Western Province men and women clinch basketball titles

Best Players: Rukshan Athapaththu (men) and Melani Perera

By Susil Premalal

Western Province men’s and women’s basketball teams emerged champions at the 49th National Sports Festival (NSF) Inter-Province Basketball Championship 2025 at the Kotavila Indoor Stadium in Matara. 

In the men’s final, Western Province outclassed Northern Province with a dominant 101-48 victory, while in the women’s final, Western Province defeated Northern Province 57-42 to secure the double. 

Both winning teams produced the best players of the tournament with Rukshan Athapaththu from the men’s side and Melani Perera from the women’s side receiving the individual awards for outstanding performances. 

Central Province secured third place in both men’s and women’s categories.

In the men’s semifinals, Northern Province overcame Eastern Province 68-59 while Western Province beat Central Province 72-40 to reach the final. 

In the women’s semifinals, Northern Province defeated Central Province 49-27 while Western Province cruised past Eastern Province with a convincing 79-23 win. The tournament highlighted the dominance of Western Province basketball with their men and women both claiming top honors.

Western Province men’s team

Western Province women’s team