The Sri Lanka Under 16 Netball team finished the inaugural South Asian Under 16 Netball Championship, in Kathmandu, Nepal, unbeaten, winning the final of the competition 42-28 against India.
The tournament, organized for the very first time, by the Netball Association of Nepal, was played between the 18th and 22nd of October, with the participation of 6 South Asian nations – Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Read More : Sri Lanka eyeing South Asian U16 Netball Championship
Sri Lanka ended the tournament just as they had begun it, handing India a thrashing. The tournament opener saw the Lankans triumph 40-24, while the final finished 42-28.
The final looked like it would be a much tighter affair as the teams were level going into the 1st break, with the scores reading 8 all. But Sri Lanka pulled away significantly in the 2nd quarter, taking a decisive 12-goal lead going into half time, outscoring their opponents 16-4 in the quarter.
The 3rd and 4th quarters were much closer, with the Indian girls really pushing to gain ascendency, however, the 2nd quarter result proved to be decisive as Sri Lanka clinched the game and the championship quite comfortably.
Score Breakdown
| 1st Quarter | 2nd Quarter | 3rd Quarter | 4th Quarter | |
| Sri Lanka | 8 | 16 | 11 | 7 |
| India | 8 | 4 | 8 | 8 |
Hiruni Heshani, Sri Lanka’s Goal Shooter, did the bulk of the scoring for Sri Lanka once again, with 28 goals to her credit. Her performance earned her the Player of the Match as well as the Best Shooter of the Tournament awards.
Sri Lanka’s skipper, Nethmi Wijenayake was named Player of the Tournament, for her performance as Goal Attack, while Mishka from Bangladesh was named Best Defender of the Tournament.
Read More : Sri Lanka U16s thrash India in South Asian opener
The Sri Lankan team was coached by Amalka Gunathilake, head coach of Holy Family Convent, Kurunegala.
The Champions Squad
Nethmi Wijenayake (Musaeus College) – Hiruni Heshani (Holy Family Convent, Kurunegala) – Hiruni Jinali (Maliyadeva Balika Vidyalaya, Kurunegala) – Maheesha Bandara (Girls’ High School, Kandy) – Rishini Sewwandi (Holy Family Convent, Kurunegala) – Randuli Rubasinghe (Musaeus College) – Rashmi Anjalika (Presbyterian Girls’ School, Dehiwala) – Ramdhi Gamage (Holy Family Convent, Kalutara) – Krishmi Dinethya (Holy Family Convent, Kalutara) – Senuthi Dilakna (Kalutara Balika Vidyalaya) – Dishari Adeesha (Kalutara Balika Vidyalaya) – Natasha Dias (Holy Family Convent, Kurunegala)
