Sports

Hard work powers Fairfirst to Mercantile Rugby title

Published

4 years ago

2022/10/11

Fairfirst team won the Rugby Championship at the 50th Mercantile Rugby 7’s.

Team Fairfirst stole the show as they won their first-ever Rugby Championship at the 50th Mercantile Rugby 7’s. Amidst the loud cheers from fellow colleagues at Fairfirst, the team was able to defeat Ceylinco at a nail-biting final where the scoreboard read 5 – 0. This match was remarkable as both teams are significant stakeholders in the insurance industry.

Through their perseverance and consistent efforts, the Runners Up in 2017 was able to emerge as champions in 2022. 22 teams from 19 corporate entities participated in this year’s Mercantile Rugby 7’s as it marked its half-century milestone, a considerable achievement for the committee. Recommencing after a hold-up of two years due to Covid-19, this year’s tournament was gladly welcomed by the Rugby enthusiasts in Sri Lanka’s corporate sector.

Captain Sudesh Halangoda, excitedly mentioned, “It has been an amazing journey with the team so far. The team worked hard amidst all difficulties and the results were delivered accordingly. Personally, it has been a great pleasure for me to contribute to our first rugby championship and we’ll try our best to make sure that we continue as champions in the upcoming years as well.”

Dilan Mitchell, the Chief Operating Officer expressed his views saying, “Kudos to the team on a job well done! Watching the team going through various trials and driving themselves towards the shield has been heartwarming and it is absolute bliss to know that our staff gets to do what they love and express themselves by engaging in their favourite activities. Fairfirst will continue to assist our employees in reaching new heights, both professionally and personally.”

Fairfirst Insurance serves individuals, businesses and institutions across the island through a versatile workforce of 1400 spread across their comprehensive branch network, affinity partners and leading brokers in the market. Working as a close-knit team, pushing boundaries and embracing a fun-at-work culture enables them to be the best at what they do, both on and off the field.

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Heartbreak for Scotland as Sri Lanka clinch thriller to stay alive

Published

2 hours ago

2026/06/27

Priyan

Sugandika Kumari and Nilakshika Silva took Sri Lanka home with one ball to spare [Cricinfo]

Sri Lanka kept alive their slim hopes of making it to the semi-finals of the 2026 T20 World Cup with a nervy win over Scotland in Manchester.

Chasing 152, they found themselves needing seven from the final over. Nilakshika Silva and Sugandika Kumari took four off the first three balls of Rachel Slater before the seamer hobbled off with what looked like a knee issue. Priyanaz Chatterji came on to bowl the remaining three balls. She conceded a single off the fourth delivery but with two needed from two, Sugandika slashed through short third for four to seal the win.

Sri Lanka now rely on England beating New Zealand and Ireland handing a thrashing to West Indies to make it to the final four. On the other hand, Scotland would rue a golden opportunity of securing a direct qualification to the 2028 edition of the tournament.

Darcey Carter and Katherine Fraser gave Scotland a brisk start. Carter didn’t hesitate to take the aerial route and picked up four fours off the first ten balls she faced. Fraser too chipped in with a couple of boundaries but Silva’s excellent catch diving to her right at mid-off off Mithali Ayodhya ended her innings on 12.

Carter and Kathryn Bryce took the side to 45 for 1 in the powerplay. During this period, Carter also became the leading run getter in the tournament, going past England’s Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s tally of 193.

Sri Lanka made a comeback once the field restrictions were relaxed. Even though Kathryn hit Athapaththu for a six and a four off successive balls in the ninth over, she could manage only 23 off 23 before being caught and bowled by Kavisha Dilhari.

Carter tried to break the shackles but her aerial shots failed to clear or beat the boundary riders. After being 18 off ten at one point, she could manage only 16 off the next 26 deliveries she faced. As a result, Scotland could score only 43 in eight overs after the powerplay.

Sarah Bryce and Ailsa Lister put the Scotland innings back on track with a fourth-wicket stand of 53 in just 32 balls. The stand was broken when Lister was run out for 26 off 17 as Silva nailed a direct hit at the non-striker’s end after fielding the ball in her follow-through. Chatterji was also run out on the very ball but Sarah carried on. She hit two fours off Ayodhya in the final over to take her side past 150. That meant Scotland scored 63 in the last six overs.

Coming off an unbeaten 106 against Ireland, Athapaththu once again was at her attacking best. She started by smashing two fours off Kathryn in the opening over before taking down Gabriella Fontenla in the next. She hit Fontenla three fours and a six in an 18-run over. Imesha Dulani fell cheaply but Athapaththu and Hasini Perera took Sri Lanka past fifty in just 4.4 overs.

Just when it started to look like another easy chase for Sri Lanka, Fraser bowled Athapaththu from around the wicket for 33 off 16. Harshitha Samarawickrama showed good intent, hitting two fours off the first three balls, but just like the first innings, the scoring rate dropped after the powerplay. Kathryn then had Perera caught at mid-off in the ninth over and Fraser trapped Hansima Karunaratne lbw in the tenth to make it 78 for 4.

Fraser and Kirstie Gordon bowled enough dots to keep Sri Lanka under pressure. But with 27 required from 18 balls, Gabriella Fontenla dropped two catches in two overs. In the penultimate over, Kathryn also felt the pressure and gave away ten, including two in the form of wides. In contrast, the experienced Silva stayed calm and took her side home in the company of Sugandika.

