2016 in Pictures
For the first time in Sri Lanka’s cricket history Australia were given a 3-0 whitewash in a 3-match Test series. Sri Lanka won the first Test at Pallekele by 106 runs, the second Test at Galle by 229 runs and the third Test at the SSC by 163 runs. The Test series took place from [...]
Sports Minister to play peacemaker role
Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera says that he is confident that he will be able to bridge the widening gap between the Sri Lanka Cricket administration and the chairman of cricket selectors Sanath Jayasuriya. The Sports Minister said “Yes, I met Sanath with regard to his concerns and we had a lengthy chat regarding them. I [...]
Sri Lanka knocked out of semifinals
Sri Lanka came up with a disappointing performance as they failed to reach the semi-finals of the 4th South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women’s Championship which is now in progress in Siliguri, India. Seven SAF countries apart from Pakistan participated in this tournament conducted by the South Asian Football Federation. Sri Lanka was drawn into [...]
Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2017 is on the road
All arrangements have been finalised for the launch of the much looked forward to Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2017 competition. We are now ready to add a whole new dimension to this prestigious contest which began in 2008. It is with a profound sense of pride we wish to announce that Dialog Axiata– second [...]
How did we fare in 2016
The year 2016 can be recalled as a year which Sri Lanka did not achieve much internationally in a global sense. The first event was the South Asian Games in India. Sri Lanka fielded a contingent of 484 athletes in 23 sports events. But we managed to win only 25 gold medals. This is one [...]
Seven Volleyball tours in 2017
The Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation (SLVF) has decided to take part in seven Asian Level competitions in 2017. At the rate of Rs.3 Million, the total cost for the tours are estimated at Rs. 1.5 Billion. The tours are: 11th Asian Boys’ Under 19 Volleyball Championships in Myanmar from March 28 to April 5. The [...]
Think of neutral ‘batting tracks’ too
Talking of Boxing Day, I discovered that though the incomparable Cricket legend Kumar Sangakkara made his debut in 2000, he became a part of the cricket community’s folklore on Boxing Day of the same year, while facing up to the wrath of South African pace in Durban during the 1st Test. Both openers — skipper [...]
‘World Tour’ the Flagship of Tennis
The flagship that keeps Tennis enthusiasm in the world alive is the professional’s ‘World Tour’. Ask anyone from a lesser known Tennis country as to whom their number is and the chances are that they will not know. Ask them who are world’s women’s and the men’s top players are, without any hesitation the right [...]
Test star cradle playing on a torn matting
The start of the under 19 division II cricket fixture between Debarawewa National School and St Anthony’s College Kandy was delayed as the umpires requested that the matting on which the game was to be played on was so worn out that it should be patched up or another matting be laid. But unfortunately as [...]
Elaborate arrangements to stage 2nd South Asian Sepak Takraw Championships in Sri Lanka
The Amateur Sepak Takraw Association Under the auspices of the Ministry of Sports are tirelessly making elaborate arrangements to welcome not only the participants of India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh, but also the dignitaries of the Asian and International Sepak Takraw Federations along with VVIP of participating Countries to grace the occasion of the first-ever [...]
Ananda inflict Dharmapala MV’s sixth outright defeat
Ananda recorded a convincing ten wicket victory as they inflicted Dharmapala MV’s sixth outright defeat of the ongoing Under 19 inter-school cricket season in the match concluded at Pannipitiya yesterday. However the most significant for the day was the one-inning ten wicket haul of by Thurstan’s left-arm spinner Naveen Gunawardena who achieved a rare bowling [...]
NO PLACE IN SPORTS
A top official of an international sports body has no sport to call his own now! The Top Man in Sport had ordered him to take charge of Judo, but later the Top Man had other ideas and did not want him to join this body. Just to think he, who has been in the [...]
Bishopian Savini Jayasooriya reigns supreme
Savini Jayasooriya of Bishops College, Colombo, stole the limelight, sweeping all 3 age Groups at the Janaka Bogollagama Memorial ‘B’ Grade ranking Tennis tournament 2016, conducted at the Kurunegala Tennis Club courts. Savini won the Girls Under (U)-14, U-16 and U-18 Singles titles. She beat Tiera Benaragama 6-4, 6-2 in the U-14 final, Samadhi Jayasingha [...]
