Sujeewa steals the limelight in Victoria Golf Medal series

S. M. Jiffrey Abdeen - Kandy Sports Correspondent

GOLF: The fifth round of the Victoria Golf Medal series organised by the Victoria Golf and Country Resort saw an excellent performance by Sujeewa Lankatilleke who dominated both the net and gross categories worked off at the picturesque Victoria Golf Course at Rajawella off Kandy.

The evening showers made the course look beautiful with a luxuriant growth of grass which at the same time made the course difficult requiring the golfers to use their skills which in turn made things exciting.

Sujeewa Lankatilleke who came over to the island after a long stay in Switzerland was the toast at Victoria that evening as despite the difficult conditions returned an excellent gross score of 77 off a handicap of 6 and also registered a net score of 71, thus dominating both the gross and net categories in the gentlemen's handicap division one. Schoolboy from Ecole International School, Digana playing off an impressive handicap of 5 clinched the second slot with a gross score of 85.

Ian Tait took the third position with a gross score of 87. The net division too was won by Sujeewa Lankatilleke with Chamil Wickremasinghe occupying the runner-up both with 80 and Sam Gunaratne who too registered net 80 lost on the count back to finish third.

In gentlemen's handicap division Trinitian Bimal Fernando playing off a handicap of 28, stormed home to win the net category with a stupendous net 63, one of the best net scores recorded at Victoria in recent times. Last year Maleena Awa recorded a net 62 in the Lectra golf championship.

Anura Danthanarayana was placed second in this category with a net score of one under par. Gateway International School schoolboy Sampath Hemachandra clinched the gross title for this division with a gross score of 88 but on a count back with veteran Tony Witham too getting gross 88.

Manori Jayakody of Hyundai Motor Company did well to register net 74 to win the ladies title for this category. Sonia Boyle was placed second with net 77 and this golfer has shown last improvement in recent times. But in the ladies gross division Sonia Boyle turned the tables on Manori Jayakody to register 93 gross to win this division. Manori Jayakody finished runner-up one stroke behind at 92 gross.