Sports
Hayman Trophy water polo encounter returns after lapse of two years
As the Dr. R. L. Hayman Trophy has been missing in action since 2019, the water polo game played across two legs between S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia and Royal College Colombo has resulted in players losing out on years of experience. With two coloursmen on the Royal side after their 2019 victory and no coloursmen for S. Thomas’, getting into the water, this game is all about pure talent and raw emotion.
The Hayman water polo matches are more commonly known for its name more than people know of water polo itself. With an electrifying atmosphere rivaled like no other game, the Hayman will draw massive crowds to the Sugathadasa Swimming Pool for the 29th encounter which starts today.
The history of the encounter is as legendary as the game can get. The ecstatic rivalry began in 1992 in memory of late Dr. R. L. Hayman, a past Sub Warden of S. Thomas’ College and donor of their swimming pool. The game since then has brought out great feats through those who have played it, including the 5-year undefeated spell for S. Thomas’ from 2013 to 2017. This was after the 5-year undefeated stint of the Royalists from 2005 to 2009 which was also the first time the Hayman trophy resided at Reid Avenue after lying at Mount Lavinia since the inception of this Royal-Thomian encounter. This encounter has evolved over the past encounters, as it is played with international referees to ensure up-to-date rules are enforced, which brings out the highest standards of the game. This level of standard has resulted in both schools producing players who have represented the nation and have brought glory to the country over the past years.
The last game, played in 2019, saw domination from the Royal side with greater control of the ball throughout the two legs, giving Royal an aggregate of a 21-17 victory. This was unlike 2018 where the game came down to the final minutes of the second leg and saw a Royal victory against a powerful Thomian side. This year the very same is expected of both teams going into two legs of the game within the next couple of weeks.
There is nothing short of glory for the victors of Hayman. The tally between the two schools stands 16-9 in favour of S. Thomas’. This year however, the Royalists are all about retaining the trophy and the Thomians are hungry to get it back.
This year’s encounter will commence at the Sugathadasa Swimming Pool with the Under 15 age group match beginning at 3:30pm and Under 19 age group match beginning at 5:30 pm. Tickets are available at the gates and pre-sold at Old Thomian Swimming Club (OTSC) and Royal College Swimming Pool. The Thomians are captained by Dirhean Dias at this edition. Royal were yet to announce the name of their captain when this edition was published.
S. Thomas’ Squad
Dirhean Dias (Captain), Aaqil Zuhair (Vice Captain), Chariya Kurukulasooriya (Secretary), Aidan Tissera, Yumal Bollegala, Seevali Gurusinghe, Migara Gurusinghe, Nithish Perera, Shreshta Anthonisz, Talib Mansoor, Santhush Kalansooriya, Nehemiah Krishnaswamy, Haritha Sugathadasa, Deshan de Mel, Anuk Wijegunaratne.
Royal Squad
Umindu Katugamapala, Yamith Jayakody, Thilanka Thushan, Lakindu Weerasinghe, Senuda Somakeerthi, Randa Ranathunga, Nadil Basnayaka, Banuka Jayathilaka, Damsara Akmeemana, Minusha Mewan, Thisul Fernando, Dimeetri Liyanage, Mihin Wanigasekara, Lisitha Munasinghe, Yasandu de Silva, Anuk Mahalekam, Anuga Handunpathirana, Vinuda Somakeerthi, Rahul de Silva, Talal Bary, Hithesh Jayawardana.
With the objective of enhancing the living conditions of the agricultural community and increasing the contribution of the agricultural sector to the GDP, ‘Smallholder Agribusiness Partnerships Programme’ is being implemented with the financial contribution form the government and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation is
implementing the program in collaboration with the Regional Development Department of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. All recoveries from loans provided under the program shall be directed to a revolving fund titled the “Sustainable Agricultural Fund”, which shall be utilized exclusively for the provision of
agricultural loans. Using the said fund, it is proposed to implement an agricultural loan scheme titled the “Sustainable Agriculture Programme” for individuals and institutions engaged in agriculture and related activities.
It is expected that an amount of Rs. 800 million from the funds available in the Sustainable Agriculture Fund will be allocated for the implementation of the Sustainable Agriculture Program in the year 2026.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal made by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to implement the “Sustainable Agriculture Program” loan scheme through the Participatory Finance Institution as an annual program from the year 2026.
