47th MHA 7s at P. Sara Oval today
The Mercantile Hockey Association (MHA) will stage its 47th annual Seven-a-side Hockey Tournament today at the P. Sara Oval ground in Colombo. Play will begin at 8:30am, with more than 250 players representing 26 corporate teams across six categories.
First held in 1973, the MHA Seven-a-side is Sri Lanka’s longest-running event of its kind. It has been a fixture on the domestic calendar for over four decades, pausing only during the Covid-19 pandemic. The tournament serves as the MHA’s flagship event and draws junior and senior members of Sri Lanka’s national squads, who line up for their employers.
(From left) Y. Sugandan (General Secretary, MHA) Christo Thisara (Tournament Director). V. Balagobi (President, MHA) and Indrajith Manuwalage (Activation Manager, Ceylon Cold Stores) at the sponsorship handing over ceremony
This year’s competition will feature five main divisions, along with the MHA President’s Trophy, showcasing thrilling matches among some of the country’s top corporate teams. The Division ‘A’ will be played for the Dennis de Rosayro Trophy, and is sponsored by Janashakthi Insurance. Top contender and title holder HNB will play alongside Sampath Bank, Seylan Bank, MAS Holdings and Commercial Bank in this segment.
Hayleys Group, Browns Group, John Keells, CIAP and Janashakthi Finance will compete under Division ‘B’ with the keen interest of grabbing the Singer Trophy. The MHA Trophy, under Division ‘C’ will feature David Peiris Motor Company, NTB, HSBC and Future Life Holdings. Singer, SLT and Hemas Group will compete under Division ‘D’ for the Edmund J. Cooray Trophy.
The Division ‘E’ played for the Ceylon Cold Stores Trophy, will feature Ceylon Tobacco, Deloitte and Inqube Solutions, while for the MHA President’s Trophy, Commercial Bank ‘B’, Sampath Bank ‘B’, Browns ‘B’, MAS Holdings ‘B’, HNB ‘B’ and NTB ‘B’ will vie against each other.
Among the competitors are both junior and senior members of Sri Lanka’s national hockey teams, proudly representing their respective organisations. The finals is scheduled to begin at 3:00pm, with the Division ‘A’ final slotted for 4:30pm, followed by the awards ceremony, marking the grand conclusion of the MHA’s 2025 season.
Among entities that have come forward to support MHA as partners are Iodex, represented by Haleon Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, as the official pain relief partner and co-sponsor, and Ceylon Cold Stores as the official ice cream partner and co-sponsor. Janashakthi Group and Browns Group have stepped forward as supporting partners.
The tournament will be graced by Mangala Wijesinghe, the Chief Operating Officer, Pharmaceuticals, Consumer and Integrated Engineering Solutions Cluster, Browns and Company PLC, and Chairman – Export Development Board, as the chief guest. He will be joined by Roshan Kulasuriya, the Director, Human Resources, Singer Sri Lanka, as guest of honour.
Founded in 1957, the Mercantile Hockey Association is Sri Lanka’s leading corporate hockey body. Over 69 years, the MHA has produced 79 national players and won 16 national championships, with 20 first runner-up and 17 second runner-up finishes across 61 years of national competition.