Ambalangoda needs uplifting

By Bernie Wijesekera

Ambalangoda cricket ground, which caters to the needs of the sportsmen be it cricket or otherwise, deserve support and encouragement for its further development. This ground is the main playingfield for schools and clubs.

They have produced some outstanding cricketers even to play at national level.

One of Sri Lanka's best left arm spinners Ajith de Silva hails from Ambalangoda. An old boy of Dharmasoka he later played for Ananda and Bloomfield with much success. He played in the inaugural Test under Bandula Warnapura against England.

The second annual limited over cricket tournament among the eight Buddhist schools for the Sir Henry Steele Olcott challenge trophy was staged in Ambalangoda, organized by the Old Sokians. Despite wet conditions it proved an instant success.

This fellowship tournament was played at the Municipal grounds. This playingfield needs support and encouragement for its uplift. In some areas it's very soggy after rain. It needs filling and a proper drainage system. Cricket has a great following in Ambalangoda. Even Ajith de Silva agreed that the venue needs improvement, for the young talent to improve their skills. Facilities are a 'must'.

Before embarking on grandiose projects and stadiums it should do well if attention is paid to improve the venues in the districts. At present there are plenty of venues to stage a first class match here. One need not wait till the powers that be take action. But the sport loving public including the controlling bodies should take notice and help them. Going on investigating missions be it Ratnapura or Avissawela etc., there is talent aplenty, but not the facilities for the less affluent to improve their skills. The future of Sri Lanka sports be it cricket, rugby, track and field lies in the rural areas.

The fellowship tournament among Buddhist schools - the brainchild of Warnapura, aided by other old boys of the respective schools was started in 1999. In turn it helps to bring about togetherness. It also brought to light the shortcomings and find ways and means to help each other to overcome them with a united effort.

Trophies are secondary, but the game that matters in the end. This prevailed at Ambalangoda. Despite wet weather, sportsmanship prevailed all round. In the final between Old Rajans and Old Nalandians it was displayed in abundance. The Old Rajans won by seven runs. But ONSC sportingly decided to bat on in semi- darkness and lost the match. In the end it taught the youngsters present what cricket is all about. The final outcome was secondary. Camaraderie prevailed with both teams shaking hands. In the end both teams were the winners.

Udaya Yatawara, was the man of the match (Old Rajans) while Sudharman Silva (batting), Daya Sirisena (bowling) and Jayantha Seneviratne (fielding) won awards.

Next year it will be staged in Pannipitiya when the Old Palians will be celebrating their Golden Jubliee in cricket. They started playing cricket in 1951. Since then they have produced some outstanding cricketers who have done proud for their school. Mr. Nelson Mendis who was the chief guest commended the organizers for the job well done. He called upon the organizers to encourage more schools to take part in this fellowship tournament. In turn it will help the old boys of those schools to be in the limelight and help promote the game among the present boys for a better future.

Surplus funds to promote youth rugby

By Bernie Wijesekera

It proved a Red Letter Day in the annals of Sri Lanka rugby, when the Asian under-19 championship proved a great success, said the secretary of the tournament committee, Capt. Harsha Mayadunne, when interviewed by The Sunday Times.

Mayadunne, said it could not have been a reality, all had not joined the scrum for its smooth running. "Of course there were few hiccups here and there but on the whole it did proud for the country's image. There were others who were bidding to stage Junior Asiad. But finally the Asian Rugby RFU, gave the green light to stage here.

"Well, I had to do much gardening, on behalf of the SLRFU to clear, if there were any doubts. In the end the Lankan fans were fortunate to watch one of the finest games seen here when S. Korea and Japan provided a high octane final. S. Korea won the match. The youth players here had much to learn from this game. Sri Lanka, too played well with much co-ordination to beat Chinese Taipei to book a berth for the Junior WC in Chile.

The ARFU gave $12,000, H.K. RFU 8,000 and Japan 4,000, by way of foreign exchange. The National Insurance Corporation gave Rs. Six Lakhs and Malaysian Electronic Co., Rs. six lakhs. Special mention must be made for Galadari Hotel, who gave the participating teams accommodation.

Besides, supporters and well-wishers of rugby, too were there up front to help the Union with men and material.

If one puts the country before self, there is nothing impossible. In its wake the SLRFU was able to rake in a surplus of Rs. four million. This money will be utilized for the promotion and development of youth rugby in the country, Mayadunne added.

Under 19 Rugby Asiad

Follow Jayantissa's policy

By Bryan Baptist

Congratulations to our Under 19 Squad who performed commendably at the Junior Asiad. The Selectors picked dedicated players who gave of their best during the Tournament. The Sri Lanka Coach Ananda Kasthuriarachchi must be congratulated for having moulded players from various schools into a very effective and united team. For once I found our Sri Lankan players standing up and tackling their opponents fearlessly. It was heartening to see our players driving forward with momentum and on many occasions taking their heavily built opponents off their feet. I have still to see this from Senior Sri Lankan players. A bouquet should also go out to S.W. Chang, Manager of the Under 19 Sri Lanka team for his efforts.

