Sri Lanka’s Masters hockey team will start their first ever World Cup bid against host Spain on July 27 in the Masters Hockey World Cup 2018 scheduled to be held in Barcelona from July 27-August 5.
The tour party has 18 former national hockey players who represented the country between 1978-2008 and will also play against England (July 28), France (July 29) and Italy (July 30) in their round robin matches.
Australia, Germany, Argentina, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, Scotland, Denmark, USA, and Oman will be the other countries contesting this year’s World Cup organized by the International Masters Hockey Association.
This will be the first time that a Sri Lanka Masters hockey team will contest a World Cup and the side is led by 56-year old veteran from CH and FC and former Royal College player Ashok Peries who represented the national team from 1987-1996.
Ananda Silva, a D.S. Senanayake College old boy and a former Sri Lanka national sticker who represented the country as a defender for more than a decade in the 1980s is the vice-captain.
Overall the team comprises some of the most prolific hockey players the country has produced like former BRC player S.H.M. Kuthubdeen, a defender who has played more than 50 international games for the country including the Asia Cup 1982 and led Sri Lanka in 1986 in a test series against Russia in Colombo.
Sri Lanka’s 1990 vice-captain and Assistant Superintendent of Prisons Fazeer Laheer goes with the team as player and manager.
Their forward line will be strengthened by former Sri Lanka players Nadith Kudagama, a fabulous dribbler who was selected for the Asian Combined Hockey team in 1997, Saman Vandalan who was also in the 1997 Asian Combined team, Indrawansa Herath, the 1996 Sri Lanka captain, Mahir Mohideen, Lloyd Fredrick, Godwin Solomons, and Duncan Devendra.
Manning the defending half positions will be ex-national players Anura Bandara, a former Sri Lanka captain, Manuja Gunawardena, Mario Joseph, Linus Xavier and Marlon Jacobs.
The goal keepers will be D.C. Perera, a former Sri Lanka captain and Shihar Aneez who was also a Sri Lanka player.
The tour also marks the first time the star-studded squad plays in Europe.
Tour organizers said the players were chosen by selectors of the Sri Lanka Masters National Hockey Association (SLMNHA), a body approved by the Sports Ministry after continuous weekly training sessions for nearly one year.
Hafiz Preena, who represented Sri Lanka from 1973-83 is the coach.