Wounded Sri Lanka thrash Philippines to take third place
Despite being hampered by injuries to three players in Adeesha Weeratunga (head), Gayan Weeraratne (hamstring) and Kavindu Perera (shoulder) during the game itself, a compact Sri Lanka crushed Philippines by 40 points (six tries, five conversions) to 12 (2tries, 1 conversion) here in Happy Valley, Hong Kong yesterday to claim third place in the first [...]
Malinga gets four, but, Lanka hit the bottom again
Lasith Malinga returned to international cricket with a bang claiming four wickets in his first match in 12 months, but the butterfingered Sri Lankans have themselves to blame for the crushing 137 run defeat against Bangladesh in the opening fixture of the Asia Cup here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium last night. Bangladesh needed [...]
Inside story of the near miss at Sri Lanka Cricket
The Sunday Times is in possession of a copy of the controversial letter which was alleged to have been forwarded to Sony Pictures Networks India requesting an initial payment of US$ 5,564,404.50 for the TV rights of the forthcoming Sri Lanka vs England series which will take place from October 5 to November 27. The [...]
Broad expected to miss out on England’s winter tour of Sri Lanka
England are ready to make the boldest call yet of the Ed Smith regime by leaving Stuart Broad out of their squad to tour Sri Lanka. Broad, 32, is set to be the high-profile casualty of England’s desire to find bowlers who can improve the team’s dismal away-form when the selectors meet next week to [...]
Sadeera, Angelo, Isuru, Charith shine
LB Finance’s batting quartet comprising of Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Perera (who cracked tons), Isuru Udana and Charith Asalanka sent the Sampath Bank bowlers on a leather hunt helping the side to coast to a convincing 155 runs and thus helping their side to begin their campaign of 26th MCA Premier League tournament on a winning [...]
Wesley dominate proceedings at Campbell Park
Wesley dominated proceedings of the Under-19 Inter-Schools cricket match against St. Anthony’s Wattala which concluded at Campbell Park yesterday. St. Anthony’s in their first effort scored 179 runs. This was in reply to Wesley’s score of 317 for 9 declared which came on the back of half tons made by Movin Subasinghe and Thisuraka Akmeemana [...]
Sri Lanka wins first game against Hong Kong
Sri Lanka crushed Hong Kong by 3 sets to nil in the First Asian Men’s Volleyball Challenge Cup Tournament at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium yesterday. The Asian Volleyball Confederation is conducting the tournament. This is the first time that a senior volleyball tournament is being held in Sri Lanka. Eight teams are taking part in [...]
Royal prove that it is experience that counts
In spite of a gallant late rally by Nalanda, Royal proved that their experience was superior during the second Royal-Nalanda annual water polo encounter at the Royal Swimming Complex yesterday. The lads from Campbell Place went down fighting at 16-21 to the experienced Royal outfit thus giving opportunity for the Reid Avenue school to snatch [...]
Maldives stuns India 2-1 to emerge SAFF Cup champs
Maldives lifted their second sub-continental football title beating defending champions India 2-1 in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup Tournament final worked off at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh yesterday. The second-time winners who led 1-0 at half time also avenged their previous defeat after having lost to the same opponents 0-2 [...]
Sri Lanka crash to Guam in AFC first game
Guam overcame Sri Lanka 4-2 in the AFC Under 16 Women’s Championships Group ‘A’ qualifying round at Longdon Place yesterday. Five countries including, Sri Lanka, China, Jordan, Uzbekistan and Guam are taking part in this tournament. Thirty teams from across Asia will vie for eight spots in Round-2 of the Qualifiers, where the teams will [...]
Zheng, Segawa clinch Singles titles
The curtains of the ITF Junior Circuit week 2 tennis tournament came down yesterday with two finals each in the singles and doubles being concluded at the SLTA tennis courts in Greenpath, Colombo. Baoluo Zheng of China and Mei Ha Segawa of Japan emerged the winners in the boys and girl’s categories singles with the [...]
Commercial Credit outclass MAS Silueta
Commercial Credit began their campaign of the 26th MCA Premier League cricket tournament on a winning note when they outclassed debutants MAS Silueta by eight wickets in the match played at De Zoysa Stadium in Moratuwa. MAS Silueta taking first lease of the wicket was bowled out for a low score of 131 and Commercial [...]
