Table Tennis Star Buddhika going great guns

Sanjaya ARIYARATNE

TABLE TENNIS: A Table Tennis player who is going great guns is Buddhika Walagampola.

The seventeen year old schoolboy from Royal College has won several singles championship titles in many tournaments held recently. He also has represented Sri Lanka in several overseas tournaments.

The Sri Lanka junior paddler gave a fine display by winning the men’s open event at the 10th Milady All Island Open Table

 Tennis championships concluded at the S. Thomas’ College, Indoor Stadium, Mount Lavinia, recently.

He also was a member of the Colombo combined Table Tennis Club’s Men’s team which clinched the 10th Milady All Island Open Table Tennis team championship title.

Buddhika said that he began his Table Tennis career in the year 1998. During this nine year period he has taken part in numerous tournaments here and abroad and he has come up with some remarkable performances to win many titles to bring honour to his school and also to the country.

Buddhika is the current all island number one ranking paddler in the under 18 boys event.

In addition he possesses under 21 boys all island ranking number two and Men’s singles all island ranking number three according to Sri Lanka Table Tennis Association.

He also was named as the number one ranking paddler in under fifteen age group category in the island by the Schools Table Tennis Association of Sri Lanka in the year 2005.

In the year 2004 he emerged the Boy’s Junior National champion (under 15) and Buddhika did well to retain the same title in the year 2005.

Walagampola the present captain of the Royal College Table Tennis team has captained the Sri Lanka cadet and senior teams in several tournaments held in abroad.

Buddhika represented Sri Lanka’s team at the FAJR International Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships in the year 2005.

He captained the Sri Lanka under eighteen team for the FAJR International Table Tennis Championships last year.

He represented Sri Lanka for the first time at the World Ranking Pro Tournament in under twenty one age group category held in India this year.

He was also a member of the team which participated at the South Asian Junior Table Tennis championship worked off in India last year.

He also participated at the South Asian Table Tennis tournament held in India in the year 2005 representing Sri Lanka under fifteen team. He represented Sri Lanka `A’ team at the World Junior Indian Open Table Tennis championships in the year 2006.

He secured the runner up position in the Open men’s singles event of the Chrys Gunaratne Memorial Table Tennis championship worked off last year.

Royal College captained by Walagampola won the boys `A’ division under 18 team title in the All Island Schools Team Table Tennis championship 2007 worked off at the S. Thomas’ College, Indoor Stadium, Mount Lavinia, recently.

Buddhika hopes to bring honour and fame to the country by performing even better in future tournaments locally and internationally.