Nirmani and Gayan table tennis champions
by S. M. Jiffrey Abdeen, Kandy Sports Correspondent
Nirmani Silva (Girls High School) and Gayan Liyanage (Dharmaraja
College) emerged women's and men's Singles champions at the annual
Central Province Table Tennis Championship organised by the Central
Province Table Tennis Association and worked off at the Gymnasium of the
University of Peradeniya for three days at Peradeniya.
Highly ranked Gayan Liyanage had no difficulty in defeating Milinda
Walisundera of Kingswood College, Kandy in three straight sets.
Nirmani Silva of Girls High School displaying excellent skills won a
double when she clinched under 21 title by defeating her more
experienced elder sister Shanika Silva 3-0. But Shanika Silva did not go
home without a title when she won the girls under 18 title by defeating
Nirmani Silva 3-1.
This set the stage for an exciting Women's Singles championship and
it was once again that little girl Nirmani Silva got the better of her
elder sister Shanika Silva 3-2 after a gruelling contest. Both sisters
are from Girls High School and they could be a big threat to other
paddlers from the schools circuit.
The women's doubles event turned up to be a one sided affair with the
top ranked Upekha Kotinkaduwa and Sachi Tennakoon getting the better of
Mahamayans Nadini Samaraweera and Heshani Wickremasinghe 3-0.
Eleven year old Prabodha Rodrigo from St. Anthony's College, Kandy,
kept up to his early promise when he won a double. First he clinched the
boys under 12 title defeating Udaya Ranasinghe of Vidyartha 3-0 but had
to undergo some anxious moments to beat edging out K. Hewage of
Kingswood College 3-2.
It was the early strong play of the loser which rattled young
Prabodha Rodrigo but he picked himself up to clinch the title. Prabodha
Rodrigo made a daring effort in the boys under 18 competition by giving
the more experienced Rajitha Samaraweera a torrid time before going down
2-3.
This event rose to high standards like the mythical fight between
'David and Goliath' and in the end the ultimate winner Rajitha
Samaraweera of Dharmaraja College was to push through to romp home
winner.
A point of interest was that though there was no team championship
but boys from Vidyartha College put up a gallant performance to carry
away many titles mostly in the junior section which augurs well for the
future of the school which was at one time in the forefront in table
tennis in the island producing players of the calibre of Tilina
Piyadasa.
The results of the finals:
Girls:
Under 8 : Irosha Madhushani beat Nadeera Withanage 2-0.
Under 10 Girls: Praveena Silva beat Upekha Jayaratne 3-2.
Under 12 Girls: Chandima Madhushani beat Ridmi Karandararachchi 3-0.
Under 15 Girls: Heshani Wickremaratne beat Nadini Samaraweera 3-2.
Under 18 Girls: Shanika Silva beat Nirmani Silva 3-1.
Under 21 Girls: Nirmani Silva beat Shanika Silva 3-0.
Mixed Doubles: Nadini Samaraweera and Hasitha Samaraweera beat G. M.
Liyanage and K. Wedagedera 3-2.
Women's Singles: Nirmani Silva beat Shanika Silva 3-2.
Boys :
Under 8 : Dinesh Kavinda beat Savinda Jayasekera 2-1.
Under 10 : Udaya Ranasinghe beat Chinthaka Ekanayake 3-1.
Under 12: Prabodha Rodrigo beat Udaya Ranasinghe 3-0.
Under 15 : Prabodha Rodrigo beat K. Hewage 3-2.
Under 18 : Rajitha Samaraweera beat Prabodha Rodrigo 3-2.
Mens Singles: G. M. Liyanage beat Milinda Walisundera 3-0.
Women's Doubles: Upekha Kotinkaduwa and Sachi Tennakoon beat Nadini
Samaraweera and Heshani Wickremasinghe 3-0.
Minister of Sports of the Uva Provincial Council Dayaratne Bandara
and the Vice President of the Asian Table Tennis Union SSP Daya
Samaraweera were the Chief Guests and distributed the trophies along
with Bharatha Dodankotuwa of the University of Peradeniya. |