Shanika clinches a triple crown

S. M. Jiffrey Abdeen, Kandy sports correspondent

TABLE TENNIS: Sixteen-year-old Shanika Silva from Girls High School won a triple crown while Gihan Liyanage of Dharmaraja College won a double at the Kandy YMCA Centenary Celebration table tennis tournament organised by the Central Province Table Tennis Association on behalf of the YMCA and worked off at the Peradeniya University tables.

Over 450 paddlers from the Central Province participated in this well-organised tournament which ranged from under 7 years to adults open championship and a big bouquet should go to the Chairman of the Table Tennis Organising Committee Harold Matharage, Sunil Abeyagunaratne, Gamini Silva, S. Rodrigo, and with the guidance of the President YMCA Lakshman Fernando, Co-ordinating Secretary A. S. A. Wijewickrema and Pastor Donald Fernando. S. Balasubramaniam acted as the chief referee.

Star of the meet was without doubt sixteen-year-old Shanika Silva who despite a upset in the girls under-17 match when she went down to higher ranked Nadini Abeygunawardena losing the last three sets 1-3. But she fought back gallantly to win the girls under-19 title 3-2 over Ruvini Weerasekera of Mahamaya Girls College.

Her fight back spirit is such that she lost the first set love-7 (0/11). But won the next two sets 11/6, 11/9 but with Ruvini showing more determination again lost the fourth set 8/11 and thereby setting the stage for a thrilling fifth set which she won 11/6.

Shanika Silva's second title win was in the Women's Open Doubles and partnered by schoolmate Nadini Abeygunawardena to beat Ruwini Weerasekera and Dulanjali Samarasinghe of Mahamaya Girls College 11/8, 3/11, 8/11, 11/9, 12/10. In fact at one stage the losers were leading 2-1 before the winners began their demolition process in the next two rounds. By partnering in this event Nadini Abeygunawardena completed the double.

Shanika Silva had to meet Ruwini Weerasekera for the third time in a higher event and this time in the prestigious Women's Open Singles. As in the under-19 event Shanika started the match losing 5/11 but won the next two 11/8, and 12/10 to stay in contention.

Ruwini Weerasekera hit back to win the fourth set 11/9. But Shanika Silva overcame Ruwini 11/3 comfortably in the final set to romp home winners 3-2 to complete the triple crown.

Shanika Silva ranked among the first eight in the Central Province showed plenty of grit and determination and hit with power and precision and did not relax or surrender when the chips were down.

For Ruwini Weerasekera who started off well in her events but choked a bit mid way and allowed Shanika to claw back into the game. She is a talented player and should show better match temperament in the future which will help her to win titles.

Sri Lanka's under-17 No. 1 Gihan Liyanage was the toast of the boys tournament when he won the under-19 title and the prestigious men's open singles. In the under-19 finals he simply toyed with Milinda Walisundera of Kingswood College to win 3-0 - 11/5, 11/9 and 11/5.

But in the Men's Open Singles he had to put up plenty of fight beating Rajitha Samaraweera also of Dharmaraja 3-1. Gihan Liyanage won the first two sets 11/7 and 12/10 with the second being fairly close but lost the third set 8/11 before huffing and puffing to win the fourth set 13/11 to clinch the title.

Another youngster to shine was Prabodana Rodrigo of St. Anthony's College ranked No. 1 in the under-13 age group and he did well to beat Gihan Hulangamuwa of Dharmaraja College 3-1 after losing the first set 6/11 but went on to win the next three sets quite comfortably.

In the boys under-11 singles he put up a good show to beat N. C. Bandara of Dharmaraja College 3-0 with ease. He is another promising paddler who should do well in the future.

Shanith Cooray of St. Anthony's College also performed the double of winning the under-17 singles title and the men's doubles title partnered by M. D. Hameed.

Nadini Samaraweera of Mahamaya Girls College also put up a plucky display to beat Heshani Wickremasinghe of the same school 3-1 in a thriller.

The results:

Boys - Singles:

Under 7 years: Samindu Jayasekera (Vidyartha College) beat Dinesh Kanushka (Vidyartha College) 11/5, 13/11.

Under 9 years: Udaya Ranasinghe (Vidyartha College) beat C. P. Tennakoon (Dharmaraja College) 10/12, 11/9, 11/7, 12/10.

Under 11 years: Prabodana Rodrigo (St. Anthony's College) beat N. C. Bandara (Dharmaraja College) 11/2, 11/8, 11/5.

Under 13 years: Prabodana Rodrigo (St. Anthony's College) beat Gihan Hulangamuwa (Dharmaraja College) 6/11, 11/5, 11/5, 11/8.

Under 15 years: Milindu Keerthiratne (Trinity College) beat M. D Hameed (St. Anthony's College) 5/11, 11/9, 11/9, 11/8.

Under 17 years: J. Shanith Cooray (St. Anthony's College) beat Hasitha Bandara (Dharmaraja College) 9/11, 7/11, 11/6, 11/8, 11/9.

Under 19 years: Gihan Liyanage (Dharmaraja College) beat Milinda Walisundera (Kingswood College) 11/5, 11/9, 11/5.

Men's Doubles: Shanith Cooray and M. D. Hameed (St. Anthony's College) beat Milindu Keerthiratne and K. Weerasekera (Trinity College) 11/6, 11/8, 11/8.

Open Men's Singles: Gihan Liyanage (Dharmaraja College) beat Rajitha Samaraweera (Dharmaraja College) 11/7, 12/10, 8/11, 13/11.

Girls singles:

Under 9 years: Praveena Silva (Girls High School) bet Thilina Chathurika (Jinaraja BV, Gampola) 8/11, 11/7, 11/8, 11/4.

Under 11 years: Chandima Madhushani (Mahamaya Girls College) beat Vinoli Silva (Girls High School) 11/9, 11/6, 11/5.

Under 13 years: Nimshi Wijesekera (Vihara Maha Devi BV) beat Chandima Madhushani (Mahamaya Girls College) 11/6, 11/9, 11/6.

Under 15 years: Nadini Samaraweera (Mahamaya Girls College) beat Heshani Wickremasinghe (Mahamaya Girls College) 11/8, 9/11, 11/5, 11/8.

Under 17 years: Nadini Abeygunawardena (Girls High School) beat Shanika Silva (Girls High School) 9/11, 11/5, 11/5, 11/8.

Under 19 years: Shanika Silva (Girls High School) beat Ruvini Weerasekera (Mahamaya Girls College) 0/11, 11/6, 11/9, 8/11, 11/6.

Open Women's Doubles: Nadini Abeygunawardena and Shanika Silva (Girls High School) beat Ruwini Weerasekera and Dulanjali Samarasinghe (Mahamaya Girls College) 11/8, 3/11, 6/11, 11/9, 12/10.

Open Women's Singles: Shanika Silva (Girls High School) beat Ruvini Weerasekera (Mahamaya Girls College) 5/11, 11/8, 12/10, 9/11, 11/3.