Gen.
Daluwatte strikes the best nett round
Golf in the "A" Category was mediocre and all the usual
star performers blamed the weather and while we agree that the weather
was a trifle unkind we must emphasize that one cannot always be
fair weather golfers. Nirmal Hettiarachchi strong off the tee was
the best with a one over par nett 72 with Alain Gyi one stroke behind
with nett 73. Hettiarachchi takes the elegant Energizer Trophy.
B. Division
Joseph Sebhatu Sarath Wickremaratne battled in strong contest. Sebhatu
quite new to the scene was quite impressive playing off 15 he struck
a well calculated gross 83 nett 68 to tie with Wickremaratne who
played off 13 in commendable style. In the count back Sebhatu was
judged the winner with a better back nine. Wickremaratne a tremendous
sportsman showed no regrets.
There were ten
smashing centuries and the most scintillating crashed off the club
heads of H.A. Herath. Ken Sellayah, Bundala Weerasinghe and surprisingly
David Gyi contributed to small packets of confetti with little energy.
Absolute
General
Rohan Daluwatte moved away from the rigors of battles and war to
match with milder and more pleasant opponents. He is beginning to
master the art and in the last outing he held the Ridgeways in complete
command to take victory with only 24 strokes.
He beat par by 6 strokes and also his formidable opponent Anura
Gunasekera who finished superbly but not good enough for Daluwatte's
nett 65. Gunasekera was 2 strokes behind.
Centuries
17 golfers took 2088 strokes to complete the course averaging 122
each which must have given each of them much amusement and also
much resolve. Stanley Almeida was outstanding with 124 strokes studded
with hooks, slices and some massive earth mover.
10 golfers packed
up early at different times and they all agreed to contribute lavishly
to the season's requirements of confetti. Almeida in the Secretariat
together with the girls in the office have formed a packers Committee
with decorative ideas.
The Seniors event was one big helluva mess and a wag was heard to
call it a "mallung". 5 competed of which 4 decided to
gift confetti and tore up their cards early after a collection of
messy shots. Norman Chandraratne became the uncontested winner with
a 4 over par nett 75. The same wag called it a "one horse race
with no jockey".
Masters
Sarath Wickremaratne was amply compensated in the Masters Division
when his excellent round of nett 68 was judged the best and he richly
deserved the Energizer Award. Joe Boy Perera came from behind trailing
by nine strokers.
The weather
was unkind as the morning started but approaching mid-day the dark
clouds moved away to give way to gorgeous sunshine and an extremely
pleasant 19th hole. Energizer Lanka Ltd. sponsored the May Medal
rounds and they were exceedingly lavish.
Motor
racing drama of 'Power with Colour'
By Annesley Ferreira
As the curtain came down on the April Season, widely regarded as
the 'excitement scene' in the Motor Racing Calendar, one team stands
out and demands a second glance. This is the Mobil-Autocolor Team
created by the Universal Aura of Mobil and the breathtaking beauty
of CIC-Autocolor.
These two companies
have collaborated to give Motor Racing a fillup or more aptly, the
drama of 'Power with Colour' by taking under their care, a team
that has remained one of the more passionate ensembles in local
racing.
When Rohan de
Silva started tinkering away in a Fiat Miafiori as far back as1970,
little did he realize that it could result in a team such as what
we behold today. Joining hands with Trevor Reckerman, one of the
foremost sports administrators in the country, who returned to Sri
Lanka, to head The ExxonMobil local operation. Rohan has slowly
but surely developed a team that is hard to beat. And to add finesse
to this partnership comes the evergreen Bri, a technical virtuoso
who has given the team the stability and reliability it needed.
Arriving on
cue, is the formidable Gerald de Saram of CIC, who has decidedly
added colour, if not a powerful shove, to this spirited team. Why
spirited you may ask? Because, not for them the big names, or the
fly by nighters, but a dedicated close-knit team that thrives on
defeat and returns again and again for the challenge and the thrill
of racing.
Take Rohan.
He drives every meet, big or small, gravel or tarmac, night or day,
because apart from running a dynamic conglomerate, it is always
a burning desire to be behind the wheel. Not much has been written
about Romani,but motor racing experts class him among the best.
He squeezes out of a makeshift Pulsar, enough energy to stay glued
to the Evo 7 and drives with a panache that is reminiscent of Juan
Paolo Montoyo. In Shehara you have a lady with the steely determination
of a born competitor. Making no distinction when at the wheel, she
takes on the guys........... no quarter and driving a tight line
that makes the turks whimper. And so it is with rest. No big fuss,
but always a tough stance and a determined drive.
Wake up call
indeed for all other teams. For Caltex in particular, with all the
hype of big-name driver's, expensive hardware and unlimited budgets,
the power of staying ahead is going to be infinitely more difficult.
With Dinesh Deheragoda in his Mitsubishi thoroughbreds holding his
own in the superclass, teams like Caltex are suddenly realizing
that power and class are two different things.
Annual cricket encounter for
Dina Cup
Sri Lanka Cricket Club, a cricket team comprising Sri Lankans domiciled
in Switzerland, was in the island recently, playing a series of
matches against local clubs. The highlight of the two-week long
tour was an encounter with the Sri Lanka Customs Cricket Club on
May 3 for the Dina Cup, named after a Sri Lankan enterprise.
The limited
over match played at the Premadasa International Stadium ended in
no decision due to rain. Among those invited to witness the match
were former Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman Romesh Kaluwitharana
and ex-Sri Lanka captain Bandula Warnapura. The match was officiated
by ICC umpire Asoka de Silva and Sena Nandaweera. Acting Police
Chief T. E. Anandaraja was the chief guest.
Dina Enterprises
proprietor S. I. M. Akram, a Sri Lankan domiciled in Switzerland,
said the match against the Sri Lankan Customs would be an annual
event.
He said cricket in Switzerland was largely played by South Asian
expatriates but Swiss nationals were showing an increasing interest
in the game.
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