Three half centuries help SSC

By Saif Izzadeen

SSC helped by three half centuries from Thilan Samaraweera, Upeka Fernando and R. Galpatthy made 246 for 6 at the end of the first day's play in their under 23 cricket match against Singha SC Ambalangoda at the SSC grounds yesterday.

Play commenced at 12.30 p.m due to overnight rain and SSC took first lease of the wicket. SSC innings revolved around a patient unbeaten 67 by Thilan Samaraweera

Play will resume at 10.30 a.m. today

SSC - 246 for 6 in 77 overs (U.Fernando 61, T.Samaraweera 67 n.o, R.Galpatthy 50, R.Sureshchandra 31, W.Fernando 22 n.o; A.Arunakumar 2 for 80)

De Saram wins Johnnie Walker Classic

F. J. de Saram with a nett 69 and a best back 9 beat A. Ahamed to win the Johnnie Walker International Club championships Group A played at the Royal Colombo Golf Course at Borella.

De Saram also won the Group title with a gross 74 with Michael Perera Mangala winning the Group B title with a 75 gross and B. C. Lee winning the Group C title with a gross 86.

The winners of Group A, B and C will represent Sri Lanka at the Asian finals in Delhi.

A. S. Rahim with a nett 67 was the runner up in group C and Nirmal Hettiarachchi, the runner up in Group B with a nett 68.

C. C. Jayawardena with a nett 67 and the best back 9 won the Group C event while Michael Perera Mangala won the Group B event with a nett 65.

Gihan de Silva won the longest accurate drive with Ronald. E. Bakelmum winning the nearest to the pin award.

Lankan referees for Male

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has picked on four Sri Lankans to officiate at the 16th Asian Club Championships 1999/2000 second round of East Asia's first leg match between Valencia SC (Maldives) and K. Antlers SC (Japan) in Maldives on October 16.

The four picked are: Abeywansa Yapa (referee), M.Wickrematunga and Chandrajith Marasinghe (assistants) with Arachchilage Seneweera as the fourtrh official.

Tashi Ghali of Nepal is the Match Commissioner for this game.

The Sri Lankans have been told by Peter Velappan, General Secretary AFC, to be in Maldives on October14 and depart on October17.

Boteju, Sirisoma pocket snooker, billiards titles

By Ravi Nagahawatte

It was a showdown of vintage skill and accuracy as veteran queists Henry Boteju and K.H.Sirisoma pocketed the snooker and billiards titles respectively in the finals of the Moors Open Snooker and Billiards Tournament which concluded at Braybrooke Place yesterday. Fifty-six-year old Boteju (OASC) showed what a true veteran means by crushing his opponent M.K.M Nazeer by six frames to nil in a lop sided contest. Nazeer, who represented MICH, was almost reduced to a spectator as the experience of Boteju haunted him throughout the game.

"My son (Susantha) being ousted in the semis really spurred me. I credit this win to the experience I possess," said Boteju after routing his opponent with utmost ease.

The billiards final became a showdown between two evergreen players in K.H.Sirisoma and S.M.Shaharwardi with the former walking away with the title after a close 'battle'.

The 44-year-old Sirisoma (SLPA) had to bring out all his skills to salvage a win and also relied heavily on the impressive 147 break he made during this hectic competition. Sirisoma won 860/728."I did not play well like I usually do . But I managed to pull it off" said an exuberant Sirisoma after his game.

Rousing welcome for ruggerites

Asoka Jayasena and his band of ruggerites who won the 'Neighbour's Cup' in Malaysia will walk into a rousing welcome when they arrive at the Bandaranaike International Air port at 6 p.m. this evening .

The team continued their winning streak and recorded their sixth successive victory in the international rugby arena by beating Thailand 25-13 in the final game . The team also ran out winners against Malaysia whom they vanquished 25-3 in the first encounter.

Selection committee chairman Tikiri Marambe who spoke to the "Sunday Times" yesterday said that the ruggerites have now laid a good platform for the forth- coming ASIAD.

Sri Lanka began their success run by beating China in two home tests and also recorded a Test series win over a visiting Northern Territories XV before they embarked on this tour to Malaysia. The team was coached by Nimal Lewke and was managed by Harsha Mayadunne.(RN)

President's College shock Nalanda 1-0

By Marlon Fernandopulle

President's College Rajagiriya pulled off a shock 1-0 victory over defending champions Nalanda Vidyalaya in a quarter-final match of the All island Schools Under15 Hockey tournament played at Police Park yesterday.

Sanath Dharshana sounded the boards for President's College in the first half. The young stickers from Rajagiriya defended stubbornly in the second half to prevent Nalanda from scoring.

In the other quarter final matches played yesterday Royal defeated Vijaya College Matale on a penalty tie breaker (2-1) after scores were nil all at full time. St.Thomas' Matale managed to get the better of Mahinda, Galle again on the penalty tie-breaker (3-2) after scores were 1-1 at full time. S' Thomas' Mount Lavania was the fourth school to qualify to the semis drubbing Trinity 4-0. P P Walpitagama (2), K D T Gunawardene (1) and E. K. Wijeynayake scored for the winners.The semi-final line up for today will see a clash between both the Thomian schools from Matale and Mount Lavania followed by the Royal vs President's College game. The girls' tournament also reached the semi-final stage after the completion of the quarter-finals yesterday.

In the quarter-finals yesterday Visakha beat Bishop's 3-0 (Randika Weeratunge-2, Kanishka Vithana-1),St Anthony's bt Pushpadana 1-0 (Kalyani Wetta-singhe), Ladies'bt Sangamitta 1-0, Seethadevi bt Musaeus 6-0.

Today's semi finals will see Ladies' playing Visakha and St. Anthony's clash with Seethadevi.

Golf queen Thuhashini wins Hong Kong Open

By Nilika de Silva

She's done it again! SL's reigning golf queen, Thuhashini Selvaratnam returned on Friday night with the Hong Kong Open Golf Championship added to her star spangled record.

With a typhoon racing towards the course at a speed of about 80 kilometres per hour, young Thuhashini admits the playing conditions were tough, and led to the Organizing Committee's decision to cut short the tournament to 36 holes.

The Golf Course was at Discovery Bay, a little island and we were playing at the top of a hill, so it was really windy, Thuhashini said. Compared to the courses I played it was a long course.

First day I got 77, and had the lowest score, and the second day I got 80. The field was very good because both the Indian and Malaysian National players were among the 66 participants. Well, three National titles and two Runner-up placings later, Thuhashini looks back with contentment at a season made just for her. The winner of the Sri Lanka, Singapore and Hong Kong Open titles and runner-up at the South India Open and Malaysian Open Championships said in Hong Kong, due to the prevailing weather conditions the more experienced players had an edge. "The wind was so strong that we were being blown backwards and the ball was coming back," she said. Thuhashini scored 157 while the Runner-up, Lim-ai-Lian, winner of the Malaysian Open scored 159.

"It was a very pretty golf course due to its setting on this hill and surrounded by the sea," Thuhashini said.

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