Sports
Record-breaking turnout for 18th Blue and Gold Hockey 7s
Sixty-six school hockey teams are competing in the 18th edition of the Blue and Gold Hockey 7s, organized by the Royal College Hockey Club at the Royal College grounds on Saturday (12) and Sunday (13).
Addressing a press conference in Colombo, Damitha Silva, Secretary of the Royal College Hockey Club (RCHC), mentioned that the tournament is being held after a lapse of years, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic followed by the country’s economic crisis. It is expected to provide a unique opportunity for young players to display their skills and talents. The tournament will feature intense competition, excitement, sportsmanship, and camaraderie, creating a carnival atmosphere over the two days of the event.
Since its inception, the Blue and Gold Hockey Sevens has become a cornerstone event in the local sporting calendar, attracting hockey enthusiasts, players, and teams from across the country.
Named the ESOFT Blue and Gold Hockey 7s after its title sponsor, ESOFT higher educational network, the tournament will include 146 matches over the two days, featuring Cup, Plate, and Bowl finals in both boys’ and girls’ categories, according to Silva. The event will involve 42 boys’ teams and 24 girls’ teams from schools across the country.
Silva expressed gratitude to the main sponsor, ESOFT, and others who have extended their assistance to elevate this year’s tournament to the highest level in Blue and Gold Sevens history. He stated that this year’s event promises to be bigger, better, and more exciting than ever before, with the participation of 66 teams and thanks to the support from Platinum Sponsor NDB Bank, Gold sponsors MINEL LANKA, CIAP, SPECVISION (PVT) LTD, R&R FINE GEMS, ANA MARINE AGENCIES (PVT) LTD, and ANCHORS, Broadcasting partner ThePapare, Umpire sponsor LTL HOLDINGS, and Food and Beverage sponsor THMBAPANNI.
Dr. Dayan Rajapakshe, Chairman and MD of ESOFT Metro Campus, commented, “At ESOFT, we believe in the power of sports to make a difference in character, discipline, and unity. Through this sponsorship, we aim to inspire young athletes, fostering friendship, teamwork, and leadership skills beyond the hockey field.”
Ganuka Fernando accomplished a rare feat reaching the final of the Nepal J30 ITF tournament in Pokohora. He became the first Sri Lankan male player in more than a decade to reach an overseas final at the tournament held in Nepal.
The St. Peter’s College Bambalapitiya player finished as the runner up.
He is the first to reach an overseas ITF final after Sharmal Dissanayake accomplished the feat in 2013.
Sharmal has the credit of winning ITF tournaments in India and in Brunei. He also reached another final in India.
After nearly three months of competition, the 33rd Mercantile Services Basketball League concluded with Seylan Bank being crowned as undisputed champions. The defending champions showcased their dominance with an unbeaten record cruising past all their opponents.
Seylan Bank started off the campaign by beating Hatton National Bank in a three point thriller with the final score being 58-55. They overcame Commercial Credit 59-47 and had a big win over David Pieris Motor Company 73-59.
In the semi-final, Seylan Bank overcame Commercial Credit by 13 points while the final was a rematch against David Pieris Motor Company and won comfortably by Seylan.
Epciba Washington Clay of Seylan was named the Most Valuable Player.
The Seylan Bank side comprised; Kamalene Mills, Kunchana Wijesiriwardena, Kindu Jayaliya, Benika Thalagala, Epciba Washington Clay, Hansini Maleesha, Nihari Perera, Sanduni Bollegala, Maleka Rafaideen, Bethani Liyanage and Malavika Ariyaratne.
The Seylan Bank team was coached by Chathura Rodrigo.
New Zealand’s bowling spearhead Matt Henry (calf strain), seam-bowling allrounder Nathan Smith (side strain) and spin-bowling allrounder Mitchell Santner (groin injury) have all been ruled out of the rest of the home Test series against West Indies.
Glenn Phillips, who joined the squad in Christchurch early as a substitute fielder, has officially been added to the Test squad for the remainder of the series, New Zealand Cricket confirmed. This after he proved his match fitness in the Plunket Shield before joining the squad for the first Test, and he could be in contention to be selected in the XI for the second Test.
In another bit of good news for New Zealand, Daryl Mitchell, who put in a long shift as a substitute fielder in the first Test, is set to be available for the second and slot back in as their middle-order mainstay.
Wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell had already been sidelined from the second Test in Wellington after suffering a hamstring injury while batting on day one in Christchurch. Mitchell Hay has been added to the squad and could make his Test debut.
Also, a day after uncapped seamer Michael Rae was called up to the Test squad, Kristan Clarke, a seam-bowling allrounder from Northern Districts, was added to it. With Kyle Jamieson and Will O’Rourke managing “return to play” protocols, New Zealand were left scrambling for last-minute replacements, with the Wellington Test set to begin on November 10.
Both Rae and Clarke were pulled out of the third round of the Plunket Shield. Clarke didn’t bowl for ND in the final innings against Otago in Hamilton, with rookie James Naylor stepping in as his replacement.
Clarke, 24, is uncapped in Test cricket, but was recently part of the ODI series against England as a replacement player after Henry had suffered a separate calf injury. He has now earned his maiden Test call-up as a like-for-like replacement for Smith.
“On the cricket field, I’m a bowling allrounder, you know, and I pride myself on trying to offer as much as I can in the game,” Clarke said in October after breaking into the ODI side. “I just want to be a good person around the group also and just offer as much as I can.”
Clarke has played 27 first-class games so far, taking 77 wickets at an average of 33 and scoring 893 runs at an average of 23.50. He was also part of a New Zealand A tour to Bangladesh during the winter. Though bowling is his primary skill, Kristian is also a capable batter and had notched up his maiden century in senior cricket, against Central Districts in the one-day Ford Trophy, in October.
Clarke hails from Te Awamutu, a small town in the Waikato region and played for Waikato Valley in the Hawke Cup before rising up the ranks in New Zealand cricket. His brother Matti Clarke has also played for Waikato Valley in the Hawke Cup.
“Yeah, so [I was] born and raised in Te Awamutu, [and I] still live in Te Awamutu, still at home,” Clarke said. “I hold Te Amuru very dear to my heart – it’s a cool little town and yeah, quiet little place. Just sort of grew up through the cricket system there and then yeah, sort of just went from there.”
While Blair Tickner, who was the reserve seamer at Hagley Oval, comes into the selection frame for Wellington, there might be a toss-up between Rae and Clarke for a potential Test debut at Basin Reserve.
The first Test was drawn after West Indies, faced with a 530-run deficit in the fourth innings, held on for 163.3 overs to pull off a draw, with Justin Greaves (202 not out) and Shai Hope (140) their main men with the bat
New Zealand squad for second Test vs West Indies :
Tom Latham (capt), Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell, Zak Foulkes, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner, Michael Rae, Kristian Clarke
[Cricinfo]
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