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Dimuthu in major chess upset
By M. Shamil Amit
Young Dimuthu Priyadharshana created the major upset on the opening day of the 26th Asian Junior Chess Championship which got under way yesterday at the Camelot Beach Hotel in Negombo when he defeated the highly rated local player Arthur Russel in a first round game which concluded in the afternoon. The tournament, which is being held for the second successive year in Sri Lanka, is scheduled to end on July 26.

Ten countries consisting of 62 players comprising 34 in the boy's category and 28 in the girl's category are fighting for honours to become the Asian junior champion. Host Sri Lanka with 29 players (14 boys and 15 girls) and India with 21 players (10 boys and 11 girls) are fielding the biggest teams.

Familians dazzle to clinch netball title
The motivation factor that saw the Familian's pull off a dramatic victory over Sri Lanka Police 'A' Division team, was the tight-knit team work, with credit to the (coach) Mrs. Rio Ramlan.

The Famalian net-ball team, with five school girls in the side, beat the strong defending champions in a nail-biting finish. The first quarter saw the Familians take a slender lead of 1 point (11-10) with 14 year old Rushika Wijendra and Shamara Gunesekera keeping the Police shooters under control.

The second quarter saw the Familians increase their lead by another one point (14-13) with some spoiling work by center Inushka Wijendra. The third quarter saw the fighting Police team take a 6 point lead (11-17).

In the final and last quarter spectators were on the edge of their seats, when Familian coach Mrs. Rio Ramlan, made some drastic changes by bringing in young Sherumi Pieris as wing attack, and Dinusha Perera as Defence. From then on the Familians controlled the game, dishing out some excellent passes. Shervone Perera played her usual best (26 points) and Jacqueline Ramlan playing her farewell match scored a fantastic 24 points.

She will soon be leaving for Australia for higher studies. Some fine spoiling work by the Defenders Dinusha Perera, Shamara Gunesekera, Sherhani Pieris, enabled the Familians pull off a fantastic victory thus clinching the Lucky Koddituwakku Memorial Challenge Trophy.

The final scores - Familians 50, Police 49. The unique feature in the game was that three sets of sisters represented the Familian team.

Kandy should chalk up another win
By Aubrey Kuruppu
With the Bradby game out of the way, the attention shifts from Bogambara to Nittawela and another grudge battle between the invincible Kandy SC and the redoubtable CR & FC.

Over the last few seasons, this game effectively decided the club championship. This season, however, the CR has met with a few setbacks and in consequence the CH and the Army have come to the fore as front-runners to pull the rug from under Kandy SC's feet. This is being realistic. Yet, don't write off the Longden Place Club, they have too much talent in their ranks and certainly don't deserve underdog status.

Asanga Rodrigo and Savantha de Saram may not be in the first flush of rugby youth, but they have retained their manifold skills and remain as competitive as ever. Centre Haren Kaluarachchi is a delight to watch as he weaves his slight frame in and out of the tiniest chinks. Others such as Musafer, Halimdeen, Pieris and Kodagoda are all players of some quality and cannot be taken lightly. Add the dash and expertise of the foreigners, and the CR have the makings of quite a dandy outfit.

Forecasting a win for the CR may be just a fad optimistic. After all, they were beaten quite convincingly by these very same opponents two weeks back. Add to that the fact that they will be trespassing on Kandyan territory - a fact that makes victory that much harder. But, have no doubts on this score - CR will fight every inch of the way, and it will take another accomplished performance by Mallikarachchi's men to the wart them.

Kandy SC continues to have the Midas touch everything they touch turns to gold. Some teams have stretched them a good part of the way. Yet, being made of champion stuff, they have stormed back to vaniquish them all.

It has been a case of all hands to the plough as far as Kandy SC is concerned. Nearly seventy five per cent of the best available talent in Sri Lanka are on Kandy SC's payroll and hence they take a lot of beating. Early on, Kandy SC enjoyed the luxury of pulling out certain players and swapping them for others.

However with the season hotting up and the strongest among the opposing teams literally coming at them, the champions have settled on a side and have cut down the substitutions to a minimum.

One man has stood out in these essentially team triumph and that is Indrajith Bandaranaike. A winger turned centre, he is now in a better position to dictate the flow of the game, where earlier he rounded off the moves. With his vast experience of club and international rugger, he knows first when to punt, cross-kick, give a long pass or even to go on his own. His contribution is simply terrific.

Hettiarachchi, another sturdily built winger, is difficult to stop in full flight. Weerakkody has good acceleration and joins the threes judiciously yet, on some days, he seems to have left his kicking boots at home.

Number eight Laga scored a hat-trick against CR last time they met, so he's obviously a danger man. Fitter now, he is unrecognisable from the player he was in the early games. Basnayake has been jumping well, at times in tandem with Jayasena.
All in all, Kandy SC is hot stuff. At the game's end, it seems almost inevitable that the Kandy team will be sipping the champagne or is it beer!

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