Junior paddlers win silver in India

Chris Dhambarage

TABLE TENNIS: The Sri Lanka boys and girls teams put up a pleasing performance to win a silver medal each at the South Asian junior table tennis championships which is now in progress in Kolkata, India.

The Sri Lanka boys team went down to India by three sets to nil while losing both singles and the doubles match in straight sets. In the first singles G. M. Liyanage lost to Aniket Koparkar 11-13, 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-4 and S. Ganegoda lost to Sanil Shetty 11-6, 5-11, 12-10, 11-5.

In the doubles match the Sri Lankan pair of Liyanage and Ganegoda lost to the Indian combination of Aniket Koparkar and Devesh Kana 11-6, 11-5, 11-5. The Sri Lanka girls team also went down to India by the identical margin where they lost the two singles and the doubles match all in straight sets.

Sri Lanka's Ishara Madurangi lost to K. Shamini 11-6, 11-6, 11-2 in the opening singles and Sanduni Kavitilleke was beaten at the hands of Neha Agarwal 11-5, 11-3, 11-8 in the second singles.

Madurangi and Ruhange then lost to K. Shamini and Aslesha Bodas 11-3, 11-7, 11-2 in the doubles match. Earlier in the semifinals the Sri Lanka boys team defeated Nepal 3-1 and the girls team had the better of the same opponents 3-0. The Sri Lankan junior paddlers coached by W. A. Buddhasir will also compete in the Indian Junior Open table tennis championships and in the World Junior Circuit event which begins in Kolkata today.