We have a fine Sports Minister, Hon. Lakshman Kiriella who witnessed Sri Lanka beating Chinese Taipei convincingly. His encouragement was heartening and I am sure our Under 19 squad will be spurred on to greater heights in the future.

Sri Lanka performed exceptionally well against South Korea and Japan. We have the potential to win against these teams. The question is - how? Our strength lies with our back division. We have strong running centre three quarters who are able to swerve and side-step at speed and above all they were good tacklers. They must also practice chipping and controlled grubber kicks (along the ground). I noticed that the foreign referees did not pay sufficient attention to the off sides of three quarters. Our forwards - the 1st five must be strong. Adequate replacements are essential. The present set of forwards played a tremendous game.

It was interesting how Japan were able to secure the ball in the lines-out on their opponents' throw. Here again it was either because the throw was not straight but more often than not they closed the gap between the 2 lines early and thus secured the ball, the referee not paying attention to this aspect. This was very evident in the Final when Japan played South Korea. Despite having lost line-out possession to the Japanese, South Korea came up with a sterling performance to win the Final. Sri Lanka should take note of the very nippy scrum half from South Korea- Kim Jung Do, who scored 4 tries in the final. Both our scrum halves are good but they should take heed and concentrate on being very quick and agile. Also more breaks from the base, linking with the blind side wing three quarter/or/with the 3rd row. All this requires practice and more practice. Sri Lanka also needs to send in replacements at the correct time during games. Finally, we must guard against complacency or "relaxing". There should always be a sense of urgency whether we are trailing behind our opponents or even leading by 50 points.

The juniors performed exceptionally well and have proved beyond doubt that Sri Lanka can produce players to match the best Asian teams. Our senior players (I refer to our 'A' team) should watch video replays of our games against South Korea, Japan and Chinese Taipei and take a cue from our juniors on power play, who made an impact on the opposition with their power play. I agree with Jatila Karawita's comments in The Sunday Times last week when he said that our juniors performed so well in contrast to what has been achieved by our seniors. This is a fact. We have now to work on this Squad and prepare then for the Youth World Cup finals to be played in Chile. Their training should be phased out well, keeping in mind the school season.

There have been comments and criticisms levelled at the Selectors and also at the sons of Police Officers who represented Sri Lanka. This is very unfair as the players concerned have not only performed well in College games but have given a fine account of themselves in this Tournament. Leuke, a strong built lad was a tower of strength to the Sri Lanka team. He was "unfortunate" to have been "dropped" from the 1st XV of Royal in the 2nd leg of the Bradby after having scored a try in the 1st leg and also after having played so well in the first leg! Young Jayasundera at centre tackled his opponents to a standstill and so did Abeygunawardena, both sons of very Senior Police Officers. Both are penetrating runners and fine players. Jayasundera is only 15 years old and I foresee a great future for him and Abeygunawardena as well. Next was Hamid who is a very talented and versatile player. An excellent scrum half but had to fill the role of a full back for his college team for lack of one. These 4 players certainly deserve their places. Other players who impressed me were Mario Oorloff who was outstanding. Skipper Jeevan Gunatilleke proved to be a great leader, who inspired his team by example. It was a great team effort. Constructive criticism is good but I was disappointed to read baseless accusations against the sons of respected Police Officers.

I remember being on the Sri Lanka Selection Committee under the able Chairmanship of Jayantissa Ratwatte when the Asiad was held in Sri Lanka. Jayantissa always stressed that Selectors must be thorough in what they do. We attended practice sessions and matches in order to ascertain the commitment of players, their talent and their attitudes. Selectors for an Under 19 squad must witness school games and attend practices regularly- this is commitment. They should also submit a report to the Chairman on the games they witness and their observations. We did this under the Chairmanship of Jayantissa Ratwatte. So when final selections are made, all selectors have a much better idea of players. Those selectors who cannot find time for such a commitment due to their busy schedules should not be pressurized to serve on these committees. I also feel that selectors should be pruned down to about 4 members plus a Chairman.

On an overseas tour it is necessary that a selector MUST accompany a team. Remember about a week a ago the Manager of the Sri Lanka cricket team in South Africa sent an SOS requesting for an additional fast bowler? This was turned down by the selectors here in Sri Lanka! We now see what the South African pace bowlers have done to us - 95 all-out! I was requested to accompany the Sri Lanka 7's team to Singapore on one occasion. It was quite an experience. The Selection Committee on tour should be - the Selector, the Coach and the Captain. The Under 19 Asiad was well organized. A lot of hard work had been put in. Well done to the organizers. It was unfortunate that crowds were poor but this can be attributed to school holidays, the Ramadan fasting period and many students were studying for their O/Level Exams in December.