Scores:
Sri Lanka Women 154 for 7 in 19.5 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 33, Hasini Perera 23, Harshitha Samarawickrama 27, Kavisha Dilhari 18, Nilakshiaka Silva 21*, Kaushini Nuthyangana 12; Kathryn Bryce 2-28, Rachel Slater 2-31, Kathryn Farser 2-25, Kirstie Gordon 1-24) beat Scotland Women 151 for 6 in 20 overs (Sarah Bryce 47*, Darcey Carter 34, Katherine Fraser 12, Kathryn Bryce 23, Alisa Lister 26; Mithali Ayodhya 2-34, Sugandika Kumari 1-25, Kavisha Dilhari 1-19) by three wickets

[Cricinfo]

Sports

Finals of CDB – MCA T10 cricket tournament under lights on Sunday

Published

4 hours ago

2026/06/27

Thilina Walpola

CDB –MCA T10 CRICKET TOURNAMENT 2026

The finals of both the Tier A and Tier B of the Mercantile Cricket Association T10 cricket tournament sponsored by Citizens Development Business Finance PLC [CDB] will take place under lights at the CCC grounds on Sunday.

The tier A finalist will be decided after Abans Group take on Sampath Bank and CDB ’A’ take on David Peiris Group of Companies ‘A’ in the semifinals which will be played at the same venue in the morning. The losing semifinalists of both Tier A and Tier B will vie for the third place spots in the afternoon.

The final of Tier ‘B’ is scheduled to commence at 5.45 PM while the final of Tier A will commence at 7.45PM on Sunday.

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Should not drop someone just to give Sooryavanshi an opportunity: Sitanshu Kotak

Published

17 hours ago

2026/06/26

Priyan

The India batting coach said that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi would get his chance, but was tight-lipped about a possible debut in the opener against Ireland [Cricbuzz]

While the air around the build-up to India’s two-match T20I series against Ireland remains centered around a potential debut for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year old prodigy may have to wait a little longer to get his cap, with batting coach Sitanshu Kotak suggesting that it would be unfair to change the combination to fit him into the XI.

India’s top-order is stacked with plenty of firepower. While Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan are currently ranked first and second respectively in the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings, Sanju Samson walked away as the Player of the Tournament in the team’s victorious T20 World Cup campaign.

Addressing the media on the eve of the opener in Belfast, Kotak remained tight-lipped about a possible debut for Sooryavanshi, stating that head coach Gautam Gambhir and newly appointed skipper Shreyas Iyer would zero in on the XI later in the day.

“I am sure that he will get his dues and his opportunities,” Kotak said. “So I don’t think that just to give him an opportunity, we should drop someone who has already been scoring runs. That also won’t be right.

“Obviously, it depends on the team management… what we plan to do in this match. That is a different thing. But I think it is a very thin line between trying to give somebody an opportunity and you being unfair to some other player.”

Kotak lavished praise on Sooryavanshi, who broke into the T20I setup on the back of a season-topping 776-run campaign for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026, striking 72 sixes and winning the MVP Award. He called the left-handed opener an “outstanding talent”, while stressing on the need for him to enjoy his experience in the senior setup.

“The boys who come through the BCCI system playing U19, India A or Emerging tournaments, they more or less understand the culture of the Indian team,” Kotak said. “So it’s not as though a lot is different for him. But what we told him was for him to enjoy. If he wants to ask or share something, he should.

“Gautam was also telling him the same thing – ‘you just feel like you are playing for your own team and just say whatever you feel.'”

Despite Sooryavanshi’s limited domestic experience at his tender age, Kotak wasn’t of the opinion that he needed to be looked after differently.

“I feel that the level of maturity, decision-making, and intent of those who perform at this level will always be good. More than that, as long as he feels that he is part of the team and he can freely behave the way he behaves in other teams, that is good enough.” Kotak said.

Ireland’s newly appointed T20 skipper Lorcan Tucker too heaped praise on Sooryavanshi managing to break into the senior India setup at the age of 15.

“I think it’s pretty incredible for them to have a 15-year-old on their team,” Tucker said. “I didn’t think ever that was going to be possible in this professional era of the game, especially with the amount of work that goes into professional cricket and the standard of the players. So yeah, credit to him.”

Dubbing him a “special player”, Tucker was hopeful of his team keeping Sooryavanshi’s bat quiet.

“We’re obviously hoping we’ll see him this week. It’ll be a big moment for him. But I think, like I said in a previous release, it’ll be great to kind of spoil that party…and make an impact in that game,” Tucker said.

Tucker went on to acknowledge the buzz around Sooryavanshi’s impending international debut and the massive Indian community in Ireland who were looking forward to witnessing him in action.

“It’s really exciting. So I think energy like that coming into a series is fabulous not only for us, [but also] for people coming to watch, for people watching at home, for those kids playing around the corner,” Tucker said while going on to add that Sooryavanshi was a role model for young kids around the world.

“I know Vaibhav is only a young boy, but he’s still an incredible player. And I think he is a pretty special role model for cricketers all around the world now and kids coming through.”

[Cricbuzz]