Six-member Sri Lankan TT team for Germany

S M Jiffrey Abdeen - Kandy sports corr

A six member Sri Lanka national men's and women's table tennis team will participate at the 51st World Table Tennis Championship organized by the International Table Tennis Federation which will be worked off at Bergman in Germany from March 21 onwards.

Rohan Sirisena (men's captain team)

Ishara Madurangi (women's team captain)

Jagath Rajapakse (manager and coach for the tour)

The Sri Lankan team will comprise three women in Ishara Madurangi (captain), Erandi Warusawitharne and Umaya Tharaki. A notable feature is all three are products of Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda. The men's team will comprise Rohan Sirisena (captain), Nirmala Jayasinghe and Dinesh Deshapriya.

The women's team captain Ishara Madurangi is prsently ranked number one among the ladies and has been the national champion five times though she is only 22 years old and is presently with the Sri Lanka Air Force. She is an old girl of Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda. Ishara Madurangi has dominated the local championship in a big way without tasting defeat in any meets. She won the Kandy District Open Championship, Central Province Open Championships, Ashok Melwani Championships and the Senior National Table Tennis Championships worked off last month where she clinched a triple crown.

Seventeen year old Erandi Warusawitharne is ranked number two in the senior category and number one in the junior category. She became runner up in both junior and senior national championships held at Peradeniya last month. She is presently a student at Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda.

The third in the women's team is fifteen year old Umaya Tharaki is ranked number 4 in the island is presently a student at Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda. She did well at the junior national championship by becoming the under 15 champion and even defeated the junior national champion. She is known for her excellent fight backs and does not throw in the towel till the very end.

She did well at the recently concluded Asian Table Tennis Championships winning twice.

The men's team will be led by 25 year old Rohan Sirisena, a product of Royal College and is presently with the Sri Lanka Air Force.

He has won the Senior National Championship on three occasions and also excelled at the Senior National Championship and the Ashok Melvani Memorial Championships held at Peradeniya last month. He is presently ranked number one in the island.

Nirmala Jayasinghe is ranked number two in the island following his excellent performances at several tournaments in the past six months.

He won the Central Province Open Championships and was runner up at the senior nationals. He is an old boy of Vidyartha College and is presently attached to MAS Holdings.

Dinesh Deshapriya is ranked number three and is attached to Sri Lanka Air Force. A gritty fighter and cannot be toppled easily as he was always fought back with tenacity.

The team will be accompanied by the Assistant Secretary of the TTASL Sadishi Nirasha Peiris, one time top paddler but now has settled down to administrative work. She has a good rapport with the media and always prepared to assist with the results.

National Table Tennis coach Jagath Rajapakse will be the tour manager cum coach. He is confident that his charges will perform well in this world championship in which he participated representing Sri Lanka held in Bergman, Germany in 1989. He said that all players have been put through their paces and are in fine fettle at present.