School teams from the north and east will be among 68 teams that have been invited to participate at the ESOFT Blue and Gold Hockey Sevens tournament to be held on August 10 and 11 at the Royal College ground.
This tournament is organized by Royal College in collaboration with Royal College Hockey Club for the 19th occasion with ESOFT being the main sponsor.
There will be 43 boys’ teams and 25 girls’ teams and they will play in three categories of Cup, Plate and Bowl championships in the under-20 age group. In all there will be over 150 matches being played. In case of rain the results will be decided on penalty shoot-out.
From its inception, the Blue and Gold Hockey 7s has become a cornerstone event that attracts hockey enthusiasts, players and teams from all over the country. This tournament is also aimed towards assisting schools with basic resources to continue playing the game.
The tournament also provides the opportunity to display the skills and talents of the young players who come from diverse backgrounds.
The intense competition, thrill, excitement, sportsmanship, interaction and camaraderie along with the carnival atmosphere that prevails during the two days will bring about a memorable experience to all participants.
“Being the title sponsor we at ESOFT believe in the power of sports to make a difference in character, discipline and unity. We aim to inspire young athletes, fostering friendship, teamwork and leadership skills beyond the hockey field,” said Dr. Dayan Rajapakse, Chairman and MD of ESOFT.
“Sponsoring Sri Lanka’s top hockey tournament is an honour for us. We believe in fostering local talent and promoting sportsmanship at every level as important,” said Rukmal Jayasinghe CEO of Minel Lanka.
The boys’ schools that will be in action are Ananda College, Asoka Vidyalaya, Bandaranayake College, Christ Church College, DS Senanayake College, Dharmadutha College, Dharmaloka College, Dharmapala Vidyalaya, Dharmaraja College, Hindu College Colombo 4, Hindu National School Matale, Isipathana College, Jaffna College, Kingswood College, Mahinda College, Maris Stella College Negombo, Maris Stella College Thimbirigaskatuwa, Menikdiwela Central, Nalanda College, President’s College, Prince of Wales College, Rangiri Dambulla NS, Richmond College, Royal Blues, Royal Golds, Sandalankawa Central, St. Aloysius College, St. Anthony’s College, St. Benedict’s College, St. Joseph Vaz College, St. Joseph’s College, St. Sylvester’s College, St. Thomas’ Matale, St. Thomas’ Matara, S. Thomas’ Mt. Lavinia, Trinity College, Vidyaloka College, Vidyartha College, Vijaya College, Wesley College, Zahira College and Zahira Matale.
The girls’ schools taking part are Christ Church College, Dharmapala Vidyalaya, Girls High School, Holy Family Girls Wennappuwa, Janadhipathi Balika Galle, Janadhipathi Balika Nawala, Ladies College, Mahamaya College, Menikdiwela Central Kandy, Musaeus College, Panadura Balika MV, Pushpadana Girls College, Rangiri Dambulla NS, Rathnavali Balika Gampaha, Sandalankawa Central, Sanghamitta Balika Vidyalaya, Seethadevi Balika Vidyalaya, Siri Seewali MV Matale, Southlands Girls College, St. Anthony’s Girls College, Swarnamali Girls’ College, Uva Science College, Vihara Maha Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Visakha Vidyalaya and Yasodara Balika Vidyalaya.
