An expedition into the unknown
Last morning, Sri Lanka cricket captain Angelo Mathews and company embarked on a mission into the unknown. Yes, they are well aware of their mission and destination, but, the question is whether they are equipped enough to challenge the status quo posed by the marauding Kiwis. On the eve of their departure Mathews admitted that [...]
Starless shuttlers battle in the finals
N.J. John of Central Province and Imesh Hasaranga of the Western Province qualified for the finals in the 41st National Sports festival which was continued at the SLBA headquarters, yesterday. In the women’s final it will be Central Province player Upuli Weerasinghe taking on Nadeesha Gayanthi of Southern Province. In the men’s first semi-final John beat [...]
Jayantha to come in as vice president
In the latest twist in the cricket AGM saga, it is learned that the Immediate Past President Jayantha Dharmadasa will come out and contest for one of the vice-president’s position in the Thilanga Sumathipala camp. Now, former executive committee member Shammi Silva who was to contest as one of the vice presidents from the same [...]
Red Shirts devoured in their own den
A super fit Havies side, playing with a lot of fire and spirit, bombarded the CR in their own den and came away with a thoroughly deserved 34 points (4 goals, 2 penalties) to 18 (3 tries, 1 penalty) win at Longden Place. As happens when two quality teams meet, the rugby was of quite [...]
Police drub CH& FC by half century
Wet weather and gloomy conditions did not dampen the Police spirits as they drubbed CH&FC by 55 points to nil in the Dialog League first round rugby game at Police Park yesterday. Police gained their points through nine tries and five conversions. Apparently CH is going through a team building process. On resumption they bothered [...]
Kandy get another chance for tryouts against Air Force today
The Airmen will not endeavour to do anything earth-shaking when they face mighty Kandy SC today at Nittawela. Their ambitions will be for more modest. A win for the champions will be a given, yet the Air Force will be striving to cut down the margin and, if possible, to get a score of their [...]
Shehan and Nimalie best athletes at XXV Southern Province athletics meetaText and picture
K. Shehan Lakshitha and W.K.L.A. Nimalie both representing Hambantota district were adjudged the best athletes at the Southern Province Athletics meet held at the Uyanwatte Stadium Matara. Six new Southern Province records were established while two were equlaled at this year’s meet. In the men’s events Shehan Lakshitha established a new Sothern Province record of [...]
WP, CP, NWP champs in beach volleyball, hockey, taekwondo and swimming
Four sports items of the 41st National Sports Festival were concluded last week. They are: hockey, beach volleyball, taekwondo and swimming. In beach volleyball the men’s and women’s competitions took place at Trincomalee where Western Province emerged champions in both events. Western Province overcame North Western Province in the men’s final. In the women’s final Western [...]
ENEMY TERRITORY
There was a big sigh of relief when the civil war between the Tamil Tigers and the Security Forces ended in 2009. A leading sports body declared at that time that the time is ripe to engage sportsmen and women from the North and East to national teams as there is quite a lot of [...]
Olympian Kosala Sahabandu an illustrious son of Matara
The Southern Province Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs felicitated veteran athlete Kosala Sahabandu recently. Sahabandu a son of Matara is an old boy of Rahula College Matara and a champion middle distance runner who established a new Sri Lanka record for the 800 metres event in 1974 and represented Sri Lanka at many international [...]
Malshan, Harin takes Joes Cricket to new heights
Left Arm leg spinners Malshan Rodrigo and Harin Cooray have propelled St Joseph to four outright victories giving them a flying start in the current Inter School Cricket season. The Josephian led by Sandaruwan Rodrigo recorded outright victories over Mahanama, Maris Stella, De Mazenod and Mahinda College, Galle. Their encounter with Royal Panadura was washed [...]
Red Warriors retain crown
Red Warriors retained the championship of the annual Delmage Sports Day held at the Bloomfield ground recently. Red Warriors accumulated 840 points from 18 different events to outsmart second placed Green Vipers who trailed by 105 points to finish with 735 points overall. The battle for the third place was intensive and very much alike, [...]
Cricket polls: In search of a saviour
There is never a dull a moment at Sri Lanka cricket when management is concerned. On January 3, cricket’s stakeholders in this little island will vote to decide as to who should hold the reins of the game for the next two years. Yes, right at this moment, the poor cricket voters are striving with [...]
Djokovic’s road to legendary
It was a sensation in London when Roger Federer beat Novak Djokovic in the league round-robin of the ATP Masters last week. Federer’s tactical ability is what gave him that win but barely a week after Djokovic reversed the tide and in the right moment snatched away the jewel of 2015 the ATP Masters’ title. [...]
Is Lankan Rugby moving in the right direction with or without foreigners?
From a fascinating rugby World Cup the news that dominated was the passing away of all time rugby great Jonah Lomu and the retirement of another notable rugby player Ritchie McCaw, both All Blacks. While the world was mourning and or rejoicing and before one could say dust to dust Sri Lanka opened the 2015/16 [...]
Fijian national disqualified after turning out for Sri Lanka
Fiji-born former Sri Lanka International Sevens Rugby player Emori Waqavulagi’s fate has been on trail of his fortunes, forcing his name to be excluded from the Fiji Sevens team for the upcoming Dubai Sevens the Sunday Times learns. Waqavulagi, whose name was drafted to represent Sri Lanka at the Asian5Nations alongside Joseph Dunn and Apisai [...]
