• Writing on the wall in Galle 
• SCOREBOARD 
• Anthonians gain sweet revenge 
• Tough for Prasanna 
• Two upsets at B'wela tennis 
• Susanthika 8th 
• Blockbuster as CH confront CR today
• Wimbledon '99 Flashback (Ladies Singles)
• Rover pinpoints… 
• What went wrong with Royal ? 
• Racecourse - A Colombo Municipal Initiative

Sri Lanka in a fix after humiliating defeat...

Writing on the wall in Galle

Channaka de Silva reporting from Galle

Marvan Atapattu and Arjuna Ranatunga were the only local batsmen to face the impressive Pakistani attack with any confidence with half centuries while the rest of the local batting looked quite mediocre on a perfect batting track.

The Sri Lankans were sitting on a volcano when the fourth day began on 45 for 1, still requiring a whopping 374 to make the visitors bat again. They had already lost skipper Sanath Jayasuriya on the previous evening.

Having chased a total of 419 to avoid an innings defeat, Sri Lanka were all out for 256 one hour into the final session yesterday.

Pakistan's wrecker-in-chief was paceman Waqar Younis, who captured four wickets for 40 to finish with a match bag of 7 for 79 on the batting friendly track but was pipped off to the man of the match by Wasim Akram who collected his second successive title for being one of the four centurions in the Pakistan innings and took 3 for 93.

Sri Lanka lost their first wicket yesterday with the total on 91 when Younis broke the overnight second wicket partnership worth 58, trapping Russel Arnold leg before for 26. Left hander Arnold who is going through a lean patch of form batted for two hours hitting four boundaries.

Opener Marvan Atapattu and Aravinda de Silva, took the visitors to lunch on 123 for 2 but in the second over after the break, Sri Lanka's most prolific batsman of the series was caught behind off spinner Arshad Khan for 59. The stylish right hander's patient four-hour-knock included nine boundaries.

De Silva, who batted determinedly for over an hour to make 11 was caught at forward short leg by Mohammed Wasim at forward short leg three overs later while vice captain Mahela Jayawardena, highest scorer in the first innings did not last long ruled out leg before dubiously by umpire Russel Tiffin. Jayawardena had made only nine when paceman Akram's delivery pitched on the leg stump, hit him on the pads to send Sri Lanka tumbling to 156 for 5.

Wicketkeeper Romesh Kaluwitharana struggling to defend his place in the side with youngsters Prasanna Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara, who are both in the pool breathing down his neck, did not do any justice to his chances when he managed only to make 9 before being adjudged leg before off Waqar.

With his dismissal, two overs before tea, Sri Lankans were looking down the barrel of a loaded gun on 189 for 6 at the break.

Former skipper Arjuna Ranatunga was in superb touch, scoring his second half century of the match to strengthen his claims for a prolonged career. The rotund left-hander provided rare entertainment which the local supporters lacked, smashing boundaries all round the wicket. When Ranatunga was finally adjudged lbw by Tiffin off an inswinging full toss from Wasim Akram, he had clobbered 13 boundaries in 80 balls for his 65. His exit put the Lankans on 230 for 7 and was virtually at the end of the line.

In the very next over medium paceman Azhar Mahamood accounted for Chaminda Vaas and Rangana Herath to put Sri Lanka on 234 for 9 and in fear of conceding the biggest victory margin to the Pakistanis.

Last man Muralitharan was greeted by Pakistan's skipper Moin Khan with nine slips but the awkward right hander replied Moin's complacency hammering 4 fours, three of them in succession off Azhar Mahmood.

Muralitharan's brief cameo came to an end with a straight slow ball by Waqar to signal the end for the Lankans. Murai had five fours in his ten ball 22.

Skipper Jayasuriya as usual blamed his batsmen for the thrasing received and pleaded with fans to bear with them through the bad period they are experiencing.

The third and last Test match starts at the Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy on Wednesday.

