Cager double for Mercantile Services

S. M. Jiffrey ABDEEN, Kandy Sports Correspondent

BASKETBALL: Mercantile Services Basketball team clinched the double by winning both the Men's and Women's championship titles of the Senior Basketball Championships 2006 organised by the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation and sponsored by the People's Bank and the Sports Ministry of the Central Province and worked off at the flood lit indoor courts of University of Peradeniya on Sunday night.

The Mercantile Services after a tough battle in the preliminary league match against Kurunegala District virtually had no difficulty in overcoming their opponents in the championship for men. In the finals against Puttalam District they scored a 109-91 win.

The Puttalam team could have improved on this score but poor shooting deprived them of increasing their tally. At the breather Mercantile team led 60 - 31.

Mercantile led 20 - 16 in the first quarter and increased it by getting 32 - 15 in the second. But in the third quarter the Puttalam team fought back to score 28 points while Mercantile managed only 8.

The score at this stage was 60 - 59 with Mercantile leading by the wafer thin margin of one point. But in the last quarter Mercantile dominated against some poor play by Puttalam to clinch the issue.

Mercantile Services who won this title for the sixth successive year got their points through Prageeth Pushpakumara 23, M. Kathiran Shiran 14 and Thisara Chathuranga 09. For Puttalam District Malinda Fernando 14, Virantha Bastian 27 scored.

Channa Perera and Ranga Nanayakkara refereed.

In the consolation trophy match for the third place Colombo District scored an exciting 65 - 64 win over Gampaha District after leading 38 - 21 at lemons.

The Gampaha district team fought back in the last two quarters of the game to level the scores at one stage but that single point deficit deprived them of victory in the end.

Colombo District got their points through Chamara Ratnayake and Hasitha Wijeratne 18. For Gampah Pradeep Pushpakumara 14 and Maxwell Sarnapala 18 contributed towards their total.

Mercantile Services completed their double when they became champions for the third successive time in the championship for women by defeating Sri Lanka Schools 90 - 47 in the finals after being comfortable placed 40 - 23 at 'lemons'.

Though Mercantile Services won they had to be content with some speed and power play by Sri Lanka Schools controller diminutive Sulochana Ratnasekera who sped through the opponents defence like a bullet. But poor shooting deprived the school girls from making a bigger impact.

Mercantile Services obtained their points through Dhanushka Wijesinghe 18, Inoka Sandamali 19 and Kumarini Silva 18. For Sri Lanka Schools Sahali Weerasuirya 14 and Sulochana Ratnasekera 13 scored.

Ajith Kumara and Ranil Suranga Refereed.

In the match for the consolation trophy Colombo District scored a close 66 - 57 win over Combined Universities after leading 35-23 at the short break.

For Colombo District Shanikala Romain 20 and Himani Shahshika 20 and Solangi Gunawijaya 16 scored. For the Combined Universities it was Anoma Ratnayake 19 and Upeksha Gurusinghe 16 who got the points.

This was the 44th Basketball Senior Nationals and was held in the hill capital for the first time through efforts taken by the Chief Minister of the Central Province Sarath Ekanayake who is also the President of the Sri Lanka Basketball Association.

According to Senior Vice President of the Federation Ajith Kuruppu this was only the third time that this championship was held outside Colombo. This championship was once held in 2001 in Jaffna and at Debarawewa last year.