Sakuna Challenge Trophy TT from today

S M Jiffrey Abdeen-Kandy Sports Corr

The annual Central Province Open Table Tennis Championship organized by the Kandy District Table Tennis Association and sponsored by Sakuna (Pvt) Limited will be worked off at the Jagath Rajapakse International Table Tennis Stadium, Ganegoda, Peradeniya today and tomorrow commencing at 8 am each day.

Over 350 paddlers from the Kandy District will compete in this championship which will be played for the Sakuna Challenge Trophy.

Krishantha Karunanayake speaking on behalf of the sponsors said that their organization has come forward to give a helping hand to table tennis with the objective of promoting the game and also to show the way for other firms to fallow in sponsoring events. He said that Kandy has the best table tennis stadium in the country put up by Jagath Rajapakse investing his own resources which amounts to a colossal amount. This stadium which has the facility to play 16 matches simultaneously with padded flooring with a waste unless it is made use of fully.

National Table Tennis Coach Jagath Rajapakse said that this championship will be played for boys and girls under the age groups of under 8, under 10, under 12, under 15 and under 18. There will be also a championship for Novices and the top events of mens and Women singles.

National player Nirmal Jayasinghe of MAS Institutes is ranked No 1 in the championship for men followed by Vidyartha schoolboy Udaya Ranasinghe, R Liyanage, Prasad Silva and Tilina Wijesiri. Praveena Silva of Sri Lanka Air Force is ranked No 1 in the women's category followed by Ridmi Kannagararachchi Vinoli Silva, Chandima Madushani. The best but for the junior championship is Vidyartha College schoolboy Udaya Ranasinghe ranked No 1 in both under 15 and under 18 age groups and is the under 15 National Champion. He is ranking No 3 in the open event.