By M.H.Yakeem
An all round team effort took the Sri-Lankan stickers to top the table in group “A” by winning all the 3 matches which is now in progress in Jakarta, Indonesia.
In the opening game of the competition, Sri-Lankan stickers beat Uzbekistan by 5 goals to nil, and in the second game, they beat Thailand by 6 goals to 2.
The Sri-Lankan stickers who needed a win to head the table ,displayed their talents to beat the more fancied Kazakhstan by a margin of 4 goals to nil with Ishanka Doranagala scoring in the 15th minute of the game and Dhammika Ranasinghe netting twice in the 23rd and 53rd minute and Suresh Rathnayake’s goal in the 43rd minute gave them this win to assure a place in the semi finals.
They will now meet the runners up in group “B” where Oman, Singapore Bangladesh, Indonesia and Iran are battling out for the top 2 slots, which is not completed as yet.
The top 3 teams of the AHF Cup will join with India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Pakistan, who have already qualified for Asis Cup.
The newly elected President of the Sri-Lanka Hockey Federation Kamal Pushpakumara who has joined hands with the Sri-Lanka Masters Men’s and Women’s Hockey Association to uplift the standard of this Sport which was so popular many years back.
