The 42nd Mercantile Badminton Association (MBA) Novices Badminton Championship successfully concluded on Sunday (22), bringing the curtain down on a week of competitive action held at the MBA courts.

Around 400 players representing nearly 50 companies took part in this year’s tournament, which was conducted in two categories, Feather and Nylon, giving opportunities for players of different levels to compete across several age groups in singles, doubles and mixed doubles events.

In the Feather category, Ceyline, Interglobe, DPMC, People’s Leasing, HNB and KBSL won titles in different classes. 

Shivangi Sigera of Interglobe emerged as one of the standout players, winning the Women’s Singles Feather title and also partnering Vishmi Athukorala to win the Women’s Doubles Feather event. 

Gavin Moragoda of KBSL also had an impressive tournament, winning the Men’s Singles Feather title and the Men’s Doubles Feather title with Pramud Weerasuriya. 

Hayleys players reached multiple finals and secured podium finishes in several events, showing strong depth in the Feather competition, which was played at a higher competitive level.

In the Nylon category, Seylan Bank dominated the tournament with victories in several events, including Mixed Doubles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles and Women’s Singles, making them the most successful team in this division. 

Kavindu Gayantha played a key role in Seylan Bank’s success, winning the Mixed Doubles and Men’s Doubles titles and finishing runner-up in the Men’s Singles. DFCC, DPMC, LOLC, Enterprise Analytics, SDB, CDB, NTB and Hayleys also produced title winners.

The annual Novices Championship is one of the key events in the Mercantile Badminton Association calendar and continues to attract a high number of new players, highlighting the growing interest in badminton among the mercantile sector.