Thilanga vs Nishantha: Stage set for cricket’s showdown
Pocket meetings, group discussions and animated telephone conversations and various other means of exchanges of views are the order of the day. Reason — Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera has fixed the date for Sri Lanka Cricket elections on January 3 and the nominations will be opened from Tuesday till December 4, with 86 stakeholders voting [...]
Ronuka’s twin fifties the highlight
Seven half centuries were recorded with Royal College opener Ronuka Jayawardena taking the forefront with a twin fifties while spinners took major honours at the two Schools Under-19 First XI matches concluded in contrasting draws at different venues in Colombo yesterday. Despite struggling at 111-7 overnight, Royal College took the first innings honours and changed [...]
Waqar refutes fixing claims in Sharjah one-dayer
DUBAI, Nov 21, 2015 (AFP) – Pakistan head coach Waqar Younis Friday brushed aside British tabloid claims of match-fixing against his team in their six-wicket defeat in the third one-day international against England in Sharjah earlier this week. British tabloid Daily Mail alleged the match on Tuesday was under investigation by the Anti-Corruption Unit of [...]
CR break loose in second half to post a big win
CR overcame a scrappy, below-par initial half to comeback strongly in the second and ultimately run out comfortable winners by 35 points (3 goals, 1 try, 3 penalties) to 15 points (1 goal, a try and a penalty) over Army SC at Longdon Place, yesterday. CR were sucked into Army’s game plan and faltered badly. [...]
Central’s hat-trick girls take the limelight
Two lasses from the hills – Thusanthika Themiyadasa and Pradeepa Nilmini scored hat-tricks in the match between Central Province and Eastern Province at the Hockey Championship of 41st National Sports Festival yesterday. The tournament teed off yesterday at the Astro Turf in Torrington yesterday with eight first round games and will continue today. Unfortunately the [...]
Premier limited overs cricket takes off
The rescheduled Inter-Club Premier Limited Overs Cricket Tournament organised by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) begins next Friday with the game between Colombo Cricket Club and Sri Lanka Ports Authority at Maitland Crescent. The tournament, sponsored by AIA Insurance for the first time, will feature 45 games including the two semi-finals and the final, which falls [...]
Pakistan HC hosts Women’s ‘A’ side for brunch
High Commissioner of Pakistan in Sri Lanka Maj. Gen. Syed Shakeen Hussain hosted the visiting Pakistan Women’s ‘A’ team for a brunch at his official residence in Thimbirigasyaya yesterday. The Pakistan Women’s ‘A’ team is down to play a One Day match and three Twenty20s against the Sri Lanka Women’s ‘A’ team at the R. [...]
Confident Indians to sponsor the Lankan T-20 outfit
Confident Group, a India based conglomerate are set to sponsor Sri Lanka’s Men’s and Women’s cricket team for the ICC World Twenty20, which will be held in India in April next year. A US 1 Billion Dollar Asset based Group, the rapidly thriving, accredited certified company, headquartered in Dubai and Bangalore with its operations spread [...]
Siriwardena syndrome and the No 3 slot
Have you ever had the time and inclination to savour the subtle wit of the cartoon strip — the Wizard of Id? Needless to say, my favourite character is Sir Rodney the Chicken-Hearted. Generally, as a matter of fact, he is just called “Rodney”. He is the king’s chief knight and head of the hapless [...]
The end of two legendary tales that rocked the Rugby world
A child is born and grows to be a man who can dine with the greatest be an example to the world as he was great and did what few could do within a short life of forty years in which top rugby was limited by an illness that followed him. What Jonah Lomu did [...]
Roger unleashes tactical onslaught
London loved Roger Federer this week for his performance against Novak Djokovic in the ‘Stan Smith group’ to secure the semi-final slot at the ATP Masters’ final. It left Djokovic to work more to get the other semi-final slot. It’s Thursday and London has featured its excitement in its seven million dollar prize money at [...]
Top rugby refs Nimal and Fernando fail fitness tests
Renowned Rugby referees D. Nimal and Pradeep Fernando have failed in their fitness tests and have been omitted from the Division ‘A’ Referees’ Panel named by the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) Referees Committee. Nimal and Fernando, both notable Rugby officials to earn accolades as well as criticism, will have to work hard if [...]
