Sri Lanka juniors finish as top performers
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Sri Lanka junior squash team
The Sri Lanka squash team that took part in the 26th Asian Junior Individual Squash Championship in Macau, China finished the tournament as the best ever performance by a junior squad.
Yehani Kuruppu won the Plate Championship in the Under-17 category while Akeesha Dahamdi emerged Plate winner in the Girls Under-13 category. Ilham Asmone finished runner-up in the Boys Under-17 consolation Plate and in the Girls Under-13 Plate, Kavithma Silva too finished as runner-up.
In the Plate Consolations six Sri Lankans entered semi-finals in Under-13, 15, 17 and 19 age groups. Methmal Wood (Boys Under-19 Plate), Dewmini Gallage (Girls Under-17 Consolation), Sameera Deen (Under-19 Girls Plate), Yehansa Abeysundera (Girls Under-19 Plate), Chanithma Sinaly (Under-15 Girls Plate) and Hiruna Coralage (Under-13 Boys Plate) competed in the semi-finals.
A contingent of 31 players from four age groups (Under-13, 15, 17 and 19) in both Girls and Boys categories represented Sri Lanka at this event. The tournament attracted players from Japan, Hong Kong, China, Macau, Pakistan, India, Singapore, Philippines, Kuwait, Chinese Taipe, Malaysia and Korea.
Both Boys and Girls teams were selected through the Junior National trials conducted by Sri Lanka Squash Federation. The top ranked Sri Lankan junior players were invited for trials held in early April this year and the top four rated players from each group were picked for the championship.
Sri Lankan youngsters are no strangers for this event and had shown positive signs of improvement in 2016, 17 and 18.
– Lakshman Ranasinghe
Sri Lanka were represented by:
Under-13
Boys: Hiruna Coralage, Dishen Nilantha, Matheesha Wijesekera
Girls: Kavithma Silva, Ranliya Irudinithi, Akeesha Dahamdi, Miyuni Misara
Under-15
Boys: Januka Sehandu, Sehath Perera, Nevindu Lakman, Akila Athapattu
Girls: Anangri Perera, Themini Palliyaguru, Shenaya Siriwardene, Chanithma Sinaly
Under-17
Boys: Thinura Randina, Dulina Perera, Ilham Asmone, Nadun Karunaratne
Girls: Dewmini Gallage, Yehani Kuruppu, Shaveetha Kohombange, Tharushi Madanaarachchi
Under-19
Boys: Druvinka Perera, Methmal Wood, Qays Sangani, Diniru Diyabeganage
Girls: Sameera Deen, Ananya Gamage, Yehansa Abeysundera, Ushira Jayaweera.