Sri Lankan junior TT team off to Pakistan

Sanjaya Ariyaratne

A 12 member team left for Pakistan on Sunday to take part in the South Asian Junior Table Tennis Championships which will be staged from July 9 to 11 at Indoor Gymnasium of Habib Public School in Karachi, Pakistan.

Eight countries in the South Asian region will be featuring in this three day competition, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and host Pakistan.

India are the toughest in the pool but Sri Lanka has a good chance of winning a medal. Besides the medal, what is at stake is a qualifying place for the Junior Asia Cup which is likely to be conducted later this year.

The boys and girls under-18 singles and doubles, team event and cadet under-16 boys and girls singles and doubles and team events are the segments to be worked out in the championship.

Sri Lanka will be fielding altogether four teams from both boys and girls categories in under 18 and in the cadet events. Buddhika Walagampola of Royal College will captain the under 18 boys team. Sahanaka Ganegoda and Sukitha Wickramanayake of Dharmaraja College are the other members.

Ishara Madurangi (Sri Devananda College, Ambalangoda) will skipper the girls under 18 team. Tharindra Weerakoon (Maliyadeva Girls’ College, Kurunegala) and Pavithra Gimhani (Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda) are the other players.

The other teams:

Under 15 boys - Hashintha Sashiranga (Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda), Malith Dilusha (Sri Devananda College, Ambalangoda), Prabodhana Rodrigo (St. Anthony’s College, Katugastota).

Under 15 girls - Erandi Warusavithana (Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda), Chavindya de Silva (Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda), Nuwani Nawodya (Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda)

Manzil Muthalib will accompany the team as Manager, Chathura Dushan will go as the coach, A. K. S. D. Shamalie (Lady Chaperon) and H. P. Prabath Priyantha (umpire).