SriLankan Airlines retain titles

An injury to Ayesha Silva in the women's final prevented SriLankan Airlines flying away with a "triple" crown for the fourth successive year, at the 16th Travel Trade Sports Club Mens and Womens Badminton Championships 2011, concluded at S. Thomas' College, Mt. Lavinia, Indoor Stadium on Sunday.

SriLankan shuttlers retained the two men's titles, the open and the veterans for the fourth time in a row.

SriLankan women met Cinnamon Lakeside in the final. The two singles were sheared by the two teams and the doubles was the clincher.

The SriLankan pair, the experienced K.T. Inosha Kumari (44) and Ayesha U Silva (28) was leading 13/9 in the first set when the younger player met with a nasty ankle injury which forced them to throw in the towel and award the match to the Hoteliers.

Match Results

Mens Open :

Quarter finals: SriLankan Airlines beat Cinnamon Lakeside 3/0; Hotel Dolphin beat Blue Water 3/1; Mermaid Hotel beat Gateway Airport Garden Hotel 3/0; Aitken Spence Travels beat Classic Travels 3/2;

Semi-finals: SriLankan Airlines beat Hotel Dolphin 3/0; Mermaid Hotel beat Aitken Spence Travels 3/0;

Final: SriLankan Airlines beat Mermaid Hotel 3/0

Gene De Zilva and Rajitha Guruge (SL) beat Tuan Mahamoor and Nadeesha Udayanga (Mermaid) 21/15, 9/4 (W/O) ; Rajitha Guruge (SL) beat M.W.N. Dhammika (Mermaid) 21/9, 21/15; Gene de Zilva (SL) beat Nadeesha Udayanga (Mermaid) 21/19, 21/15.

Gene de Zilva from Sri Lankan was adjudged as the most outstanding player of the tournament.

Women's Tournament

S. Finals : Sri Lankan Airlines beat John Keells Leisure 2/0 ; Cinnamon Lakeside beat Gateway Airport Garden 2/0

Final : Cinnamon Lakeside beat Sri Lankan Airlines 2/1

Pavithra Perera (SL) beat Gayani Dissanayake (CLS) 21/16, 21/12 ; Ravihari de Silva (CSL) beat Ayesha Silva (SL) 21/9, 21/7; Gayani Dissanayake & Ravihari de Silva (CLS) beat K.T. Inosha Kumari & Ayesha Silva (SL) 4/9 W/O.

Cinnamon Lakeside's young & promising, Ravihari de Silva was picked as the most outstanding player of the tournament.

Mens Veteran's (over 40)

Q.Finals : Sri Lankan Airlines beat Cinnamon Lake side 2/0; Gateway Airport Garden beat Traveller Global 2/0 ; Hotel Topaz beat Avani Kalutara 2/0; John Keells Leisure beat Mermaid Hotel 2/0

Semi -Finals : Sri Lankan Airlines beat Gateway Airport Garden 2/0; J. Keells Leisure beat Hotel Topaz 2/0

Final : Sri Lankan Airlines beat J. Keells Leisure 2/0

Upolu Fernando (SL) beat Probate Harshakumar (JKL) 21/13, 21/12; Anuraji de Silva (SL) beat Deelipa Jayasinghe (JKL) 21/4, 21/12.

Sri Lankan, Upul Fernando was picked as the most outstanding player of the tournament.

Gerard Victoria (President) , Dushi Jayaweera (Snr. Vice President), Keethi Jayaweera (former President) and Palitha Mendis (Committee Member ), all from TTSC gave away the awards at the post tournament presentation.