Badminton: McLarens Holdings dominate as MBA overall champs

Youth Olympic medalist Sachin Dias and former national champion Achini Rathnasiri won the Men’s and Women’s 'A' Division Best Player awards respectively as their team, McLarens Holdings, bagged major honours at the 36th Mercantile Badminton Association (MBA) Inter-Firm Team Badminton Championships 2019. 

Teams representing McLarens Holdings won the overall championships in a whopping eight categories at the event organised by the MBA under the supervision of Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB). 

Overall champions McLarens bagged 325 points, 188 more than their closest rival HNB, who were runners-up with 137 points, in the final standings, winning the Over (O)-35 Women,

O-40 Men – 'A' Division, Mixed 'B' and 'C' Divisions, Women’s 'A' and 'C' Divisions as well as the Men’s 'A' and 'B' Divisions. 

McLarens Shuttlers Kaushali Dissanayake (O-35 Women), Upendra Jayawardene (Team 'A' - O-40 Men – 'A' Division), Hasini Ambalangodage (Women’s 'C' Division) and Kasun Amarasena (Men’s 'B' Division) also won individual awards as Most Outstanding Players in their respective groups. 

The tournament, one of the major events in the country’s badminton calendar, saw more than 1800 players representing 220 teams from 57 companies competing for 31 titles. 

The two-week long tournament also saw 1100 matches being held. 

The event was sponsored by LINING (Flex Sportsware) and Revival Physical Medicine Centre. 

McLarens Group's Joint Managing Directors Dinesh Jayawardana and Shehara Jayawardana were the Chief Guests at the awards ceremony, while Flex Sportware Managing Director Sanjeewa Akuratiya, and Revival Physical Medicine Centre CEO Rajini S. Jayatilake, were the Guests of Honour. 

Team Champions: 

Over-50 Men: SriLankan Airlines 

Over-35 Women: McLarens Holdings 

Over-40 Men C3 Division: Douglas and Sons 

Over-40 Men C2 Division: IFS 

Over-40 Men C1 Division: John Keells Holdings 'B' 

Over-40 Men B Division: Hayleys 

Over-40 Men A Division: McLarens 'A' 

Mixed H Division: DFCC Bank 

Men’s H4 Division: 99 X 'A' 

Men’s H3 Division: Emerchemie NB 

Men’s H2 Division: David Peiris 

Men’s H1 Division: MAS Intimo 

Mixed G Division: John Keells Holdings 

Men’s G Division: Citizens Development Bank 

Mixed F Division: John Keells Holdings 

Men’s F Division: People’s Leasing 

Mixed E Division: Union Bank 

Women’s E Division: Allianz 

Men’s E Division: Brandix 

Mixed D Division: Commercial Bank 

Women’s D Division: Brandix 

Men’s D Division: IFS 

Mixed C Division: McLarens 

Women’s C Division: McLarens 

Men’s C Division: NTB 

Mixed B Division: McLarens 'D' 

Women’s B Division: Akbar Brothers 

Men’s B Division: McLarens 

Mixed A Division: HNB 

Women’s A Division: McLarens 'A' 

Men’s A Division: McLarens 'A' 

Individual champions: 

Over-50 Men: Udaya Weerakoon (SriLankan Airlines) 

Over-35 Women: Kaushali Dissanayake (McLarens Holdings) 

Over-40 Men C3 Division: Nalin Janaka (Douglas and Sons) 

Over-40 Men C2 Division: Hiruna Dissanayake (IFS) 

Over-40 Men C1 Division: Deepal Silva (JKH 'B') 

Over-40 Men B Division: Roshan Fernando (Heyleys) 

Over-40 Men A Division: Upendra Jayawardene (McLarens 'A') 

Men’s H4 Division: Ashen Fernando (99 X 'A') 

Men’s H3 Division: Chanaka Madushanka (Emerchemie NB) 

Men’s H2 Division: Dinesh Upendra (David Peiris) 

Men’s H1 Division: Alvin Fernando (MAS) 

Men’s G Division: Pubudu Mallikarachchi (CDB) 

Men’s F Division: Isuru Sampath (People’s Leasing) 

Women’s E Division: Sachini Anushika (Allianz Insurance) 

Men’s E Division: Amila Malinga (Brandix) 

Women’s D Division: Sujani de Costa (Brandix) 

Men’s D Division: Chamila Wijesinghe (IFS) 

Women’s C Division: Hasini Ambalangodage (McLarens) 

Men’s C Division: Didula Sahabandu (NTB) 

Women’s B Division: Hasini Perera (Akbar Brothers) 

Men’s B Division: Kasun Amarasena(McLarens) 

Women’s A Division: Achini Rathnasiri (McLarens 'A') 

Men’s A Division: Sachin Dias (McLarens 'A')