo.
In a show of complete dominance, Central Province won both the men’s and women’s titles as the men’s team defeated Western Province 5-0 while the women’s team secured a 2-0 victory over the same Western Province in the finals. 
In the semi-finals, the Central Province men’s team edged past North Western Province 1-0, while Western Province overcame Southern Province 3-1 to book their place in the final. In the women’s segment, Western Province thrashed North Western Province 7-1, and Central Province earned their slot by defeating Southern Province 2-0.
Southern Province claimed third place in both the men’s and women’s tournaments, highlighting consistent performance across both divisions. Notably in the final rankings, Central, Western, Southern and North Western Provinces, were identical across both men’s and women’s categories, showcasing a unique balance in the provincial standings.