Kandy Schools dominate Junior TT Nationals

S.M. Jiffrey Abdeen - Kandy Sports Correspondent

Two new Junior National Table Tennis champions emerged as Kandy Schools dominated to carry away the plums at the annual Junior Table Tennis Nationals organized by the Table Tennis Association of Sri Lanka (TTASL) and sponsored by Serendib Medicals and New Sriyanai Dress Point and worked off for two days at the Jagath Rajapakse International Table Tennis Stadium, Dolouwa off Peradeniya on Saturday night.

Over 600 junior paddlers participated in this major junior championship in which many upsets were witnessed.

As predicted by this paper Udaya Ranasinghe of Vidyartha College was the star of the meet winning three titles inclusive of Junior National title for boys, the under 15 singles title, and the under 18 doubles for boys. He would have made a clean sweep of the titles had to won the under 18 mixed doubles where he finished runner up, Perhaps tired of figuring in so many finals within a matter of two hours the same evening.

Udaya Ranasinghe first won the boys under 15 title with a smashing 3-0 win over Nuwantha Niroshan of Dharmasoka College. Next he won the Junior National title for boys by defeating schoolmate Prasad J de Silva in three straight sets.

Udaya Ranasinghe’s third title was in the boys under 18 doubles partnered by Kirshan Wickremaratne beat Chinthaka Ekanayake and Thilina Wijesiri also from Vidyartha College in what turned out to be all Vidyartha final 4-0. The losers did well in the first two sets but went down tamely in the next two sets. Udaya Ranasinghe was also adjudged the Most Outstanding player of the Tournament for his Outstanding performance throughout the tournament He has also won many junior championship titles in the year 2012.

Nuwani Navodhya of Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda was crowned the new Junior National champion when she beat Erandi Warusawitharne of Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda 3-2 in a thrilling five setter. Erandi Warusawitharne was the top seed while Umaya Tharaki of Dharmasoka College was the bottom seed and the title eluded both and Nuwani Navodhaya from the lower rung lifted the title.

The finale started with Erandi Warusawitharne winning the first wet quite comfortably 2/11 and followed up a 8/11 win in the second but Nuwani Navodhya was showing her fight back qualities at a time Erandi Warusawitharane had only to preform the mopping up operations having a 2-0 lead.

But Nuwani Navodaya fought back with all tenacity and won the third set 11/8, and dealt a crushing blow in the fourth with an easy 11/1 win to level the scores came the decisive fifth set and Nuwani Navodhaya romped home winner 11/8 to lift the junior national title.

For Erandi Waruswitharne it was sheer bad luck and she has been also destined the second best during the last one year. At the junior nationals last year she finished runner up to Ruwini Kanangara of Museaus College.

Two days later at the Senior Nationals for women she finished runner-up to Ishara Madurangi of Sri Lanka Air Force. Then this year again lost the Junior Nationals to Nuwani Navodya.

The giant killing performance of the tournament for girls came from Ridmi Kandanaarachchi of Mahamaya Girls College in the girls under 15 by defeating Chamathsara Fernando of Girls High School, Mount Lavinia 3-1.

Ridmi won the first set 11/7 but Chamathsara Fernando hit back in the next set by a similar margin. Ridmi Karadanaarachchi did not allow the game slip away and she won the next two sets despite some fierce play by her opponent. The top seed in this event was Muthumali Priyadharashani and the bottom seed Pavani Sirisena and both were outsted before the finals.

The results of the finals:

Under 10 girls singles: Dilmi Hirushika Kolombe (Prajapathi BMV) Ambalangoda beat Lavangi Rajapakse (Maliyadwea Girls College, Kurunegala) 11/7, 11/9, 11/7.

Under 10 boys singles: Dewmith Weerasena (Lyceum International School, Nugegoda) beat Hirudhi Warusawitharne (Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda) 11/3, 1/3, 11/7.

Under 12 girls singles: Hansani Piumila (Anula Vidyalaya, Nuegoda) beat Natasha Sandavini (Malaiyadewa Girls College, Kurunegala) 11/6, 11/2, 6/11, 11/4.

Under 12 boys singles: Chatura Gunasekera (Sussex College, Kandy), beat D.U. Tennakoon (Dharmaraja College, Kandy) 11/6, 11/6, 11/3.

Under 15 girls singles: Ridmi Kandanaarachchi (Mahamaya Girls College) beat Chamathsara Fernando (Girls High School, Mount Lavinia) 11/7, 7/11, 13/11, 12/10.

Under 15 boys singles: Udaya Ranasinghe (Vidyartha College, Kandy) beat Nuwantha Niroshana (Dharmasoka College) 14/12, 11/19, 11/9.

Under 18 girls singles: Nwani Navedhya (Dharmasoka College) beat Erandi Warusawitharne (Dharmasoka College) 2/11, 8/11, 11/8, 11/1, 11/8.

Under 18 boys singles: Udaya Ranasinghe (Vidyaratna College) beat Prasad J. De Silva (Vidyartha College) 11/9, 14/12, 11/8.

Under 18 girls doubles: Nuwani Navodhya and Umaya Tharaki (Dharmasoka College) beat Kithmadi Ranawaka (Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo) and Ruwini Kannangara (Museaus College, Colombo) 11/7, 11/3, 8/13 11/9.

Under 18 boys doubles: Udaya Ranasinghe and Kirshan Wickremaratne (Vidyartha College) beat Chinthana Ekanayake and Thilina Wijesiri (Vidyartha College) 15/17, 15/13, 11/6, 11/5.

Under 18 mixed doubles: Prasad J. de Silva (Vidyartha College) and Buddepani Rajaguru (Maliyadewa Girls College, Kurunegla) beat Udaya Ranasinghe (Vidyartha College) and Ridmi Karadanaarachchi (Mahamaya Girls College, Kandy) 7/11, 11/9, 6/11, 13/11, 12/10.

Up and coming player of the Tournament: Ridmi Kandanaarachchi (Mahamaya Girls College, Kandy).

Most outstanding player of the Tournament: Udaya Ranasinghe (Vidyartha College, Kandy).