A mighty Nalanda Hockey side take on a rather gutsy XI from Ananda College in the biggest Hockey showdown for the two institutions in its 17th successive occasion, at the iconic Astro Hockey Turf on the 27th of October.
The timely fixture dates back to 1990 with the Nalanda then captain Dineth Wickramasinghe grabbing the inaugural championship. Since then, Nalanda College has been able to retain the shield for 8 non-consecutive years while Ananda has only been able to get their hands on the trophy on 4 occasions – 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1999.
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Nalanda College etched their name in the prestigious trophy in 1990, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Last year, a Silver and Maroon team led by Bodika Dias grabbed their 3rd consecutive title since the re-start in 2015, in a nail biting penalty shootout contest. Ananda College was 1 goal short of victory which Bodhika and his team capitalized to retain the shield once again.
With vengeance in their hearts, Ananda College fields a young and fearless team this year, with Koliya Jayakody taking the reigns as captain. With experienced players in the likes of Vice Captain Pasindu Jayasekara, Dilusha De Alwis, Nirodha Liyanaarachchi, Chamod Gunasekara, Osan Liyanage and the skipper himself the Nalandians feel confident of stealing the trophy from their nemesis.
Photos of the Ananda College Hockey Team 2018
Nalanda College will be captained by the most senior and experienced player in the team, Ravindu Pahasara. Ravindu will have assistance in Helitha Pathirana, Eshan Danujaya, Sudara Sachintha and Indeera Bandara.
National Schools team representatives, Ravindu Pahasara, Indeera Bandara, Helitha Pathirana, Sudara Sachintha and Kalana Maduwantha will be the front-line soldiers in the Nalanda side. Their experience and maturity will be key in the upcoming game, if they are to retain the Trophy for the 4th successive year.
Photos of the Nalanda College Hockey Team 2018
Ananda – Nalanda Hockey Series
| Year | Ananda Captain | Nalanda Captain | Won |
| 1990 | Thushara Jayasinghe | Dinesh Wickramathunga | Nalanda College |
| 1991 | Saminda Silva | Jeewana Karunasiri | Drawn |
| 1992 | Suresh Kumar | Ravindra Koralage | Nalanda College |
| 1993 | Manjula Kuruppu | Suranga Hettiarachchi | Ananda College |
| 1994 | Mohan Prasanna | Chandana Deshappriya | Ananda College |
| 1995 | Lasantha Perera | Ashan D. | Ananda College |
| 1996 | Danindu De Silva | Lakruna Gunarathne | Nalanda College |
| 1997 | Aruna Rathnaweera | Ishara Samaranayake | Nalanda College |
| 1998 | Sameera Galappaththi | Sanjaya Suraweera | Nalanda College |
| 1999 | Malin Rangana | Thivanka Peiris | Ananda College |
| 2000 | Suhada Gunaratne | Danushka Wijesundara | Nalanda College |
| 2001 | Saman Kumara | Sachithra Fernando | Nalanda College |
| 2004 | Prabath Jayasuirya | Sandun Wijenayake | Nalanda College |
| 2015 | Nandun Rambukpotha | Chamara Vimukthi | Nalanda College |
| 2016 | Mayanga Thanthirige | Manura Hashintha | Nalanda College |
| 2017 | Udula Rathnayake | Bodika Dias | Nalanda College |
The 17th Battle of the Maroons Hockey Championship will be streamed Live exclusively on ThePapare.com on the 27th of October from 3:15PM Onwards!
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