Masters VIP on penalties
Master VIP ‘B’ beat Master Sri Lanka (SL) 1-0 on penalties in the final, to annex the title at the 19th Vijayans Trophy Women’s All-Island Inter-Club Hockey 7s 2018, concluded at Edward Park Hockey Ground, Matale. The 1st session of the closely contested final saw Ayesha Serasinghe scoring the 1st goal for Master SL in [...]
Sri Lanka to host Baseball international series at Diyagama
Sri Lanka will host an international baseball tournament for the first time, in March, 2019, as the sport continues to make impressive strides on the baseball diamond. The Baseball Federation of Asia (BFA) executive committee, which met on the sidelines of the XII BFA Under 18 Baseball Championship in Miyazawa, Japan last week, awarded Sri [...]
Ritzbury Sir John Tarbat Athletics Championships 2018
Over 15,000 school Athletes will be seen in Track and Field events at the 88th Ritzbury Sir John Tarbat Athletics Championship 2018, from September 19-21 in Colombo. The Senior Athletics Meet will be held from September 19-21 in Colombo, under 3 Age Groups- Under (U)-16, U-18 and U-20. The Junior Athletics Meet will be from [...]
LB Finance, fairfirst Insurance best over the ropes
LB Finance (LBF) ‘A’ led by Angelo Perera and fairfirst Insurance (fairfirst) led by Lakshan Perera lifted the ‘CDB’ Trophy, as they emerged winners of the MCA Open ’6s’ Tier ‘A’ and Tier ‘B’ Tournaments respectively, concluded at the MCA Grounds last Sunday. LBF beat Commercial Credit (ComCredit in the Tier ‘A’ final, while fairfirst [...]
Gihan Pushpakumara (Team SL Army) Champion Rider
Sri Lanka’s longest Across-the-Country Cycle race organised by Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), successfully reached its final destination at Kuliyapitiya last Saturday. Gihan Pushpakumara of Team Sri Lanka Army (SLA) was overall champion of the 5-Day race, securing the 1st Prize of Rs 1 million. Prabath Madusanka of Team Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and Viran Ramesh [...]
Muthalib elected president Kandy Veterans’ Table Tennis Association
Table Tennis in Kandy received a new lease of life when former national paddler and Chairman of selection committee Manzil Muthalib was elected president of the Kandy Veterans’ Table Tennis Association. He was elected to the post during their AGM held recently. Muthalib said that the new officials will dedicate their time and strength to [...]
Scrabble Tournament on Oct. 28
The All Island Senior Citizens Scrabble Tournament, conducted annually by the Sri Lanka Association of Senior Citizens, will be held at the Amethyst Room, Colombo Hilton on Sunday, October 28 . Play will be conducted in two categories. Contestants for the championship will be the “A” category and play according to the Collins scrabble dictionary [...]
Cream of National Cricketers in the fray
Of special significance at the 26th Singer-MCA Premier League Cricket 2019 scheduled to commence this weekend, will be the battle between experience and youth. A total of top 10 teams in the Mercantile sector will be in action on three formats- League, Knockout and T20. Experienced players in the caliber of T.M. Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, [...]
Mercantile Cagers come out in action
The 28th Mercantile Services Basketball Association League Tournament 2018 got off to a flying start with Moulana Travels, CDB Finance (CDB), Nations Trust Bank (NTB) Blues and Akbar Bros. winning the opening day’s matches, while on Day-2, Hayleys Group (Hayleys), Ceylon Tobacco Co. [CTC (Men)] and MAS Holdings (Women) winning their respective matches. Matches were [...]
Catch me if you can – the Lankan version
A fortnight ago, I began my Sunday Musings, discussing the wisdom of the elders with the focal point being former National Cricket Captain Michael Tissera. During my discussion with him, he brought out a very salient point. He stressed that a forensic audit should be done at Sri Lanka Cricket, to probe the ‘ins and [...]
