Sports

Sports

Premier Champions trophy from today minus top teams
The much looked forward Premier Champions Trophy rugby tournament organized by the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports which was in the balance will at last get underway today at Longdon Place but minus the top teams in both the clubs and schools. The club teams that have skipped the tournament are Kandy SC and CH & FC while inter-school league and knockout champions Royal and Kingswood have opted to stay away from the schools section.

The reason given by these teams varies but it does not augur well for the sport, if they think of picking and choosing tournaments the way they want. The minister is making all effort to take the game to greater heights and it is the duty of the officials of these teams to field a team come what may the outcome.

Nevertheless six teams defending champs CR & FC, Army, Havelocks SC, Police, Navy and Air Force will be the teams that will be participating in the club section while last years champions Isipathana, Wesley, Nalanda, S. Thomas', Prince of Wales, St Sylvester's, Lumbini MV and Science College are the teams that will be playing in the schools section.

Today the quarter finals in both the club and schools section will be worked off. The schools game between Wesley and Nalanda will be the first quarter final of the day to be played which is scheduled for 4.00 p.m. while Police will lock horns with Navy in the first club quarter final at 6.00 p.m. The second quarter final will be between Havelocks and Air Force while CR & FC and Army have recieved a bye to the semi finals.

The tournament for the Under 13 and 17 teams will also be concurrently held. Sixteens teams will be participating in the Under 13 category while eight teams will vie for honours in the Under 17 category. The quarter and semi finals will be played at Longdon Place while all the finals will be played at the Sugathadasa Stadium on September 28.

The winning club will get Rs. 200,000 and the runner upwill get Rs 100,000. Apart from that all clubs participating will recieve Rs. 50,000 each. The winning team in the Under 19 schools tournament will recieve Rs.100,000 while the runner up will get Rs.50,000. The champion Under 17 side will recieve Rs.50,000 and the runner up Rs.30,000. The winners of the Under 13 tournament will recieve Rs.30,000 while the runner up will recieve Rs.20,000. In addition all the schools teams participating will recieve Rs.10,000 each.-MSA

Nalanda cricket coming back to surface
Nalanda Vidyalaya with a tradition for the willow wielding sport - last year suffered one of its worst seasons for reasons best known to them. There were shortcomings and setbacks. No point, pointing a finger since all are to be blamed. It is time to bury the hatchet. They have started on the right track.

Some of the cricketers who made their mark through the nursery of the Campbell Place school, apparently have forgotten from where they started their career. Nalanda is planning with a new format to uplift the game in the coming season. Their young Principal Mr. Prematilleke is leading from the front.

It's not old wine in a new bottle, but new wine in a fresh bottle. Starting at grassroots level, the under 16 'B' team had an unbeaten record to beat CWW Kannangara M.M.V. Matugama to win the Div. II final at Campbell Place recently.

The Nalanda junior coach Sanjeewa Mendis has done an excellent job. He spent much of his time with the youngsters to reap a rich harvest. Mendis was on the ball on and off the field. Beat Asoka Vidyalaya, St. Thomas' Kotte, Hindu College, President's College Maharagama, Ranpokunugama Vidyalaya, D.S. Senanayake M.V. 'B', Bandaranayake Vidyalaya, Veyangoda and Dharmaloka MV. Kelaniya before entering the final. Speaks well for their consistency.

In the final chalked up an easy 7-wkt., win over C.W.W. Kannangara M.M.V. Matugama. The Matugama school totalled 112. T.Samarasinghe contributed a defiant 50. Nalanda was greatly helped by a lively spell of bowling from Chathuranga Wickremasinghe, 4 for 29. He was the most successful bowler.

Nalanda scored the required runs for the loss of 3 wkts. - 113 for 3 in 33.4 overs. Chanka Anusanga was the mainstay of the batting with 43 runs, while Asitha Eranda weighed in with 34.

Division II champion team from Nalanda was represented by Manoj Manatunga (Capt.), Subodhaka Sriyaratne (vice-Capt.), Niran Perera, Chathuranga Wickremasinghe, Chanka Anusange, Oshadie Kumarasiri, Omesh Gunatillke, Bojith Vithanage, Varuna Hasantha, Teshan Sampath, Asitha Erranda, Pasindu Vikum, Chilan de Silver, Kaveen Lakmal & Shehan Shanthiratne. Mr. Manoj Prassanna was the master -in-Charge. -BW

Back to Sports