Sports

Sports

Mobitel, Mabroc and Lion on top
Mobitel, Mabrock Teas and Lion Brewery with 16 points each are the leaders in Division Two of the Lion Open Indoor Cricket Tournament which has reached the half stage. Mobitel has a better advantage as they have played only five matches with one loss whereas both Mabroc Teas and Lion Brewery have played six matches with four wins and two losses. They are followed by PCC and Lanka Yalta Cubs.

Mobitel defeated SAGT, Multivision, Lion Brewery and Lanka Yalta Cubs while having their unbeaten record tarnished by Hemas. Mabroc Teas have won against Hemas, Multivision, SAGT and Yalta Cubs while Lion Brewery have beaten Hemas, Mabroc Teas, Lanka Bell and Multivision. There are nine teams locking horns to get their hands on the title apart from the five teams in the top the other four teams are Lanka Bell, Hemas, SAGT and Multivision. The last two named have lost all the matches they have played so far.-MSA

Abeywickrema as int. umpire
Former CR and FC and Sri Lanka hockey player Mahesh Nishantha Abeywickrema has been honoured by the world governing body by being selected as an international standard hockey umpire. A Sri Lankan is being honoured to this position after a lapse of ten years. With this appointment Mahesh becomes the youngest hockey umpire of international standard in the Asian region.

An old boy of Ananda College Colombo he has been the secretary of the Hockey Umpires Committe for the last three years. And he becomes the seventh international standard referee produced by Sri Lanka.

CMSC - SLMCC McFoil Challenge
Two of the oldest motoring clubs in the country, the Ceylon Motor Sports Club, and the Sri Lanka Motor Cycle Club have come together with McFoil to launch the McFoil challenge at the Pannala International Circuit.

The McFoil Challenge 2003 is a series of three motor racing meets schedulled to be held at the Pannala track in February, May and September this year. Round 1 kicks off on the 22nd and 23rd of February. The racing, will cover both motor car and motor cycle events, with 3 motor car and 2 motor cycle events counting towards the championship.

In the motor car category, a champion will be drawn from each of the three events. Standard Minis, Group A Cars over 120 kg/hp, and Formula Ford 1600cc. The two motor-cycle champions will be decided from the Standard/Modified 125 and Standard /Modified 250cc classes.

Foreign invasion at Victoria Golf Club
Flamboyant Martin Ebert designed and put together 2 excellent rounds of elegant stroke play to comfortably win the prestigious Donald Steel Trophy at the picturesque Victoria Golf Course at Digana over the weekend. Stylish off the tees and absolutely positive on the greens his course knowledge as Architect gave him extra special benefits which he used miserly through the 2 rounds. Chris Hollaway battled a lead head hangover to finish a brave Runner-Up.

Rohan de Silva with the permanent impish smile was outstanding. A stunning 43 points in the 2nd proved that the 1st round 40 points was no flash in the pan. Sometimes an earth mover and occasionally stricken with aqua phobia he shed all these impediments to crown the weekends play with a magnificent performance. He autographed a few score cards for the visiting kids and took home the Martin Ebert Pot and an UL Airline ticket to any destination of his choosing. That man again Chris Holloway brushed off the cobwebs and battled into 2nd position amidst resounding applause.

The popular Mother Superior Pam Fernando was invited to present her award which she did in old fashioned style and elegance. Jackie Dias had a smashing victory beating well preserved "Duchess" Abhayaratne by 4 points.

Indira Tibblin a regular on the Victoria Course came pretty good with an exceptionally sound round to beat seasoned campaigner Niloo Jayatilleke and take the Victoria Bowl and smile all the way home. Indira is excellent company and talks intelligent golf.

Chris Holloway with the best and closest connections to the Bostock vision was once again impressive. He was extraordinarily far off the tee when accurate, firm on the greens and pretty clever when chipping. He put all the good shots together and collected an elegant trophy not before he picked a special award with the longest drive. A glutton for celebrating he was in the groove making the 19th a happy spot through the 2 glorious evenings.

Steel and Ebert
Donald Steel and Martin Ebert Golf Course Architects of international repute were present happily joining in the camaraderie and high spirits at the 19th hole. Steel was genial and very pleasant to talk to and Ebert oozed with youth and flamboyancy.

They combined superbly to give us one of the best Courses in this part of the world and left it in the tender care of Tony Whitham. They were impressed with the preservation gone through and were never short of paying tribute to the excellence of Whitham's tender care of the course.

At the award ceremony Tony Whitham took the honours. He thanked many and in particular UL who gives us a taste of paradise and Merbok the MDF people who were lavish in their sponsorship. Donald Steel responded in style and on an emotional note he referred to the founder father of the Victoria Golf Club the irreprissible and tremendous sports star the late Mark Bostock whose vision gave us the magnificent Victoria Golf Club.

A century of players and guests had a helluva weekend and to an individual they were thankful to Tony Whitham and Jennine Weeratunga for a great job excellently completed. They also recognized Arlene Kelarart who spread her vigilance over the hospitality area.

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