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2nd September 2001
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Indian batsman Shiv Sundar Das ducks a rising delivery by Sri Lankan bowler Chaminda Vaas on the fourth day of the third and final cricket test in Colombo September 1, 2001. REUTERS

Indian batsman Shiv Sundar Das 
ducks a rising delivery by 
Sri Lankan bowler Chaminda
Vaas on the fourth day of the
third and final cricket test in
Colombo September 1, 2001. 
REUTERS

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Briefly

MercantileAthletics
The Mercantile Athletic Federation meet will be held on Sunday September 23 at the Sugathadasa Stadium at 8 a.m.

An event will be held for men and women Championships and Novices, veteran men and women in the age groups of over 40/50 and 35/45 respectively.

Entries will close with K. Satchithananda at No. 53, Vivekananda Hill, Colombo 13 on September 5.

three players for World Scrabble
Sri Lanka will be represented by three players at the World Scrabble Championships to be held at Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA from December 13th to 17th.

All reputed Scrabble players from around the world, including the reigning world champion, Joel Waprick from Canada, will participate. 

Sri Lanka will be represented by Naveen Fernando, Harshan Gambadasuriya a medical student of the Oxford University and Suresh Chinnaiya.

Making this tour possible, funds are needed and those wishing to contribute are requested to contact, Professor Merrile Perera a member of the Sri Lanka Scrabble Association at No 70, Koralawella, Moratuwa or on Telephone: 657131.

14 teams for Hockey Nationals
Fourteen teams will be battle it out for supremacy at the 45th Senior Hockey Nationals to be played at the Astro Turf at Reid Avenue, sponsored by Singers and played from September 5th to 11th.

The teams participating are: Colombo, State Services, Mercantile, Nationalised Services, Defence Services, Galle, Matara, Kegalle, Matale, Schools, Combined University, Wennappuwa and Uva.

The defending champions are Defence Services with Matale the first runner-up and Mercantile second runner-up.

The opening ceremony will be held on September 5th with IGP Lucky Kodituwakku as Chief Guest and Minister of Sports Lakshman Kiriella the Chief Guest at the closing ceremony, on September 11.

Netball team to be honoured
The Ministry of Sports will felicitate the Sri Lankan Netball team in winning the Asian Championships.

The felicitation ceremony will be held on Monday September 3rd at the Trans Asia Hotel at 5 p.m.

The Minister of Tourism and Sports, Lakshman Kiriella who will be the Chief Guest will gift cash awards as a token to the players and the respective coaches in appreciation of retaining the Asian title.

Other sponsors too will join in felicitating the netball team.


Famous Southern Rally on September 8 and 9

By Channaka de Silva
The famous Southern Rally 2001 conducted by the Southern Motor Sports Club which made its mark as one of the most outstanding motor rallies of the country in its inaugural year itself will be held this year on Sept. 8 and 9 on an even greater scale.

A total of 43 drivers including the country's best will vie for this year's rally which is categorised as a "Speed distance Rally" by the organisers. 

The Southern rally will be a day and night competition which will be run on a course through the breathtaking beauty of the Southern wilderness and encounter Matara, Galle, Hambantota, Ratnapura and Moneragala districts.

The distance of the rally this year will be 630 kilometres that will be covered in three stages. The three stages are separated by two hour breaks at Middeniya and Tissamaharama.

Taking into account that the route is chartered through the most beautiful and wild locations in the south of the country, the organisers have decided to call this year's rally a "journey through the wilderness of the south".

The Rally is scheduled to begin and end at the "Sanath Jayasuriya Grounds" at Kotuwegoda in the centre of the Matara town where the old bus stand was located.

The first competitor will be flagged off at 7 p.m. on September 8 and the other competitors will be flagged off at two minute intervals from then onwards.

Competitors are expected to reach the first stop over at Middeniya around midnight and the second stage is scheduled to start at 2.00 a.m. on September 9.

Around 6.00 a.m. the competitors are expected to reach Tissamaharama, the next stop over for another three hour break at Priyankara Hotel which will provide breakfast for competitors.

Leaving Tissamaharama at 9 a.m. on the final stage of the rally, competitors will reach their final destination at 2.00 p.m. All vehicles are expected to reach Matara by 3.30 p.m. and the competitors will be provided lunch at Matara Rest House.

The awards distribution will take place during a grand musical show at the Sanath Jayasuriya grounds to be entertained by the popular musical group "Marians" and a host of other popular stars. A display of fireworks is also organised. Minister Mahinda Wijesekara will grace the awards ceremony.

There will be awards, trophies and certificates to the first ten overall finishers, first five of the standard class, first three in motor cars, first three in jeeps and cabs, first three teams and for the three stage winners.

Overall winner will receive an air ticket courtesy the Travel team while the first runner up will get a weekend package from the same company. The second runner up will get two tickets for buffet lunch from Confifi Beach Hotel.

There will be a host of sponsors for this year's rally headed by major sponsors Castrol, National Lotteries Board, ICI Autocolour and Marble Decor.

