Sanath looking to play a straight bat
As expected former selection committee chairman Sanath Jayasuriya – one of the most consistent performers in this position in recent times will be back in this key position once again. On Friday afternoon Jayasuriya met the SLC hierarchy and they reached a consensus. Jayasuriya, a person who was always on hand looking into every detail [...]
Don’t count Yohan out
The All-Island Schools contest of the 37th Bata-the Sunday Times Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2016 competition completes its ninth week this weekend with the battle between the top two contenders Pawan Dias and Lahiru Thambawita hotting up. Pawan of Royal College Panadura added 803 to take his tally to 3753 while Lahiru [...]
2-Try Naveen brings the trophy back home
Call it by the skin of your teeth of the close encounters of a Complex style, but, the simple truth is the Thomians as expected prevailed when it really mattered. It happened in the dying moments of the game when the Thomian winger Naveen Henakankanamge cut through thirty-metre burst off a back-line move, that had [...]
No politicos at the NOC says Hemasiri
Hinting about a permanent retirement from his top post at the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Sri Lanka, Hemasiri Fernando pledged that he would not leave the doors open for a politician to take over the position which he has been holding for two decades. Brimming on his personal achievement of holding the NOC top [...]
MBA cyclists take up the Himalayan challenge
The Mountain Biking Association of Sri Lanka (MBA) on an invitation received from Cycling Federation of India will send two mountain bikers, Dane Nugera and Sumedha Warnakulasuriya for the 2nd edition Ultimate Uttarakhand Himalayan MTB Challenge. The six-day expedition, spanning 700 kilometres, set off yesterday from Nainital. The race will finish next Friday at Mussoorie [...]
Steinwall appointed national Football coach
Sri Lanka has appointed a football coach for the South Asian Football Championships (SAFF) to be held in Bangladesh in December 2017. The main target of the Sri Lanka Football Federation (SLFF) is to win this championship or be amongst the finalists. The football coach in question is Dudley Steinwall, a former national player and [...]
To build the perfect Cricket module for Sri Lanka
ICC’s T-20 World Cup (WC) ended spectacularly with West Indian Carlos Brathwaite hitting those four consecutive sixes, thus making short work of a daunting 19 runs in 6 legitimate balls. Yet, it was an ending only a West Indian would have dared venture, because that is their style of play and is second nature to [...]
Ethics, rules and coaching of rugby schools
Recently a principal of a Colombo based rugby playing school told me of an incident where an old boy of another school had come to see him. He had to tell this old boy to remove the piece of cloth hanging around the neck collar and tie it on the mongrel barking outside his office. [...]
Tennis tactics of today
Serving to ‘lethal’ returners For a server, the opponent’s weak return was considered the most advantageous to hit a winner. That is the way it used to be in Tennis. Today, it is not so anymore. The ‘return of serve’ among the top two hundred players of the world has become very accurate, fast and [...]
St. Mary’s lead by 74 runs in the first innings against Wesley
The Under-19 Division II final was nicely balanced at the end of day two at Pallekelle yesterday. The Marians who dominated day one, continued their ascendancy in the morning session and took a 74 run lead on the first innings. Wesley struck back through Andrew Parais and had the Marians at 29-5. However they recovered [...]
Unbeaten Colombo FC in the lead
Unbeaten Colombo FC overcame Saunders SC by two goals to nil in the City Football League President’s Trophy at the City Football Complex yesterday. This was Colombo FC’s second win in the competition. Last Saturday they beat Renown FC 3-0. Four leading teams in the City Football League are taking part in this competition. They [...]
‘Golden Awards’ for 10 past Hockey greats
The ‘Golden Awards’ Ceremony organised by Matale Old Thomians Hockey Association (MOTHA) to felicitate ten past stickers of national and international fame produced from Matale, who still stand tall as a Landmark in Matale’s hockey history, took place at Edward Park hockey ground Matale prior to the main awards presentation ceremony. The President of Matale [...]
St. Peter’s survives storm to down St. Anthony’s
The Peterites survived a bit of a storm but came through at the end to post a 21 points (3 goals) to 11 (1 try, 2 penalties) win over a fighting Anthonian outfit at Nittawela. The match started shortly before 5.00pm as a result of a heavy shower. After a failed drop kick by an [...]
Science make short work of Rajan efforts
Hat-trick of tries from Ashan Madhumadawa and Udesh Madushanka helped Science College romp home to a one-sided 54-7 victory against Dharmaraja College in their Singer Under-20 Schools Division I Rugby first round match played at Ratmalana yesterday. After stunning St. Peter’s College last weekend with a bounce-back win, scrumhalf Madhumadawa and flanker Madushanka put Science [...]
