Sports
Buwaneka, Varangana excel at SSC/WPBA Open
Buwaneka Goonethilleka clinched triple crowns in the open category while Varangana Jayawardena secured a double apart from her Under-19 singles title at the SSC/WPBA All Lanka Open Badminton Tournament, organized by the SSC Sports Club, in collaboration with the Western Province Badminton Association (WPBA).
The tournament, which took place at the SSC Indoor Badminton Courts and the Mercantile Badminton Association Indoor courts, featured a diverse range of categories, offering an array of badminton action that captivated the audience.
Goonethilleka’s remarkable feat included winning the coveted singles title after a gripping match against MadhukaDulanjana. He claimed the victory with a scoreline of 21-11 and 21-15.
Not stopping there, Goonethilleka, paired with Natasha Gunasekara, dazzled in the Open Mixed Doubles, defeating Dulanjana and Butmi Galagamage with scores of 26-24 and 21-16.
In a fiercely contested Men’s Open Doubles, Goonethilleka, alongside partner Sasindu Karunathillake, outplayed Roshan Padmakumara and Kasun Madushanka, securing a victory of 21-11 and 21-15.
On the women’s front, Jayawardena, having already claimed the Women’s Singles Championship by defeating Suhasni Vidanage with scores of 23-21 and 21-15, showcased her versatility. She teamed up with Rashmi Mudalige, and together they overcame Anurangi Maskorala and Vidanage 21-18, 18-21, and 21-17 in the Open Doubles.
The Under-19 Boys’ Singles title went to Thilina Rajakaruna, who defeated Pulina Wellalage with identical scores of 21-17.
Rajakaruna paired up with Sanjula Handapangoda to capture the Under-19 Boys Doubles title by outclassing Taruka Abeyratne and Omedha Irushan with a dominant score of 21-14 and 21-9.
Varangana Jayawardena, showing her prowess yet again, clinched the Under-19 Girls’ Singles title by defeating Praveena Wijesundara with scores of 21-16 and 21-15.
Notably, Natasha Gunasekara and Rashmi Mudalige showcased their prowess in the under-19 Girls’ Doubles category, prevailing over Irushi Amandi and Wijesundara with a nail-biting score of 18-21, 21-18, and 21-19.
This prestigious event was sponsored by Mcfoil, Mobil, Li-Ning, 3M, and GAC.
Half-centuries from Gull Feroza and Sidra Amin helped Pakistan start their tour of Sri Lanka on a winning note. After restricting Sri Lanka to 210 for 9, thanks to Nashra Sandhu’s 3 for 42, Pakistan got home with five wickets and seven overs to spare in the first woman’s ODI in Hambantota.
Vishmi Gunaratne, reunited with captain chamari Athapaththu at the top of the order, helped Sri Lanka lay a solid foundation after they opted to bat. The hosts raced to 31 without loss in the first five overs. Gunaratne and Athapaththu soon brought up their fifth fifty-run partnership in ODIs, the most by an opening pair for Sri Lanka.
Once spin came on, the scoring slowed down. Gunaratne was the first to depart when she became Sandhu’s first victim. Athapaththu and Hasini Perera then added 53 for the second wicket before the Sri Lanka captain was bowled by Sandhu. Pakistan applied the squeeze when Sri Lanka were 109 for 2 in the 24th over. The only notable stand for Sri Lanka thereon was between Nilakshika Silva and Kavisha Dilhari, who added 42 for the fifth wicket. But Sri Lanka’s final surge never came and they lost 5 for 32 in the last seven overs to be restricted to a below-par total.
Pakistan hardly broke a sweat in their chase. Feroza struck her fourth successive ODI half-century. She was rapid in the first powerplay, and was the aggressor in the 58-run opening partnership with Sadar Shamas. Feroza then added 90 for the second wicket with Amin, who batted steadily. Feroza eventually fell for a breezy 77-ball 78 while Amin scored 57 off 94 before being dismissed, with victory in sight.
The win was Pakistan’s fifth consecutive ODI win, which put them second on the ICC Women’s Championship points table.
Scores:
Pakistan Women 211 for 5 in 43 overs (Gull Feroza 78, Sidra Amin 57; Kavisha Dilhari 2-37) beat Sri Lanka Women 210 for 9 in 50 overs (Nilakshika Silva 46, Chamari Athapaththu 46; Nashra Sandhu 3-42, Tasmia Rubab 2-34) by five wickets
(CRICINFO)
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