Exciting cricket at NCC, Chilaw Marians final

The Segment 'B' Champions tro phy limited over final between Negombo CC and Chilaw Marians played over the last weekend at the SSC grounds, produced exciting cricket. It was a great game where both teams met triumph and disaster in the same vein.

Chilaw Marians, showed tremendous courage and determination despite early setbacks when they were sent into bat losing four wickets for 23 runs. Their skipper Saman Tittagalla made a gallant 71. Along with Nawan Priyankara 48 batted with grit to put on 103 runs for the fifth wicket. These two cricketers from the outstation clubs deserve to be in the development squad, along with Negombo CC's outstanding allrounder, Lakmalka Fernando, who bowled stoutheartedly to capture 4 for 45 and later batted with charm and aggression when they were in trouble and Mevan Fernando a defiant 50.

These two outstation clubs produced top class cricket for the handful of spectators who were there to witness this final played in fading light. None of the bigwigs of the Cricket Board were there even to make the presentation or to meet the players after the match.

The president of the CB may not be available due to other commitments, but what about the other senior officials. Have they gone on a year-end holiday to the centre of cricket. Seeing was believing. The presentation was made at the dressing room. The talking point was if this clash was between two leading clubs from the Metropolis then it would have been a different story. Where was the media manager? Even he was not present to make a formal announcement.

This match was played on a neutral ground. It was the bounden duty of the hierarchy to make the necessary arrangements even to help them get some refreshments for the players after the match. A senior official of Negombo CC had to go and plead to get some aerated water despite paying from his own pocket. He told The Sunday Times the CB should have assigned someone to attend to. He will testify to this effect.

Both teams are the guests of the BCCSL and they deserve a better deal, that too drawn from the outstations.

A journalist, who is also a knowledgeable coach and promoting outstation cricket was a keen spectator and lauded the performances of both teams. This is not the way to promote outstation cricket.

Over to CB president, Thilanga Sumathipala.

- B.W.

Rover pinpoints

How come?

How come three persons, one an administrator, one a selector and the other a player involved in cricket are owning a shop in Colombo selling cricketing gear.

In tears?

Who is this leading sportsman, who was in tears when he was questioned by a leading lawyer.

Double trouble?

A leading sportsman, had instructed his agent in a foreign country to sell the house belonging to him, and on being informed that it was sold he visited this country to collect his money by the sale. However he had to return empty handed as this agent's office had been sealed.

NOC pawns of the Minister

It was a common tale but true to note that the NOC looked like pawns of the former minister, as they were being dictated upon. It is hoped that would not be the same under the new minister. The NOC's lapse which was in picking the nominee to cover the last Olympics was turned down on the instructions of three officials close to the former minister. The nominee was told by both the NOC President and Secretary, if he wanted to go to Sydney, he would have to get the minister's OK, then it would done.

What a shame NOC, it never happened before, you are not independent.

Bad news?

The NOC in a circular has blamed a leading athletic coach of making statements to the selection of the overall Olympic Games Captain. Rover stands bye the statement made by this coach, as it was Rover who said so, many weeks before selecting themselves first - the husband and wife combination and overall captain.

What a disgrace?

The champions trophy final was played between two outstation teams at the SSC grounds. The players of both teams were served their lunches on plates and told to consume same in their dressing rooms while the others served it from the buffet with a lot of food going awaste.

Furthermore, the champion team was awarded their prize money in the dressing room, and at the day's end cool drinks had to be purchased by the team's own money. What promotion of Cricket in the outstations or is it because two outstation teams met in the final without any Colombo clubs?

No newcomers?

The Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association Annual General Meeting is to be held soon. Newcomers who have sent in their nominations have been turned down and a repeat performance could be witnessed with the change of musical chairs. Not done indeed.

Gunasekera shatters three Powerlifting records

Nadini Gunasekera of Kegalle Sports Club shattered three Sri Lankan records at the Powerlifting Nationals conducted by the Sri Lanka Powerlifting Association concluded at the Soysapura Community Centre at Moratuwa.

Nadini set up the three records in the squat 110 kgs, bench press 45 kgs and deadlift 120 kgs.

The women powerlifters from the Sri Lanka Army won major honours with M.N. Samarasinghe setting up two Sri Lankan records in the bench press 35 kgs and deadlift 115 kgs and was awarded the best woman powerlifter title.

In the men's category five new records were broken with the first being by Bernard Fernandesz the veteran powerlifter from the Army who bettered his own record in the 210 kgs deadlift the existing record being 195 kgs.

