Table Tennis: MAS Intimates steel the limelight

MAS Intimates paddlers stole the limelight at the Mercantile Open and Novices Table Tennis championships 2016, organised and conducted by the Mercantile Table Tennis Association worked off at the S. Thomas’ College Indoor Stadium tables last weekend. 

Playing in five finals out of the seven finals in the championship, MAS Intimate players dominated their skills to win the Open Women’s Singles, Open Men’s and Women’s Doubles. 

The cynosure of the tournament was the Open Men’s Singles finals where two top national players locked horns to exhibit a high standard of slice work. 

Chameera Ginige of Commercial Credit met Nirmala Jayasinghe in the finals and the top two players matched each other in every department of the game as fortunes swung from side to side and in the end Ginige scored a hard fought 3-2 win. 

In the Veterans Men’s Singles Joy Abeysiriwardene (Commercial Bank) dethroned three times champion Rajiva Wijetunga of MAS Intimates 3-1. 

Two notable final events took place at the Open Women’s Singles and Open Men’s Doubles when it became home and home tussles as MAS Intimates players competed each other. 

Final results: 

Veterans Men’s Singles: Joy Abeysiriwardene (Commercial Bank) beat Rajiva Wijetunga (MAS Intimates) 3-1 

Novices: 

Men’s Singles: Yohan De Silva (Laugfs Sports Club) beat Asiri Weerakone (Commercial Bank) 3-1

Women’s Singles: Dimuthu Warusawithana (HSBC) beat Dilini Perera (Vertusa) 3-0 

Open Men’s Singles: Chameera Ginige (Commercial Credit) beat Nirmala Jayasinghe (MAS Intimates) 3-2

Women’s Singles: Kalpani Herath (MAS Intimates) beat Srimali Wimalaratne (MAS Intimates) 3-1 

Open Men’s Doubles: Nirmala Jayasinghe/Sukitha Wickremanayake (MAS Intimates) beat Gihan Walisundera/Chatura Weerakone (MAS Intimates) 3-0

Women’s Doubles: Kalpani Herath/Srimali Wimalaratne (MAS Intimates) beat Dimuthu Warusawithana/Dinali Atukorala (HSBC) 3-0