The BCCI has raised the match fees in women’s domestic cricket, from INR 20,000 to INR 50,000 per day, for those in the first XIs in senior competitions. The decision was taken at an Apex Council meeting on Monday in Mumbai.
Those in the reserves are entitled to half that amount (INR 25,000 per day). There has also been a revision at the age-group level, with players part of the first XIs set to earn INR 25,000 a day, and reserves earning INR 12,500.
Until now, the age-group players used to take home INR 10,000 a day if they were in the XI, while the reserves made INR 5000. This fee structure totalled to a little more than INR 2 lakh a season if they played all league fixtures, including the final. That figure will now be in the region of INR 5 lakh.
The changes are part of BCCI’s ongoing efforts to elevate the domestic game in the wake of India’s maiden ODI World Cup triumph, amid calls within the system to have a relook at match fees.
ESPNcricinfo understands that several top state coaches and players had requested such a change internally to help expand an existing talent pool that the WPL has helped amplify. The pay revision at the junior level stems from a growing interest in the game among younger women, with India emerging champions in back-to-back editions of the Under-19 World Cup.
In 2022, the BCCI had put the match fees of the women’s national team at par with that of men, meaning those playing a Test took home INR 15 lakh per match, while the corresponding amounts for an ODI and a T20I stood at INR 6 lakh and INR 3 lakh respectively.
There has, however, been no change in central contract figures, with those ranked in the highest grade taking home INR 50 lakh, which is less than the lowest pay slab for the men.
[Cricinfo]
Gede Priandana, Indonesia’s 28-year-old right-arm quick bowler, has become the first to pick up five wickets in an over in an international T20I match (where ball-by-ball data is available), achieving the feat in the first T20I against Cambodia in Bali on Tuesday. He is the first man or woman to achieve the feat.
Indonesia had the upper hand in the game, but Cambodia were not out of it yet at the end of the 15th over of the chase of 168, the scorecard reading 106 for 5. Bowling his first over, Priandana struck off the first three balls to record a hat-trick, sending back Shah Abrar Hussain, Nirmaljit Singh and Chanthoeun Rathanak. A dot ball followed, after which Priandana got rid of Mongdara Sok and Pel Vennak to finish off the match, Cambodia getting just one run in the over, a wide between the last two wickets, to end 60 runs short.
Priandana had earlier scored 6 in 11 balls opening the innings alongside Dharma Kesuma, the wicketkeeper-batter, who led the batting show for Indonesia with an unbeaten 110 in 68 balls with eight fours and six sixes.
The feat has, however, been achieved twice before in men’s T20s. Al Amin Hossain took five wickets in an over against Abahani Limited playing for UCB-BCB XI in the Victory Day T20 Cup in 2013-14. The other was when Karnataka’s Abhimanyu Mithun dismissed five Haryana batters in the semi-final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019-20.
While this is the first time a bowler has taken five in an over in an international game, there have been 14 instances of a bowler taking four in an over before today. The most famous of these was when Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga famously took four in four balls in the third over of a T20Is against New Zealand in 2019.
[Cricinfo]
Implementation of the loan scheme, “Sustainable Agriculture Program”
Cabinet nod to implement ‘Suraksha’ Student Insurance Programme in the year 2025 / 26
Establishment of Consultancy Boards for strengthening and promoting local production industries.
Match fees more than doubled for women’s domestic cricketers in India
National progress can be achieved only when everyone fulfills the responsibilities entrusted to them with steadfast determination, unity of purpose and resilience in the face of any challenge – President
Indonesia’s Gede Priandana becomes first to pick five wickets in an over in T20Is
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
News23 hours agoMembers of Lankan Community in Washington D.C. donates to ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Flood Relief Fund
-
Midweek Review7 days agoHow massive Akuregoda defence complex was built with proceeds from sale of Galle Face land to Shangri-La
-
News6 days agoPope fires broadside: ‘The Holy See won’t be a silent bystander to the grave disparities, injustices, and fundamental human rights violations’
-
News6 days agoPakistan hands over 200 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Lanka
-
Business5 days agoUnlocking Sri Lanka’s hidden wealth: A $2 billion mineral opportunity awaits
-
News7 days agoBurnt elephant dies after delayed rescue; activists demand arrests
-
Editorial7 days agoColombo Port facing strategic neglect
-
News5 days agoArmy engineers set up new Nayaru emergency bridge