• Grading tests a roaring success
• Magic formula?
• The suit that will give Eric a faster pulse beat 
• Wesley Juniors in second round
• Cricket from Nairobi to Sharjah
• Senior players dropped from national pool
• Upset victory

Grading tests a roaring success

The participants were tested for their prowess and skill in free sparring, self defence, combination kicks and punches, katas (Ti-Vous), basics, exercises and endurance during a gruelling three hour grading test for Orange, Green Grey and Brown belts.

The results are as follows:

Brown Belt 3 Moshan Peiris (Seylan Bank); 
Grey Belts: Miss F.R. Nuzha Khalid (Muslim Ladies College).

Green Belts: 

Dr. Kitsiri Gunaratne, Mrs. K.W. C. Sudarshanie, Miss K.C. Imalka Gunaratne (Musaeus College), Mrs. Aloma Laurette Prirez , Miss Srimalee Tissera, Miss Sadamalee Tissera, Miss Keshini de Soza, S. Atchutan (Hindu College), David Carvalio (St. Josephís College), Ifraz Zawril (Belvoir International).

Orange Belts: 

Master Achelle de Zoza (St. Josephís College).

The Fei Quan do International Xhampionship annual awards ceremony and gettogether will be held in late November.

On this day honorary Black Belts will be awarded to those who have excelled in their particular fields.

Magic formula?

By Jatila Karawita

Marambe who was overseeing the practices of the national pool players at Longden Place on Wednesday evening, along with coach SSP Nimal Lewke, was upbeat of Sri Lanka's chances in the upcoming series with Taipei, and said the locals will try to put their setback suffered in the Asiad behind them, and take the visitors head-on to prove their critics wrong.

'What happened in the Rugby Asiad is all history now. There is no point in crying over spilt milk.

I thought we had a balanced team basically with winning material.

In that first game against Thailand we led 14-0 at one stage, but a few mistakes cost us the game.

In the second game we beat China and that was creditable .

Then in the last game against Singapore we led by 9-3 but during that point Suranga Amerasinghe got injured, and with that we began to back-pedal and it was rather disappointing' recalled Marambe of the performance of the national team during the Rugby Asiad in Japan a few months ago. Asked about how the Islanders will fare, in two important Tests against the Chinese Taipei, the head of the local selection committee was positive in his estimation of Lanka's chances, and warned the tourists not to underrate the home team in the short rubber.

'I feel we are in a position to give them a good run, provided if our boys maintain discipline, play to a good game-plan, and commit themselves fully.

Despite a couple of key players being injured, I am optimistic that our boys will ultimately prove their worth' said the former Sri Lanka half back, who stated Lanka's standing in the Asian rugby circuit, will be judged according to how they perform in the series with Taipei.

Asked about the final composition of the team to face the visitors, Marambe was not so keen on giving specific details of team selections, but added that a team with particular emphasis on speed, will be chosen to scrum down.

'I feel to counter the Taipei side we need to have very fast forwards, and backs and they have to be extremely mobile. Our third row will have to be very speedy, and that is the only way to tackle them. We will be selecting teams on current form, and there could also be a few new faces in the Test squad.

And we will also be giving chances to some deserving youngsters, who have been knocking on the door' explained Marambe, who was pleased with the support he had received hitherto by his co-selectors.

Commenting on the opposition Sri Lanka is due to face, he said Chinese Taipei deserved their current ranking, in the Asian region in 15 a side rugby, but he advised not to down-play the chances of Sri Lanka, and called on the pundits and critics of rugby here, to base their judgments on the national team, on how they perform during the Test series.

Before winding, Marambe also commended the services by national coach SSP Nimal Lewke, and said that one day the country will be hard-pressed, to find a replacement to a coach of the calibre of the former Police rugby star, who has taken pains to mould a fighting Sri Lanka team.

The suit that will give Eric a faster pulse beat 

By Peter Lalor

Today he is the biggest story of the Sydney Games, a man chased by Time magazine, courted by American breakfast television and lauded by the British press.

Eric Moussambini looked like he might drown in Tuesday's100m freestyle heats but he kept his head above water and made it to the end of the pool and into the hearts of the world.

Eric of equatorial Guinea is now the most sought after swimmer at the Games, which isn't bad when you consider he only learned to tumble-turn a few days before the event.

Time magazine wants an interview. He appeared on nbc's Today show and recorded another interview with that network's Sue Kwon.

When the television cameras were turned off she pulled out a small camera and asked to be photographed with the man of the moment. 

"I've never done this with any of the athletes but I have to have my picture taken with Eric," Kwon said.

Spanish, French, English, Swedish, Japanese, Canadian and Australian media recorded interviews throughout the day.

