Ravindu and Mihiliya crowned winners
Ravindu Laksiri and Mihiliya Methsarani were crowned winners in the Boys’ and Girls’ Under-19 segments respectively at the 25th Junior National Squash Championship 2014 concluded at the P. Saravanamuttu Indoor Stadium yesterday.
Ravindu Laksiri
Over 300 junior squash players from various part of the island took parts in this year’s event conducted in 18 events for boys and girls from Under 9 to Under-19 age groups. The championship was organised by the Squash Federation of Sri Lanka and sponsored by Ritzbury Chocolates was conducted in eight days.
In the Girls’ finals Mihiliya Methsarani, ranked National No.1 met Naduni Gunewardene where Mihiliya won the first two sets easily but Naduni came back in the third set and led 7-4 half-way and at the last stage scores stood leveled 11-11, but the bronze medalist at the Asian Youth Games 2013 in China pulled every trick out of her
Mihiliya Methsarani - Pix by Indika Handuwala
bag to emerge winner with a 3-0 lead (11/5, 11/4 and 13/11). Wasundara Suwaris clinched the third place.
In the Boys’ final Ravindu Laksiri too ranked national No.1 found things easy to beat his schoolmate Shamil Wakeel 11/7, 11/4 and 11/6. Laksiri exhibited a fine display of power squash which found his partner making mistakes at vital stages. Rashendra Rajaratne finished in the third spot.
Ravindu Laksiri carried away the coveted champion’s trophy in the boys’ event for the second consecutive year while Mihiliya Methsarani was awarded the glittering champion’s trophy for being the girls’ champion for the third year in a row.
Kasuri Gunawardene who finished third in the Girls’ Under-17 event and Tuwin Osanda Nilakshana the first runner-up in the boys Under-15 competition, were adjudged the Most Promising Players of the championship 2014.