Sudurpashchim and Gandaki Provinces Clinch Men's and Women's Hockey Titles, Respectively

Kathmandu. Sudurpashchim Province won the men's title and Gandaki Province won the women's title in the second National Hockey Tournament held at Dasharath Stadium in Tripureshwor, organized by the Nepal Hockey Association.

In the final match of the round-robin league played under floodlights on Saturday, Sudurpashchim and Gandaki drew 2-2. With this draw, Sudurpashchim, which accumulated 12 points, became the champion, while Gandaki finished in second place with 9 points. Koshi Province secured third place by gathering 6 points.

In the women's competition, Gandaki Province dominated. Gandaki secured first place by accumulating 12 points, while Sudurpashchim came second with 9 points and Madhesh Province was third with 6 points. The top three teams in both categories received cash prizes of NPR 75,000, NPR 50,000, and NPR 25,000, respectively.

In this tournament, which featured 5 provincial teams each, excluding Lumbini and Karnali, the winning players were awarded by Deputy Speaker of Bagmati Province Apsara Chapagain and Executive Member of the National Sports Council Subarna Shrestha, among others.

In individual categories, Mahesh Nepali of Sudurpashchim was declared the best player for men. Similarly, Sangam Gharti Magar of Gandaki was the best defender, Bibek Joshi of Sudurpashchim was the best goalkeeper, Anish Khadka of Bagmati was the emerging player, and Sudip Chaudhary of Koshi was the top scorer.

In the women's category, Ankita Adhikari of Gandaki was the best player, while Sanju Magar of Gandaki became the best goalkeeper. Karun Thagunna of Sudurpashchim was the best defender, Lakshmaniya Kumari Das of Madhesh was the emerging player, and Babita Urau of Sudurpashchim was the top scorer.