Epic feat by woman cager Premila Fernando

Sanjaya ARIYARATNE

BASKETBALL: Sri Lanka’s women’s national basketball player Premila Fernando had the rare distinction of being adjudged the second best player in the recently concluded FIBA Asian Region Basketball Championship in Korea.

The pint sized Premila kept the Sri Lanka flag flying by piling up a massive 106 points with her accurate shooting in just five games in this ten nation tournament- a remarkable achievement indeed.

Although the Sri Lanka women’s team lost all five matches against Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore, Uzbekistan and India twenty six year old Premila who played in the position of ball controller (point guard) did Sri Lanka proud with a remarkable display to obtain over 100 points-second only to neighbouring India’s Geetha Anna who was the top ranked player with a huge 197 points in eight matches while Nguyen Thi of Vietnam was ranked third.

Her best performance came against India when she piled up twenty eight points although Sri Lanka lost 105 to

 59. She also came up with a sterling display against Singapore contributing 25 points which saw Sri Lanka go down fighting 59-70.

She was also the top scorer for Sri Lanka with 23 points in the first match against Vietnam which the Lankans lost 52-75. She also scored 19 points in the fourth match against Uzbekistan.

Premila who is an old girl of St. Joseph’s Girls’ School, Nugegoda who’s first love was athletics later took to netball and basketball with her athletic skills helping her enormously to become a top class cager.

She first represented her school’s under 13 cager team in 1992 and 1993 with the school emerging champions in that age group in both years. She graduated to the school’s champion under 15 team in 1993 and 1994.

She was also a member of the champion St. Joseph’ girls School under 17 team from 1995 to 1997. She also contributed immensely to the success of her school’s under 19 team which bagged the age group title in 1996 and 1998.

Her school also became Junior national champions in 1996 and 1998. She also had the honour of being adjudged the under 15 best defensive player in 1995, under 17 best offensive player in 1996, under 17 best player in 1997 ,the best defensive player in under 19 age group in 1998 and all island best cager in 1998.

Fernando was awarded Sri Lanka school games clours for her excellent performances shown at the tournaments which she took part by the Sri Lanka Schools Sports Council.

She was also named as the best player in Indian South Zone championships held in India in 2001. Premila was a member of the team which emerged runner up in Indian South Zone championships in 2002 and 2004. Once again she came off with flying colours to become the best player in 2003.

She also represented Sri Lanka at the AGSEP Basketball tournament held in Germany in 2004 where Sri Lanka won the third place, 19th ABC women’s Basketball Championships in Thailand 2001 and 21st ABC basketball tourney in China in 2005.

Whilst still in school she represented the Sri Lanka’s junior team at the 14th ABC Junior Women’s basketball championship in Takushima, Japan and 18th ABC Women’s basketball championship in Shizuoka, Japan in 1998 and 1999 respectively.

After leaving school she joined Seylan Bank and played a key role in her firm’s success with the bank emerging mercantile champions from 2004 to 2006 with her being adjudged best player in all three years.

She has also taken part in inter club tournaments in Maldives. She hopes to continue playing for Sri Lanka and bring more glory and honour to her motherland in the future.

She said she owes her success to her coaches Ajith Kuruppu and Hayaz Haroon who had taken great pains to make her a top class player.

She is also grateful to her mother and office colleagues at Seylan Bank who give her all the encouragement and support to pursue her career.