With a new Afro-look hairstyle to enhance charm, Susanthika enjoys a potato chip after tasting success with a run of grace during her comeback race last evening.

- Picture by Ranjith Perera.

• Business as usual for Susanthika
• Cricket officials on a collision course
• South Africa - West Indies final in Dhaka today
• Three Kandy teams in semis
• Lalith Kumara excels
• Three from Lanka
• Celltel sponsors Sevens
• Badhurdeen shines for Zahira in drab game
• Rain a Spoiler
• Isipatana held
• Another draw
• Top athletes at SAAAF meet
• Ediriweera sparkles with 79 for CCC
• Junior Hockey Nationals in Kandy on November 6
• Tahire 2nd
• Rover Pinpoints
• Lankans in Asian Athletics
• In top gear
• Arjuna's gem of an innings
• Strength and grace
• STC, a clean sweep
• Delano rewarded
• Sobers: Sri Lanka needs more Tests
• Readers Hit Out

Business as usual for Susanthika

By Channaka de Silva

Despite an year-long absence from the track and the athlete's Venus-William-style, Afro look hairstyle with beads, the graceful run was unmistakable.

Susanthika Jayasinghe had no serious challenge from rivals but the timing in her first comeback run yesterday was nothing but excellent. However she described it as "hopeless".

Sri Lanka's most famous athlete clinched the 200 metre women's event at the National athletic championships at Sugathadasa stadium yesterday but what was more conspicuous was not her victory but the absence of the much publicised appearance of Damaynthi Dharsha to challenge Jayasinghe.

Jayasinghe who clocked 23.28 seconds in her usual exciting style which brightened up the gloomy conditions of the sombre evening, regretted that she couldn't have a go at Drasha.

"Darsha's absence was a set back for me. I was keenly expecting to meet her. I could have done much better had there been a tougher contest" Jayasinghe told "Sunday Times" after the race and added with a cheeky smile "Anyway, the sight of her gives me a strange strength" referring to Darsha, her former sprint rival who later switched on to the one lap event.

Darsha had entered 200 metre event, but did not turn up for the start. Her coach Sunil Gunawardene said "200 metre is not her usual event. She doesn't run in that now and she did not run it today specially as it was clashing with her strong event-the 400 metres. Both events are scheduled to run closer to each other. This is a trial for the Asian Games. So, nobody wants to take a chance"

Asked why Darsha entered the 200 metre event, Gunawardena said that she just entered for it as there was no restriction but was never expecting to run it.

Darsha ran and won the 200 metre event at the Track Master Meet just on the previous week at the same venue.

The other serious challenger in the event Tamara Saman Deepika was also absent as she is getting married in two day's time and Jayasinghe who received no serious threat, finished with at least a 20-metre lead. The second placed G.D.D. Seneviratne of the Army ended nearly three seconds behind the champion at 26.22 seconds.

Later on Jayasinghe revealed that she had a tightness in her leg muscles and blamed the gloomy conditions for failing to achieve what she hoped to. "There was chill in the air. It affected me" she said.

Overcast conditions prevailed throughout the day in Colombo and rain clouds hung threateningly over the stadium though not opening up heavily as the first ever Nationals to be run under lights at Sugathadasa stadium progressed.

While Jayasinghe took centre stage, two National records fell in the ten finals which had been worked off by the time this edition went to press.

Two Army athletes Harijan Ratnayake and Ruwan Pradeep Perera bettered their own National records in the 400 metre Hurdles and Pole Vault respectively.

Ratnayake clocked 50.61 seconds to erase his mark of 50.98 which was set just two months ago while Perera vaulted to 4.77 metres to better his four month old record of 4.70 metres.

Sugath Tillekaratne, Asian championship 400 metre winner, clinched the 200 metre event for which he is the joint National record holder since 1995. Tillekaratne clocked 21.36 seconds yesterday.

Cricket officials on a collision course

By Callistus Davy

Members of the Cricket Board's Executive Committee and its hierarchy are on a collision course following a surprise amendment to the constitution which determines the eligibility of persons seeking a position in office.

The new amendment will permit only those who have played in a maximum of five "A" Grade matches to contest the next election of office bearers scheduled for March 1999. It was passed last Monday at an emergency meeting with only nine of the 25 Executive Committe members in attendence.

The amendment awaits the Sports Minister's approval and it is understood that a campaign is already underway to mobilise opposition for its disapproval.

One of the Executive Committee members opposed to the new amendment said that the move is aimed at preventing two ex-President's from staging a return to the fray. He said that amending the qualification mark for office bearers was not on the agenda when the emergency meeting was summoned.

"The amendment has been wrongly presented and hastily done without informing all executive committee members. It has not been properly constituted", he said.

The latest fiasco turns another turbulent chapter in the annals of the Cricket Board which is now fast becoming a power base.

The irony is that the Board went through a six-month period to amend the rule governing eligibility of office bearers before the last election in March this year. It stood at only two "A" Grade matches to be against the name of any contestant.

Ex-President -Ana Punchihewa, who was sidelined after the amendment, cited a fundamental rights violation and took the issue to courts. It is still pending.

In another episode, an Executive Committee member had pointed out that Board could spend upto 12 million rupees for renovating and re-arranging the cubicles in its present building. He said the sum was enough to construct another building, leave alone renovation in the present location.

South Africa - West Indies final in Dhaka today

DHAKA Saturday - One time world champions West Indies who have been on a decline during the past decade, signalled a powerful comeback yesterday when they thrashed India by six wickets to set the stage for a classic final with South Africa tomorrow in the Wills World Cup Final tomorrow.

India who slammed mighty Australia for 306 in their opening match with super star Sachin Tendulkar making 140, were only a pale shadow today after the 'Little Master' was dismissed early.

Though Saurav Ganguly played a cautious anchor role India crawled and would have been in a much worse position if not for a stunning outburst in the final six overs by middle order batsman Robin Singh.

Singh, himself born in the Caribbean, played one of his greatest knocks when he lifted India to 242 with some 60 runs coming in the last six overs. But it was not good enough.

West Indies opener Piloo Wallace, who slammed Pakistan in the first match, continued the assault .Shivnarayaan Chandrepaul then took over the lead role and India never really had a chance.

After Chanderpaul, skipper Brian Lara took charge to lead West Indies to a polished six wickets victory with six overs to spare.

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