Big question over grounds for All Island Schools Athletic C’ships
The Education Ministry is faced with a gigantic task of finding a venue to stage the track and field athletic championships of the School Games for 2016. The event, a much looked forward to event in the schools sporting calendar, is normally held at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo and Diyagama Mahinda Rajapaksa Sports Complex. [...]
Adrenaline buffs your chance to have a high
Over two hundred riders and drivers are waiting anxiously to do their utmost at the 24th Fox Hill Supercross to be held at the Diyatalawa Fox Hill track on April 24. The event is organised by the Sri Lanka Military Academy (SLMA) in association with the Sri Lanka Autosports Drivers Association (SLADA). This event which [...]
Ex-Lankan jockeys back in their saddles
Thirteen of the local jockeys who left Sri Lanka looking for greener pastures, have returned to the island to compete at the forthcoming horse races according to Suranjith Premadasa, the President of Royal Turf Club (RTC). ”It’s really encouraging and nice to have these 13 local jockeys back on the saddle. They had left their [...]
Hitting four successive sixers in international Cricket
The entire cricket world was stunned when West Indian all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite brought about a dramatic win in the recently concluded World T20 tournament by clubbing four successive sixers off the bowling of England’s paceman Ben Stokes in the final over of the game. Needing 19 runs, Brathwaite hit the first three deliveries over the [...]
Bandaranayake MV ease to a 6-run win
A fine match winning all-round performance by Bandaranayake MV’s Maleesha Kalansuriya (28 and 4 for 19) and a lonely battle with the bat by Henegama MV’s Damith Chamara (54) highlighted the inaugural Siyane Blue and Green Limited Over cricket encounter at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium. Fortunes swung from side to side in the [...]
Denver and Harshanth steal the limelight
Centurions, Denver Faux from Softlogic Finance and Harshanth Rajendra from Unilever stole the limelight in the ongoing 14th David Pieris Group of Companies sponsored, ‘DPGC’ Challenge Trophy, MCA ‘E’ Division 30-Over League Tournament 2016, continued last weekend. Opener, Denver Faux cracked a hurricane 134 runs in 61 balls, inclusive of 12 sixes and 10 fours, [...]
Science College – Determined to succeed in the oval shape ball game
A school with a short rugby history, but in years gone by, have produced some outstanding ruggerites to the national side, and slowly and steadily they are becoming a dominant force in schools top league Division 1, locking horns with some of the top guns in school rugby, with proud rugby histories behind them. The [...]
Anthonians can take comfort from the fact that the worst is over
The Anthonians have contributed many players to the National team over the last three decades. Chief among them are the Ekanayake brothers Lakshman and Priyantha, Leory Fonseka, Jude Pillai, Nihal Gunaratne, Lasantha Wijesuriya, Mourice Joachim and in more recent times, Pradeep Liyanage. However, Anthonian Rugby has not been what it should be over the last [...]
Reviving is over; now full throttle with all force
Definitely the schools’ rugby season for 2016 is hotting up. In the two weeks of rugby the results have been interesting, and it all points out to a enthralling season as the season goes on. In the segment 1A group, three schools, Royal, S. Thomas’ and Trinity are the teams to watch. Royal hosted Thomians [...]
Sri Lanka withdraws from staging contest
The Sri Lanka Netball Federation requested the Asian Netball Federation permission to stage the 2018, Eleventh Asian Senior Netball Championships. Now in a surprising turn of events Sri Lanka has withdrawn from staging the event. This has caused quite a lot of turmoil in the Asian Netball Federation. This request was made at the Hong [...]
SL to take part in Hockey World League for the first time
Sri Lanka men and women’s hockey teams are taking part in the Hockey World League Season 2016-2017 Round One (Asian) currently in progress in the Singapore Sports Hub. The tournament commenced on April 19 and will conclude on April 17. This is the first time that Sri Lanka is taking part in a hockey tournament [...]
Air Force are Defence Services Netball champs
Sri Lanka Air Force gained a close 54-51 goals win over Sri Lanka Navy in the final of the Defence Services Netball Championships at the Air Force netball courts in Colombo last week. This was the ninth Defence Services Netball championships and Air Force won it for the ninth successive time. Sri Lanka Navy emerged [...]
Ratnam, New Star clash in Gold Cup final
Ratnam SC and New Star SC Panadura will clash in the final of the Lawrence Fernando Memorial Challenge Trophy Gold Cup tournament on April 21 at the City League Sports Complex, Colombo commencing 4 pm. The tournament is being conducted by the Colombo Football league. Eight teams affiliated to the Colombo FL took part in [...]
Lalith has not lost his touch
Former national table tennis star Lalith Priyantha proved that he had not lost his touch with the game by winning the triple crown at the All Island Veteran Individual Table Tennis Championship organised by the Veterans Table Tennis Association of Sri Lanka held at the St. Thomas’ College Indoor Stadium tables recently. It was interesting [...]