He signed autographs while walking the streets of Sydney and did a photo shoot with Speedo — who presented him with a hi-tech Fastskin suit and are talking sponsorship.

English newspaper The Mirror, presented Eric with a special gold medal on behalf of its readers.

"He is huge at home," Mirror reporter Jeremy Armstrong said.

"He epitomises everything that the Olympics should be about and people have fallen in love with him."

At the Cook and Phillip pool they asked him to sign their honour board, which is right next to a set of Olympic medals won by John Konrads. He was happy to pose for the cameras but refused photographers' requests to swim more than two laps.

'It's too far," he said.

Eric Moussambini is 22 and the eldest of five children. He wants to go to university but does not have enough money, so he lives at home with his mother who works at a travel agency and his father who works in the embassy.

He is unemployed but sometimes helps his mum out at the shop.

Eric learned to swim at the beach and went into training in a 20m hotel pool in the capital of Malabo at the start of the year. He learned to tumble-turn last week in Sydney by watching his heroes train at the Aquatic Centre.

Eric said he was worried when the two other competitors in his heat were disqualified, leaving him alone on the blocks, unsure he could finish.

"It was very daunting. I knew that everyone's eyes were on me, so it was a matter of national pride," he said.

"The crowd kept me going. Getting to the Olympics was a dream and now it is all so overwhelming."

Equatorial Guinea has only four athletes at the Games.

A Republic of Equatorial Guinea team official said that Eric was the best swimmer in the squad, so they are not expecting too much more from Paula. 

what he's been up to 

Lucia Malonga's phone has been ringing hot with news crews seeking her son's story.

"I didn't know why he was going to those Games," she said from her Malabo home. "My boy went to training — I think that's what they called it - every day

He would come home all cold and stuffy every day but he wouldn't leave it.

He got more and more interested in swimming. That was good because he already quit soccer, then he quit basketball. Then he started to run and he quit that, too". 

Mrs. Malonga said her son was an unlikely candidate for an Olympic swimming team.

"He didn't use to really care for swimming except for on the beach a bit.

"I thought he mostly wanted to see Sydney," she said.

Mrs. Malonga only found out about her son's achievement when a Spanish Radio Station paid for his telephone call home so he could tell her to turn on the television and watch his race. She was very excited about it," Eric said. 

He would also love to phone his girlfriend and tell her, but must wait until he can take advantage of the free three-minute call given to all athletes in the village.

After the swim Eric achieved another dream when he got to meet Michael Klim and Alexander Popov in the change rooms. 

The language barrier meant that they couldn't talk too much, but they shook hands and had a laugh — competitor to competitor.

Now Eric wants to find a new coach when he gets home, but if he cannot he will retire from swimming, proud that he made an Olympic Games.

Wesley Juniors in second round

Wesley has with these wins entered the second round. They are being coached by Prasad Amarasekera.

Wesley beat St. Benedict's, Isipatana, Asoka Vidyalaya and Sandalanka MV and lost to Dharmapala.

Chief scores:

Wesley bt St. Benedict's by 3 wickets.

St. Benedicts -107 all out. (C. Perera 33, A. Katiperachchi 3/26, Thariq Naziar 3/21). Wesley -122 for 7 (Shajkthi Siriratne 46, Ryan Kern 24, L.S. Jayasinghe 3/15). 

Wesley bt Isipatana by 4 wickets. (Dushan Arjuna 42).

Wesley-159 for 6 wickets. (Shakthi Sriiratne 40, Charitha Karunaratne 39).

Wesley bt Asoka Vidyalaya by 23 runs.

Wesley-168 all out. (Charitha Kaurnaratne 33, Chrishmal Mendis 28, Shakthi Siriratne 27, Heshan Gomes 23, Lakshitha Udakandage 4/26).

Asoka Vidyalaya - 145 all out.(Sanjeewa Wijethunga 43, Thakshana Hettiarachchi 32, Charitha Karunaratne 3/25, Thariq Naziar 3/18).

Wesley bt Sandalankawa MV by an innings and 93 runs.

Wesley-191 all out. (Ryan Kern 55, Thariq Naziar 46, Rajith Madushanka 3/38). Sandalankawa MV 46 all out (Shakthi Siriratne 4/3, and 42 all out. (Anoj Katipearachchi 6/14, Thariq Naziar 3/6).

Wesley lost to Dharmapala by 50 runs.

Dharmapla 242 for 5 in 50 overs. (Preneeth Thivanka 53, Sheshan Aluthge 48, L. Weeragala 48).

Wesley - 192 all out. (Anoj Katipearachchi 31, Chrismal Mendis 26, Heshan Gomes 26, G. Pathirana 4/42).

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