State Timber Corporation, Lion Beer, Wheels Lanka Car Sales, Priyankara Hotel, Sugathadasa Bandara, Elephant House and Mobitel will be the co-sponsors.

Sunday Times, Yes FM, ITN and Lakhanda will be the media sponsors.

Wasantha Dheerasekara of SLAMS, Jayaraj Wijeweera and Lalin de Silva from Southern Motor Sports Club will act as the stewards of the meet while Southern Motor Sports Club President Ashhar Hameem will be Secretary of the meet.

Famous rally plotter Andrew de Silva will be clerk of the course while Dr. Oscar Amerasinghe will be his deputy. Palitha Ratnayake will act as the starter.

The competitors:

Suren Abeysuria, Reyaz Farook, Pubudu Wickrema, Stefan Furkhan, Mahes Gammanpila, Rizvi Farouk, Dishad Hamdoon, Nishan Weerasuriya, Rameez Mahamoor, Samin Attanayake, Cassim Wahab, Sajjad Mawsoon, Nishantha Nambuje, Nazar Sakkaf, Nalin D. Perera, Monty R. Uluwita, Kamal Jayawardena, Mansur Hassen, Chula Devasundera, Pradeep Nilanga Dela, Athula Prasanna Surendra, Nishan Waasalanthri, Samantha de Silva, Lalith Liyanage, Nuwariser Deen, Alain Hertogs, Sanjeewa Liyanage, Mahendra Devanarayana, Samigi Ranaweera, Tusith de Silva, Noel Rodrigo, R.A.S. Ratnayake, W. Ranjith Fernando, Udara Palliyaguru, Priyanth Salgado, Kirthi Sagara Jayasinghe, Mangala Kumarasinghe, Lalith Kantha Jayasekera, A. Semedha Warakulle, A. Sujeewa Wijayawardena, C. Kithsiri Sugathadasa, J.T. Leo Kumar Fernando. (See page 16 for Coupon)


Lady members demand an end to discrimination

A Special General Meeting of the Members of the Sinhalese Sports Club has been scheduled for 4th September 2001 to discuss a resolution to afford equal rights (full membership) to lady members of the Club. SSC is supposed to have a membership of over 8,000 including juvenile members. It is stated that one third of the adult membership consists of ladies. The lady members claim that they play an important role in the day-to-day activities of the club since it is considered to be a family club. They also actively participate in organizing other special events of the club including fund raising and development. There is no doubt that the club has benefited immensely from these services rendered by the lady members from time to time.

The lady members feel that at present they are being grossly discriminated considering the fact that a privileged few lady members (Life members and some senior members) are enjoying all the rights of full membership whereas the majority of the lady members are deprived of these rights. They say that it is sad to note that even with the dawn of the 21st century and the worldwide acceptance of equal rights to women they are still being discriminated by this "Social Club" which was founded for the greater beneift of families and the interaction of the community.

It is reliably understood that even some members of the Committee are in favour of this resolution. "If some ladies have already been given full membership for whatever reason then the precedence has been created and it is justified for the rest of the discriminated lot to fight for equal rights to be accepted as full members" says one of the lady members of the SSC.


WCASL pool for the West Indies tour

A Pool of 24 girls were selected from the Annual Inter-Club Tournament 2001 which was conducted by the Women's Cricket Association of Sri Lanka this month. The girls will commence physuical training and coaching from mid-September and the final 14 will be named end of October to face the visiting West Indies from 18th January, 2002.

Three ODIs and one Five-Day Test in all will be played according to the international rules of the ICC in keeping with the International Women's Cricket Council laws that govern international matches played among its members.

The possibility to tour England end of 2002 or early 2003 instead of Pakistan's invitation will be carefully considered, acccording to the WCASL President, Gwen Herat.

'Our girls are too strong for Pakistan and they need higher level of competition if they are to make it to the top in the World Cup 2004 in South Africa for which Sri Lanka is already a Finalist. It all depends how our girls take up the much-improved West Indies. I will decide after this tour,' Herat said.

The Pool 

Sudarshini Sivanathan, Chamani Seneviratne, Hiruka Fernando, Gayatri Kariyawasam, Rose Fernando, Thanjua Ekanaayke, DNH Fernando, Ramani Perera, Sandamali Dolewatte, Lalani Priyadarshini, Hiroshi Abeysinghe, Indika Kankanange, W.E.R. Preethika, Randika Galhenage, Wasanthi Ratnayake, Thushitha Karunaratne, Janakanthi Mala, Deepashika Perera, Chamila Kitchil, Inoka Galagedera, S. P. de Silva, Harshini Maduwanthi, Eranthi de Silva, Kumudu Fernando. 


Baseball Nationals

The Sri Lanka Amateur Baseball/Softball Association will conduct its Nationals from September 5 to 8 at the Police grounds, Kandy. The finals will be held on Saturday September 8th with the Minister of Tourism and Sports, Lakshman Kiriella the Chief guest.
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