Aussie media see pink ball appeal
SYDNEY, Nov 28, 2015 (AFP) – The first ever pink ball Test in Adelaide was warmly received by Australian commentators on Saturday, with several likening the day-night match to playing under darkened English skies. The first game of its kind in cricket’s 138-year history, the opening day of the Australia v New Zealand clash on [...]
Martis blames meddling insiders for his resignation
Veteran Rugby coach Sanath Martis questioned the validity of the term ‘development of the game’ of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) after he was compelled to tender his resignation as coach of the National Under-20 side for the forthcoming Junior Asiad. A dejected Martis put the blame on the SLRFU hierarchy, which he [...]
Discarded Kaushal gives wakeup call with timely ‘ton’
Rain played a key role in the opening week of the AIA Premier Inter-Club Limited Overs Cricket Tournament as a match was abandoned, two being held up in Colombo while the remaining two played outside going out for results yesterday. At P. Sara Oval Saracens and Tamil Union shared two points each after rain abandoned [...]
NOC elections postponed to December 2016?
The chances are that the elections of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) will only take place in December 2016. This is the opinion of the NOC chief Hemasiri Fernando. NOC elections are due to take place once in four years, after the staging of the Olympic Games. In Sri Lanka, however, NOC elections have not [...]
Rain robs Thomians and others
Rain hampered three Under-19 Schools Cricket Tournament games with two of them ending in tame draws and one, with an obvious result, too being forced to be call off yesterday. Despite rain hampering proceedings, S. Thomas’ College were well on course of registering an outright win against Mahinda College at Mt. Lavinia but rain emerged [...]
The Park Club – back on track
Havelock Sports Club, which celebrated its centenary in August, is hoping to come out as champions in the Dialog Division ‘A’ Inter-Club Rugby League Championship. The club officials of Havelocks held a press conference to elaborate on their mission for this year’s club rugby season, which they hope to finish off in a high note, [...]
Udaya Ranasinghe wins doubles crown
Table Tennis sensation from the hill capital Udaya Ranasinghe won the Double Crown at the 69th National Table Tennis championship at the St. Thomas College Indoor Stadium tables last weekend. Udaya Ranasinghe making amendments for his defeat at the hands of schoolmate Krishan Wickremaratne at the Junior TT Nationals recently came back strongly, displaying top [...]
Galle District champs at 25th Southern Province Sports Festival
Galle District accumulated a mammoth 1009 points to push Matara district with 489.5 points to second spot and Hambantota district with 396.5 points to third place at the 25th Southern Province Sports Festival organised by the Southern Province Ministry o Sports and Youth Affairs. Galle were Men’s champions at Badminton, Basketball, Football, Hockey, Table Tennis, [...]
2nd Travel Trade Table Tennis Championship
The 2nd Travel Trade Sports Club Men’s and Women’s Table Tennis Championships 2015, revived after almost two decades will take place on Saturday, December 5 at St. Thomas’ College Indoor Sports Complex, commencing 9.00 am. Te tournament is sponsored by Viluxur Holidays. Entries have been called from the TTSC Membership and will close on Tuesday, [...]
Golf C’ship from Nov 29 to Dec.5
The 128th Sri Lanka Amateur Open Championship which is being held from 29th November to 5h December 2015 at the Royal Colombo Golf Club. The handing over of the Sponsorship Cheque by the main Sponsor “Litro Gas Lanka Ltd;” was held last week. Picture shows (from left) Ranil Pieris (Capt of RCGC), Nimal Piyaratna (President [...]
Aqua Vida, an initiative of Clear Mark
The successful Aqua Vida, a initiative of Clear Mark, making it the biggest beach sports festival to be held in the South Asian region, was held at the Jetwing Blue Hotel premises in Negombo with, three-time Olympic champion in Water Polo, Gergely Kiss, attending the event as the brand ambassador. Aqua Vida catered to around [...]
SriLankan men and women fly high
SriLankan Airlines retained the Travel Trade Sports Club overall Men’s and Women’s Team Championship Swimming titles, at the 31st Travel Trade Swimming Meet, concluded at the Thurstan College pool. Over 150 swimmers from eighteen Member Firms participated in the meet, consisting 95 events under three categories, namely Novices, Championship and Veterans. Sri Lankan Airlines accumulated [...]
Shorts to International cricket
A youngster clad in a pair of shorts who went to witness the Prince of Wales College’s old boys and present boys annual cricket encounter was requested to stand as a temporary umpire in the absence of the assigned umpire. This opportunity opened the window for this youngster to pay special interest on cricket and [...]
Appreciation: L.P. Ernst – Tennis Champion and Gentleman Extraordinaire!
L.P. Ernst the tennis legend was my tennis coach – kind, generous and a gentleman to his fingertips. Percy was the National Champion in 1953, and a member of the first Sri Lankan Davis Cup team. From 1950 – 1960 he was one of the top Sri Lankan tennis players. Going way back to 1960, [...]
Grants win at tag rugby
Grants Advertising led by Sathya Premaratne lifted the brand new ‘Four A’s’ trophy, scoring a hard fought 2/1 win over Leo Burnett Solutions in the Final of the Inaugural Inter-Ad Agencies Tag Rugby Challenge 2015, organised by the Accredited Advertising Agencies Association (Four A’s) concluded under lights, at Havelock Park. 14 Accredited Advertising Firms participated [...]
Pan Pacific Basketball entries open
The 10th Jupiter’s Pan Pacific Masters Basketball Tournament is scheduled to be held from November 5 to 13, 2016 in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Entries are accepted from November 5, 2015 onwards. The tournament held once in two years is conducted in four Categories for Men, namely Over-35, 45, 55 and 65; Women Over-35, 45 and [...]