Vaas to open Cricket Academy in Sharjah
Sri Lanka’s most successful medium pace bowler Chaminda Vaas will be opening a Cricket Academy in Sharjah for budding young Schoolboy Cricketers. The former Sri Lankan pace ace has teamed up with a Sharjah based Businessman Sunil Mustafa, in this venture and will open the Vaas–Victoria Cricket Academy on December 4. The Cricket Academy will [...]
Fazil Marija leads Kandy SC again and faces CH&FC in opener today
Kandy SC, which has dominated the Inter- Club League over the last two decades or so, starts their quest for another triumph, today, when they host the CH and FC at Nittawela. The club made the obvious decision to hand over the reins once more to the national skipper Fazil Marija. By dint of excellence [...]
Gampaha crowned overall champs
Gampaha District won the Overall Championship with 160 points at the 27th Youth National Sports Festival Track and Field events concluded at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Sports Complex in Diyagama last weekend. Kurunegala District finished second with 111 points while Colombo District occupied the third spot with 99 points. Sporadic rains during the three days of [...]
A tennis legend is no more
I was deeply upset when I returned to Sri Lanka last week for my usual winter gateway, when I heard of the death of my tennis guru and mentor L.P. Ernstat the ripe age of 95 years. My memories go back to 1952, when with my brother Timothy we won the Inter-schools tennis Doubles title [...]
Spectacular weekend of wet weather racing
Chandima Gooneratne, Pramuka Sesath, Suraj Perera, Ashan Silva, Romesh Gunawardana, Lakshika Weerasinghe and Sajaad Zuhair were the top achievers at the final round of the CEAT-SLARDAR-AMRC Tarmac Championship 2015, which was held last weekend with some spectacular wet weather racing. The race on Sunday started with a wet track yet with no rain; however during [...]
Commercial Credit Finance and MAS Intimates emerge champs
Commercial Credit and Finance and MAS Intimates emerged champions in the Men’s and Women’s ‘A’ divisions at the Mercantile Table Tennis Association organised and conducted Knockout Table Tennis Championships 2015 concluded at the S. Thomas’ College Indoor Stadium tables last weekend. In the Men’s ‘A’ Division finals Commercial Credit and Finance Plc scored a 3-1 [...]
Sampath declares his innings at Trinity
Leaving his fairly lucrative coaching post at Trinity College Kandy and flying off to Dubai in a few days time is the Kandy school’s very successful coach, Sampath Perera. Sampath, who was recommended for the Trinity job by Kumar Sangakkara, has overseen Trinity’s rise to the top (or nearly top) position in school cricket from [...]
Travel Trade Cricket Sixes today
The weather will play a huge role when the Travel Trade Sports Club (TTSC) conducts the 38th Men’s and Women’s Softball Cricket Sixes 2015, today at the Shalika and DS Senanayake College grounds commencing 8.00am. The TTSC had postponed this event from October 4, due to inclement weather. 48 Men’s teams and six Women’s teams [...]
The Trimaran “Qingdao China” in Mirissa
As part of the project “Guo Chuan Racing” to sail across the “21st Century Maritime Silk Route”, the 29.7 m trimaran “Qingdao China” called over to the fishing harbour of Mirissa on November 16, 17 and 18, 2015 and was welcomed by officials of Ceylon Fishery Harbours Corporation, Board of Investment and Sri Lanka Coast [...]
Top TT fare in December
In December Jaffna sports lovers will be able to witness two top Table Tennis championships to be worked off at the Central College tables from December 19 to 22. The first will be the 3rd All-Island Unranked Championship followed by the second, the All-Island State Services Championship. The All-Island Unranked Championship will take place at [...]
Aney is it true? With Nam
Dejected son and father All eyes were on a rider at a recent Pannala motocross as he is a budding sportsman in a popular sport. For seven rounds this sportsman lagged behind and in the final lap he surged ahead and knocked on the vehicle in front and veered ahead to be declared the winner. [...]
Viper takes the Adivasis across the tryline
Nihal Gunaratne, fondly known as Viper in the domestic Rugby circuit, along with his team of coaches was in Mahiyanganaya on Tuesday to conduct a coaching programme on behalf of Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU). Their objective was to conduct the ‘Get Into Rugby’ programme, an initiative of International Rugby Board (IRB), targeting schools [...]
St. Peter’s College prove their prowess at Soccer
Eleven tenaciously determined Peterites bludgeoned their way to a 3-0 win over their spirited rivals the Josephians who fought right to the end at the “Annual Big Mmatch” soccer encounter played at the CR & FC ground recently. To grace the occasion Rt. Rev. Fr. Maxwell Silva – Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Colombo, [...]