Netball: Sri Lanka aiming high at Asian Youth Championship

“Sri Lanka has never won an Asian Youth Netball Championship. This time however, Sri Lanka is making a determined bid. With this in view plans have been launched well in advance to clinch this event,” said Team Manager of the Sri Lanka Sanjeevani Wanasinghe Peiris. 

The Nineth Asian Youth Netball Championships will be held in Hong Kong from December 14 to 20.

“Sri Lanka has a distinct advantage as they possess three players who took part in the World Cup Netball Championships in Sydney, Australia in August this year where Australia emerged champions. The players are: Skipper Gayani Dissanayake,Vice Captain Thisala Algama and Gayanjali Amarawansa. Other than that good school level players are also included in the team, giving the team a well balanced outlook,” said Sanjeevani and added that since it is cold in Hong Kong due to winter, the Sri Lanka team will leave for the championships five days before the event to get them acclimatised. 

Sri Lanka youth coach Tamara Paragoda Liyanage, who was assistant coach of the Sri Lanka team for the World Cup in Sydney, Australia, is the coach of the Youth Netball team. She has been training the team without any hassles. 

Team Manager Sanjeevani Wanasinghe is an experienced hand having represented Sri Lanka at the Ninth World Championships in England (1995) and was also a member of the 1997 Sri Lanka team for the Asian Netball Championships where Sri Lanka emerged champions in Singapore. 

Other than that she has made several overseas tours with the Sri Lanka and Mercantile teams to India, New Zealand, Australia and Brunei.

Sanjeevani was also a member of the Sri Lanka Netball Selection committee in 2010. She is confident that the Sri Lanka Youth team has the capabilities of entering the finals at the Hong Kong championships. “Malaysia is the reigning champions and we are certain of getting the better of them,” assessed Sanjeevani. 

In 2013 at the competition held in Brunei Sri Lanka emerged runners-up behind Malaysia with the scores reading 59-50. 

In the 2010 competition held in Bangalore, India Sri Lanka lost to Malaysia at 39-63. 

At the 9th Asian Youth Netball Championships 12 teams will be taking part. At the 8th Asian Netball Championships 10 teams took part. 

This time Sri Lanka has been classified into Group B together with India and Chinese Taipei. 

In Group A are reigning champions Malaysia, Maldives and Japan. 

The teams in Group C are: Singapore (who were third at the previous competition), Brunei and Abu Dhabi. 

From Group B the participating teams are: Hong Kong, Thailand and Pakistan.

In the preliminary rounds on December 14 Sri Lanka will face India in the second match of the competition. Sri Lanka’s next match will be on December 16 against Chinese Taipei. 

The Group winners will enter the second round next.

At the Brunei edition (2013) the placing was: (1) Malaysia, (2) Sri Lanka, (3) Singapore, (4) Hong Kong, (5) Thailand, (6) Brunei, (7) India, (8) Maldives, (9) Japan, (10) Nepal.

The Sri Lanka team: Gayani Dissanayake (Capt), Thisala Algama (V-Capt), Dulangi Wannithilaka, Gayanjali Amarawansa, Ruwani Yatigammana, Bashini Yogitha, Dilshani Cabraal, Jayathri Upendra, Nadi Madushika, Sachini Hirunika, Hashani Eranda and Shehani Palika. 

Officials are Tamara Paragoda Liyanage (Coach), Sanjeewani Wanasinghe (Manager), Daminda Attanayake (Doctor) and Muthulakshmi Hegoda (Team Official).