Twenty-four teams representing leading hockey-playing schools from across the island will vie for honours at the sixth edition of the Mathale Thomians Nines 2026, an invitation Under-20 nine-a-side hockey tournament for boys, organised and conducted by the Mathale Old Thomians Hockey Association (MOTHA). 

The tournament, with Kasagala Group of Companies as the main sponsor, will be held at the Astro Turf in Mathale from 10-11 October.

The two-day hockey fiesta will be worked off on a League cum Knockout format for the A J Wijesinghe Memorial Challenge Trophy.

The winners will receive the A J  Wijesinghe Memorial Challenge Trophy, presented in memory of the late A J Wijesinghe, a former Principal of St. Thomas’ College, Matale. 

The runners-up will receive the A P B Harasgama Memorial Trophy, while the C K Hulangamuwa Memorial Trophy will be awarded to the second runners-up.

In addition, Trophies will be presented for the Best Player, Best Goalkeeper and Most Promising Player.

The participating teams include Royal College, Isipathana College, St. Joseph’s College, St. Benedict’s College, Prince of Wales’ College Colombo, Vidyartha College, Kingswood College, St. Sylvester’s College, St. Anthony’s College Kandy, Maris Stella College, Negombo, Joseph Vaz College, Wennappuwa, Jaffna Central College, St. John’s College, Dharmaduta College, Badulla, St. Aloysius’ College, Richmond College, Galle, St. Thomas’ College, Zahira College, Christ Church College, Vijaya College, Sirimavo Bandaranaike M.V., Hindu College, Rangiri Dambulla M.V. from Mathale.

According to MOTHA President Eric Hulangamuwa, 13 past players – 11 males and two females – who have achieved national and international fame in hockey and hail from schools in Mathale, will be felicitated at a ‘Golden Awards’ ceremony to be held prior to the main awards presentation. Indrawansa Herath will serve as the Tournament Director.