Over 600 paddlers for Ashok Melvani Tourney

Sanjaya Ariyaratne

Over 600 competitors will take part in the Ashok Mottoomul Melvani Memorial All Island Ranking Table Tennis Championship which will be held from July 4 to 6 at S. Thomas' College, Indoor Stadium, Mount Lavinia. This three day competition is being conducted by the Table Tennis Association of Sri Lanka.

The events to be worked out are boys and girls under 10, 12, 15, 18 and 21 along with open singles events for men and women. Besides there will be open men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles.

K.S.T. Chalitha is the hot favourite in the men's singles. He will be facing tough opposition from bottom seed Rohan Sirisena. Ishara Madurangi is the top seed in the women's singles while Deepika Rodrigo is the bottom seed.

N. Sampath and I. Prasad are the most fancied duo in the men's doubles event while the pair of B.N.B. Jayasinghe and Y. Deshappriya are the next. In the women's doubles I. Madurangi and C. Hansa are the top seeds while T. Weerakoon and A. Indunilee are the bottom seeds.

The tournament will begin with Open events and the age group events will be worked out from the following day 8.00 am onwards.

The prize distribution ceremony will take place on July 6 after the conclusion of the finals. SSP Daya Samaraweera, a former President of Table Tennis Association of Sri Lanka (TTASL) will be the chief guest with Ajith Gamage, a former secretary of TTASL as the guest of honour.