Chamil Cooray and Chalani Lakmali pocket doubles titles
Defending national men’s and women’s singles champions in carrom, Chamil Cooray and Chalani Lakmali began their quest for this
Cooray - File pix
season with a bang by pocketing doubles titles at the 46th National Carrom Championship. The tournament, first of the 2014 calendar of the Carrom Federation of Sri Lanka (CFSL) began at its headquarters in Maharagama last weekend and will continue till the second weekend of February.
Cooray paired up with Brindley Wickramasinghe to beat Nishantha Fernando and Lahiru Eshan to win the men’s doubles championship in two straight sets. Cooray and Wickramasinghe claimed both sets by 25/2 and 25/16 after getting the better of Anas Ahmed and Mohamed Saeed by two sets to one in the first semi-final. The losing finalists, Fernando and Eshan, reach the final by beating Mohamed Sherifdeen and M.T.M. Hilmy by two sets to one in the second semi-final.
In the women’s doubles, Lakmali and her partner Joseph Roshita beat Yashika Rahubadda and Buddhini Dias in two straight sets to clinch the title. This was after the pair enjoyed a cakewalk win in the second semi-final against Sadini Nirasha and Tharushi Himahansika.
Lakmali
In the final Lakmali and Roshita won the battle after winning the first set by 25/5 before facing a stiff challenge in the second set which went down to the wire. But the eventual winners ensured not to take the final to another setter as they claimed the second by a thrilling 25/23. In the semi-final Lakmali and Roshita thrashed their opponents by 25/0 and 25/6. The losing finalists Radubadda and Dias bounced back after losing the first set to beat Madushika Kanchanamala and Joseph Dilka by two sets to one.
In the veterans singles segment Lalith Kumara was given a tough time by Upali Perera before he could settle in to claim the championship. Kumara beat Perera in straight sets, 25/18 and 25/22 in the final. Earlier in the semi-finals Perera overcame Kaviranga Perera by two sets to one and Kumara beat A.W.M. Akram by the same margin. – NA