Ananda Bandara of Kandy Sports Club erased the old record set up in 1994 in the bench press with a lift of 125 kgs while Chandra de Silva of Super Eagle Sports Club, Negombo bettered the old record held by Jerry Anderson of the Central YMCA in the bench press set up in 1992.

V.J.P. Perera of Candy Sports Club with a lift of 130 kgs in the bench press in the 82.05 kg category set up the third record.

Defni Priyantha Silva of Super Eagle Sports Club in the Heavyweight category 90 kgs with a lift of 225 kgs in the deadlift bettered the existing record by 15 kgs.

The fifth record belonged to D.U.M. Jayatilleka in the 125 kg Super Heavy category of Kandy Sports Club set up three new records in the 232.5 squat, 150 kg bench press and 250 kg deadlift aggregating 632 kgs in the three lifts.

Desha Prabhoda Liyanage officiated as the chief referee while G.D. Samarasena, I.P. Nandasena, Ronnie Abeysinghe and Siridasa Liyanage officiated as referees Major K.M. Muthalif of the Sri Lanka Women's Corp. distributed the awards.

Results:

Men

52 kg. Wt. Category: P.G. Rohitha - Sri Lanka Army.

56 kg. Wt. Category: R.W.K.K. Bernard Ferdinandez - (Sri Lanka Army)

67.05 kg. Wt. Category: G.H. Jayashantha Fernando - (Soysapura Sports Club), J.M.W. Kulathilaka - (Sri Lanka Army).

75 kg. Wt. Category: G.R.P.K. Wijewardena - (Kandy Sports Club), H.A. Ananda Bandara (Kandy Sports Club).

82.05 kg. Wt. Category: V.J.P. Perera - (Kandy Sports Club), U. Gurunayake - (Kandy Sports Club), K.C.P. Fernando - (Sri Lanka Army).

90 kg. Wt. Category: L. Defni Priyantha - (Super Eagle Sports Club), K. Somadasa - (Sri Lanka Army), C.L.B. Wickramasinghe - (University of Peradeniya).

100 kg. Wt. Category: M.A. Ibrahim - (Kandy Sports Club), P.K.I Sandanayaka - (Colombo University).

110 kg. Wt. Category: Dinuk Anthony - (St. Peter's College, Bambalapitiya).

125 kg. Wt. Category: D.U.M. Jayathilake (Kandy Sports Club).

Women

44 kg. Wt. Category: M.N. Samarasinghe - (Sri Lanka Army), K.W.D.W. Nimani - (Sri Lanka Army).

48 kg. Wt. Category: J.R.D. Silva - (Sri Lanka Army), H.S.P. Gamage (Sri Lanka Army).

52 kg. Wt. Category: B.J.P. Gomez (Sri Lanka Army).

56 kg. Wt. Category: K. Anusha Priyani (Bandaragama Pradeshiya SC).

60 kg. Wt. Category: Nadinee Gunasekera (Kegalle SC), N.N.B. Perera (Sri Lanka Army), Anusha Jinadasa (University of Peradeniya).

67.5 kg. Wt. Category: B.L. Nadeeka Lakmali (Sri Lanka Army), J.M.M.S. Jayasundera (Sri Lanka Army).

75 kg. Wt. Category: D.D.N.K. Dias (Air Port Aviation S Club).

STC Motor Show and Rally

The S. Thomas' College Mt. Lavinia Motor Show and Rally will take place on January 20 and 21.

The rally will start opposite the Art Gallery on January 20. All vehicles have been asked to assemble at 7 a.m.

Members of the Classic Car Club and Vintage Car club too will participate in the rally. Around 75 vehicles will take part from both clubs. The event will be sponsored by Hatton National Bank, who will provide Tee-shirts and caps for the participants.

The first vehicle will be flagged off by an official of the Hatton National Bank. The mobile van of the Hatton National Bank will lead the vehicles to Mt. Lavinia.

The route will be along Galle Road. There will be four checkpoints. They are the branches of Hatton National Banks : Kollupitiya, Bambalapitiya, Wellawatte and Dehiwela.

The Automobile Club of S. Thomas' will join hands with the OBA and organise the ground arrangements.

The members of the Automobile Club are arranging the sale of tickets and will provide entertainment and the decorations. Tickets are priced at Rs. 20 each.

The vehicles will remain at STC Small Club grounds on January 20 and 21. The gates will open to the public as follows: Saturday (Jan 20) 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday (Jan 21) 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. There are a few raffle prizes on the tickets as well.

There will be a wide range of vehicles on display scuch as classics, vintage go karts, formula racing cars and motorcycles. Musical entertainment will be by Channa Wijewardena and Troupe and Ronnie Leitch.

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