Over 200 top ranked competitors vying for supremacy
The 29th Ritzbury Junior National Squash Championship 2015, organised and conducted by the Sri Lanka Squash Federation got underway at the Sugathadasa Sports complex yesterday.
Sri Lanka’s premier junior squash championship of the year will take place from December 5 to 12 with the participation of over 200 top ranked competitors vying for supremacy in different age groups.
This year’s championship consisting of eighteen events for girls and boys will be played in Under 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19 age groups. The organisers have added an extra event for the first time for girls and boys Novices in the age categories of Under 11, 15 and 19.
Reigning boys and girls champs Ravindu Laksiri and Mihiliya Methsarani are sure to go flat out to win their fourth successive national championship which both players are holding from 2012.
The Squash Federation of Sri Lanka was officially formed in early 1981 and are making every effort to take this game to every district and to international level.
With the expansion of the tourist industry in Sri Lanka many hotels have built squash courts and even schools and clubs are now in the process of following suit. Today the total number of courts exceeds 30 in the island.
It is interesting to note that the three armed forces Army, Navy and Air Force have joined hands with the Federation in promoting the game in the outstations by putting up courts in their camps outside the capital city which will give an opportunity for interested youngsters to take up the game in schools and club level.
This was revealed at the 9th official sponsorship presentation by Ritzbury held at the Olympic House last Wednesday.
At present the game of squash is very popular in the Colombo district and an average of 300 players take part in an open tournament.
According to the present tournament calendar of the Sri Lanka Squash Federation five out of the seven local tournaments – the Air Force Open, SLSF Open, Premadasa Open, Inter Club Tournament and the SSC Open were completed with the two Junior and Senior tournaments scheduled to be played in this month.
Sri Lanka participated in the 22nd Asian Junior Individual Championships held in Teheran, Iran in August and at the moment the Men’s and Women’s national teams are in the process of training aiming for the participation of South Asian Games in 2016.
-LR