SCOREBOARD

Sri Lankan second innings (45 for one overnight)
M.Atapattu c Moin b Arshad 59
S.Jayasuriya c Inzamam-ul-Haq b Waqar 21
R.Arnold lbw b Waqar 26
A.de Silva c M.Wasim b Arshad 11
M.Jayawardene lbw b Akram 9
A.Ranatunga lbw b Akram 65
R.Kaluwitharana lbw b Waqar 9
C.Vaas c sub b Mahmood 20
R.Herath lbw b Mahmood 0
R.Pushpakumara not out 0
M.Muralitharana b Waqar 22

Extras (lb-12 w-1 nb-1) 14
Total (all out) 256

Fall of wickets: 1-33 2-91 3-123 4-130 5-156 6-187 7-230 8-234 9-234

Bowling: Waqar Younis 19.1-7-40-4; Akram 22-7-53-2 (1nb); Razzaq 15-2-44-0; Arshad Khan 24-9-59-2; Mahmood 10-2-48-2 (1w)

Anthonians gain sweet revenge

By Jatila Karawita 

The first semi-final will see two teams from the hill-capital battling it out for a berth in the final when St.Anthony's Katugastota meet Kingswood while in the second semi-final unbeaten Milo league champions S.Thomas' College will take on tournament 'giant killers' Thurstan who upset Isipatana in the quarter final.

Both games are scheduled to be worked off on June 27.

* St.Anthony's vs Dharmaraja. Anthonians possessing the better pack and the more penetrative three quarter line and having gone through a scoreless first half, cut loose in style to produce a scintillating second half performance where they scored 21 points ( three goals) to 15( one goal, one try, and one penalty) to romp into the knock-out semi-final over Dharmaraja at Longden Place yesterday.

At the turn around Rajans led 3-0. 

Referee- Aruna Jayasekera.

* St Peter's vs Kingwood

Kingswood the Milo league runners-up having been totally outplayed in the first half rose to the occasion when it needed most through a superb three quarter display to knock-out the gutsy St.Peter's from the quarter final by 22 points( two goals, one try, one penalty) to 16 ( two tries, two penalties) in a rousing match at Longden Place last evening.

Tough for Prasanna

By Ravi Nagahawatte

Sumith seemed to need time after an evenly contested first round bout but came into his own form in the latter rounds to impress the judges. . Fether Weight Champion Nilantha Bandara Walisundara of Slimline BC also produced the sparks at the finals yesterday when he out-boxed R.M.U.M Ratnayake of Y.M.C.A Kandy. At the time of going to press the Light Fly Weight bout between T.Harsha Kumara and C.Alexander was on. 

The results: Super Heavy Weight - H.Rupasena (Army) beat S.Rajangana (Prisons) , Light Heavy Weight - S.Wanninayake (Army) beat A.Premasiri (Police ), Heavy Weight - Ajantha Gamini (Police ) beat R.Bandara (Air Force ), Feather Weight - N.B.Walisundara (Slimline BC ) beat R.Ratnayake (YMCA Kandy), Light Welter Weight - C.Anthony (Army) beat S.I.Kumara (Vidyartha ) , Welter Weight - J.Jayasinghe (Police ) beat A.Bandara (Army), Light Middle Weight - Sumith Prasanna (Army) beat H.M.S.Bandara (Police) , Middle Weight - S.Kiribanda (Army) beat W.Mendis (Police ) , Fly Weight - R.M.A.B. Ratnayake (Slimline ) beat S.S..Bandara (Navy) . 

Two upsets at B'wela tennis

By Bruce Maurice

D. Wijesuriya, the No 13 seed, toppled J. Ganendran, the 5th seed in a three setter 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the boys' under14 quarter finals.

In the second upset C. C. Vidanarachchi,the No 12 seed, beat M. Jayasundare, the No 10 seed, 6-1, 6-1 in the boys' under14 semi-finals.

Maneesha Abeygune-wardena, the top seed beat Maheesha Seneviratne 6-0, 7-6 in the women's singles final and Maheesha Seneviratne beat D. Subramaniam 6-0,6-2 in the girls' under 18 finals.

Susanthika 8th

Zhanna Pintusevich of Ukraine won the first place in a time of 11.09 secs while four runners from the Bahamas finished second, third, fourth and sixth respectively.

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