Junior National TT Tournament under way
Over 550 boys and girls are participating in the three-day Junior National Table Tennis Tournament, currently underway at the Kandy Municipal Council Stadium at Katukalle. There was a major upset in the Under-15 Boys’ Pre-quarter-final event when the bottom seeded Chandupa Alahakoon of Kingswood College was beaten by the much smaller Vidyartha College lad Hansaka Wijesiri.
It went to a five setter in which Hansaka triumphed 13-11. Alahakoon in fact was leading by two sets to one at one point. Hansaka used his top spin judiciously and excelled in the smash. Wijesiri, Devmith Weerasena, the top seed from Lyceum International, Danushka Wiesinghe (Kingswood), Vihandi Randima, Hiruna Warusavithane, Chanul Dulsen (Dharmasoka), Senura Silva (Ananda) and Chanaka Sri Bandara (St. Mary’s Kegalle) have entered the quarter-final of the Boys’ Under-15 event.
In the Girls’ Under-15 event, Kaveesha Kavindi of Dharmasoka beat Anushka de Silva of Ladies’ College to make her entry to the quarter-final. Top seeded Kaveesha will take a lot of beating. Ayla Chitty, Ishara Warnakulasuriya (Ladies’), Maduka Rehantha (Parajapathi Gothami, Ambalangoda), Prabodha Mallawa (Kegalu MV), Maneesha Shalindi (Karandeniya Central) and the Under-12 top seed Bimandi Bandara (Hillwood) have entered the quarters.