Kandy march over Army resolve
Kandy as expected by scoring a comfortable 50 points (5 goals, 3 tries) to 19 (2 goals. 1 try) win over a fighting Army team at Nittawela. Kandy’s talent lies in the back division. Yet, yesterday it was the superb defence of the forwards that made such a win possible. Time and again, the Army’s [...]
Outsider Udesh topples former World Champion Nishantha
Two major upsets highlighted the 29th Federation Cup Carrom Championship 2016, conducted by the Carrom Federation of Sri Lanka and worked-off at the Carrom Federation Headquarters, Kohuwala recently. The first upset took place in the Men’s Singles event semi-finals when Udesh Chaminda, a stand-by player at the7th World Carrom Championship beat former World Champion Nishantha [...]
Three coaching programmes from January
Three active Sri Lanka-Australia solidarity athletic coaching camps will be held in the Western Province, North Western Province and the Northern Province in January 2017. This is being organised by the Sports Ministry with the help of the Athletics Association and the Education Ministry. No charges will be levied for these camps. The first stage [...]
Rahula Matara host Hartley Jaffna
Rahula College Matara will host Hartley College Jaffna for the inaugural ‘Manimaram and Lal Wijesiriwardena Challenge Trophy’ limited over cricket encounter to be played at the Uyanwatta Stadium on January 1, 2017.“This encounter between the first XI cricket teams of Rahula College Matara and Hartley College Jaffna will be an annual fixture and will nurture [...]
Super Eight Round to re-commence on January 6
The Dialog Champions League Super Eight Round, which was suspended for four months, will re-commence on January 6, 2017. This has been decided by the Sri Lanka Football Federation. The leading eight teams in the Dialog Champion’s League will take part in this tournament. They are: Blue Star SC Kalutara, Renown SC Colombo, Solid SC [...]
Chilaw Marians and CCC in the lead
The Premier League domestic inter-club cricket tournament is in full swing and has reached the halfway stage now most the teams having played half of the six matches that they are scheduled to complete. The tournament contested by 14 teams divided into two groups of seven in each is being closely contested with Chilaw Marians [...]
Kandy Municipal Council Overall Champions
Kandy Municipal Council (KMC) were Overall Champions at the State Services Table Tennis (TT) Championship held at the Methodist Girls’ High School, Point Pedro, last week. TT Associations islandwide are conducting their championship tournaments in the Provinces to popularise the game and to unearth outstation talent. Earlier, the All-Island Unranked/Novices (Boys & Girls) TT Championship [...]
Panadura SC and SLPA CC in close tussle
The Premier Tier B which was originally scheduled to be contested by ten teams was brought down to nine with the exclusion of Negombo CC is going to be a closely contested affair between Panadura SC and SLPA CC with the two teams having recorded three outright wins each, but Panadura SC have played four [...]
Rugby beyond 2017 — what does it hold
Sri Lanka approaches another year of rugby with the league coming to an end in six weeks and school rugby expected to take the centre stage. More passion than what would be seen in clubs will be seen on the school rugby grounds. With all the fuss and lucre thrown has not helped the game. [...]
Why remove Volleyball as the National Sport at this juncture?
“Sri Lanka’s National Sport is Volleyball. This has been the National Sport for the past 24 years. The news that it is to be changed is almost impossible. This cannot be fathomed. The Volleyball Federation is staging a mighty protest against this” said A.S. Nalaka, Secretary, Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation, to the Sunday Times. “235 [...]
Power World goes to India — 20 gyms in Bangalore
Soon the Power World Gym system which has become synonymous in Sri Lanka with physical fitness will become an accepted norm in our neighbouring giant India too. Adding to the Lankan chain of 17 gyms in the city of Colombo, the Alailima dream will also be a part of the Indian fitness programme. Already there [...]
St. Joseph’s Champions after 21 years
After a lapse of 21 years, St. Joseph’s College, Maradana, rekindled past glory, when Mayuraka Perera led the Josephians to a thrilling 2-1 win against Holy Cross College, Kalutara, in the final of the All-Island Under (U)-19 Division I Football Championship played at the Moragasmulla Football Stadium in Rajagiriya. Joes opened scoring in the 17th [...]