Cricket catastrophe diagnosed
The consideration is drawn to a dialogue legendary Micheal Tissera had with the media, where he had hassled on “Clean up the stables, there is young blood to take over”, which is the prime resolution to our Cricket catastrophe. Obviously, it is a fact that unexceptional folks pursue directions from the unique wisdom of celebrated [...]
Looking for Packeer Ali magic to spur Lankan football
On Saturday evening the SAFF Champions was known with India were the favourites challenged by the maverick Maldivians. Sri Lanka has been tossed out having lost to India 2-0 and drawing with the Maldives only to lose on the toss of a coin. Claims of poor referring apparently got the better of the Sri Lanka [...]
Club or Country; loyalty at a price
How well is Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) positioned to cater to emerging markets, while retaining the product which still remains at 8 Clubs? Take a cue from Pepsi, look at the consumer preference and fill in. Otherwise, we will distributing the same song in a CD format that nobody wants, except those who live in [...]
Colombo Masters Cricket Assoc. 60+ too good for 50+
Colombo Masters Cricket Association (CMCA) 60+ Cricketers showed they have not lost their touch, when they scored fine 18-run victory over CMCA 50+ team at the Wesley College Grounds recently. Taking first lease of the wicket, CMCA 60+ with the aid of two good knocks by Tissa Wijerathne (43) and Rohan Perera (63 rtd.), posted [...]
Ceylon Riding Club summer horse on Sept. 22
Horses, afternoon teas, hats and marquees, the Ceylon Riding Club Summer Show promises to be a stylish and memorable event. On September 22, the Ceylon Riding Club is hosting their second horse event at the newly opened riding club at Piliyandala. Just one year ago, Ceylon Riding Club opened its gates for the first time [...]
Vidyartha, sans two stalwarts, have their work cut out for them
Vidyartha College will have a tough task on their hands, minus former captains Ravishka Upananda (2016-’17) and last year’s captain, the hard-hitting Pulina Gunatilleka. Both centurions, they contributed lavishly to the team total. Isuru Prabodha, a 4th-year left-hander will lead the side. He is an attacking player with a variety of shots, and likes putting [...]
Lankan duo impress at Dakshin Dare Cross-country Rally
Sri Lankan Rally driver Shafraz Junaid and co-driver Akhry Ameer fought stiff competition from superior factory teams of Suzuki and Mahindra, in their own Rally cab competition, being placed 2nd Runners-Up in the T2-2WD above 1851cc category, at the Maruti-Suzuki Dakshin Dare Cross-country Motor Rally concluded in Goa last weekend. The duo also progressed from [...]
Survival of Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic
The Grand Slam events are the highest rated. None can match their ‘prize money’. The professional bodies’ insistence and prestige of history, the 4 Grand Slam events- Australian-Open, French-Open, Wimbledon Championships and the US-Open- gets full attendance of the best players. Tennis cannot be named an elite sport anymore. Elite sporting expressions included code of [...]
Skipper Gunasinghe’s mission to take Anthonians to the promised land
Eight wins, and the Anthonians were poised for a break-through and promotion to Division One. Yet those fond hopes were dashed by a loss to the Annites in the semi final. The fact that they had thrashed the Kurunegala team by 10 wickets earlier, made the loss doubly disappointing. Thus, this year’s skipper Theeksha Gunasinghe [...]
Sari de Silva- A Rugby player like no other
It is with profound sadness we heard of the passing away of a true Sri Lankan Rugby Maestro, the great Sari de Silva, a few years back in England. My memories take me back to my schooling days in the 1960′s, how this brilliant, extraordinary master craftsman dominated the local Rugby arena. Sari, having learned [...]
Lionel Mendis – My uncle and coach
Rajapaksha Manikkunambi Saddasena Lionel Mendis was a well known cricket coach and a teacher. To me, he was an uncle, my fathers’ elder brother. His 83rd birth anniversary falls on September 15, 2018. ‘Loku thaththa’ was very fond of me as a kid and I, very much attached to him. At every visit we made [...]
MUD-SLINGING ALL THE WAY
The newspapers were full of news about the victory achieved at the Asian Netball Championships in Singapore. But there had been some untoward instances which had cast a pall of gloom over the grand victory. For instance an official, who had accompanied the local team, had been debarred from posing with the victorious team, but [...]