Morale is high for TT tours of New Delhi and France
View(s):By Aubrey Kuruppu
A four member men’s team and a five member women’s team will fly out to New Delhi on May 3 to take part in the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships.
Nirmala Jayasinghe (MAS Holdings), Sri Lanka’s number one will captain the team. Numbers 2 and 3 Rohan Sirisena (Sri Lanka Air Force) and fourteen-year-old Vidyartha schoolboy Udaya Ranasinghe will join the skipper in the team events. Milinda Lakshita (Air Force), ranked number 5 in Sri Lanka completes the squad.
The leading player in the women’s section, ex-Devenanda and current Air Force player Ishara Madurangani carries our hopes together with Dharmasoka schoolgirl Nuwni Navodya and Mahamaya’s Ridmi Kandanarachchi. Maliyadeva’s Pavani Sirisoma and Girls High School’s Praveen de Silva will take part in the individual events.
In 2010 Sri Lanka finished 12th out of almost fifty countries.
After New Delhi, both squads will continue to Paris, France for the World Championships (Individual). Old Benedictine Sajith Kavinda will replace Milinda Lakshita in the men’s team for the Paris event.
National coach Jagath Rajapakse will also be the manager for these tours. His is optimistic about the Commonwealth Championships as he feels Sri Lanka has a good side. He would have been happier if the team, which is at present in a training camp at Nilambe, had had more practice sessions.
Morale is high says Jagath and physically and mentally they are in good condition.
Follow @timesonlinelk
comments powered by Disqus