Navy's Chathurika Wijesuriya in two hat-tricks in two matches

by S. M. Jiffrey AbdeenKandy Sports Cor.

Sri Lanka Navy's centre forward and national player Chathurika Wijesuriya created a local record when she performed two hat-tricks in two successive matches in their Colombo Hockey Association's Inter Club Invitation Hockey Tournament played at Malay Grounds, Colombo yesterday.

In the first match centre forward Chathurika Wijesuriya scored the first five goals which included the hat-trick to spearhead the sailors to a 6-0 win over Moratuwa University.At half time Navy led 2-0.

The other goal was scored by left inside Madhusha Jayanetti. Maithri Withana and T. T. K. Perera umpired. The second match saw Sri Lanka Navy scoring an overwhelming 9-0 win over Yasodara Sports Club. At lemons the Navy girls led 4-0.

It was once centre forward Chathurika Wijesuriya who tore the Yasodara defence into tatters by scoring the first four goals dribbling the ball from different angles to confuse the opponents' defence. The other goals were scored by right extreme Buddhika Gunaratne (1), left extreme Manisha Dissanayake (1), centre half Madura Dharmaratne (1) and left inside Madhushani Dharmaratne (1).

M. Nowshad and M. T. Mahesh umpired.A point of interest was that all goal scorers were past students of Seetha Devi Balika Vidyalaya, a major force at hockey from the hill capital coached from the beginning by the Sri Lanka junior national coach M. A. M. Ashroff.

Diminutive Chathurika Wijesuriya in a bundle of power and aggression and could punch holes into any defence. She has scored heavily in local matches which has won national caps on many occasions. An essentially local lass she first came under the care of coach Ashroff at the age of 10. Her skills were honed and ended in captaining the school team.

Another point of interest is that no less than 15 players from Seetha Devi Balika Vidyalaya are in the Sri Lanka Navy women's hockey pool.