Austasia sports action from November 19

YASARATNE GAMAGE

Austasia CSN Action Sports Fiesta 2011 along with the inaugural Indoor Netball Tournament organized by Austasia Sports and Leisure Club together with Action Sports Pvt LTD will be held from November 19 to December 9 at Austasia Club, Talawathugoda.

The event, first of its kind in Sri Lanka will include new concepts, indoor netball, indoor touch rugby and indoor futsal and five other sporting facets, swimming, badminton, squash, cricket and karate. The mega event will conclude with a gala awards night on December 9.

National netball coach Hyacinth Wijesinghe and Shirani Perera, another prominent figure in netball, have joined hands with Austasia and Action Sports to popularize the indoor version of the sport. ‘Kids Netball’ and ‘Street Netball’ are two new concepts that will take place at Austasia continuously for the benefit of netballers in all age groups apart from the traditional game being promoted for basic skills development.

Hyacinth and Shirani will train juniors, senior netball players and umpires in a programme that will be held at the Netball Academy and launched in the first week in 2012 January at the same venue.

Indoor touch rugby will be another game that will attract many, particularly at junior level. Hisham Abdeen one of the greatest ruggerites produced by Sri Lanka will be working with Udaya Yatawara to introduce the newer version with their experience.

A former national soccer coach E Balendra who is the Technical Director for the Indoor Futsal Tournament is also among the strong line up in the sports fiesta to give soccer players and fans a novel experience.

The only variation, outdoor six a side cricket tournament will be played at Buddadasa grounds, Pelawaththa while all other events take place at Austasia. ‘The major attraction, indoor netball tournament has attracted more than 52 clubs including 12 mens’, said Managing Director of Action Sports Private Limited, Shohrab Salman at a press briefing held at Austasia premises on Monday. He further noted that participants aged from 10 and up to the veterans (over 40) are invited to take part in the sporting events.

The indoor netball tournament will be in categories, A, B, C and veterans (over 40).

Indoor netball tournament consists of five categories, division A, B, C, Veterans and Mens.

Police A SC, Hatton National Bank (HNB) Navy SC are in group 1 in division one while Air Force SC, Army SC are in group 2. In division B group 1 police SC B, Air Force B, National Savings Bank (NSB), Speeds Star SC are included and Army SC B, Colombo University SC, Sampath Bank SC make up group 2.

Gothami Club, SL Telecom, Singer, Hemas, Gampaha SC are in division C group 1 and, Youth Services, Harcourts Club, Munchee, Malley SC battle in group 2. Commercial Bank, Youth Club, Campbell Park, Salika Club, Rupavahini SC, Star Garments SC are group 3. Women in Management, Gothami Balika, Central Bank, Kotte Club, Gateway SC are listed in group 4.