Sports
Kennedy memorial; central attraction in Dallas
by Rex Clementine
Dallas is one of the main cities in the US state of Texas alongside San Antonio, Austin and Houston. It was here in Dallas, 60 years ago President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The site where he was shot is a short ten-minute drive from where Sri Lanka played their World Cup fixture against Bangladesh last week.
Kennedy’s election as President was fairytale stuff. His chances to earn the Democratic party nomination were not so great as he was said to be young and inexperienced. But the policies he talked struck a chord with the masses and he was chosen as party’s Presidential candidate over several other seasoned campaigners like Adlai Stevenson, Hubert Humphrey and Lyndon B. Johnson.
Kennedy then went on to win the 1960 election beating Republican party nominee Vice-President Richard Nixon. He was the youngest man to become President at the age of 43.
The reforms Kennedy introduced as President ensuring equality and championing the cause of the marginalized earned him the wrath of the conservative whites. At the same time, under his watch, the American economy experienced steady growth as inflation was low and unemployment rates dropped.
The window from which bullets were fired killing President Kennedy
However, less than three years into his Presidency, Kennedy was killed. He was on a two-day tour of state of Texas and arrived in Dallas for a huge reception. During the presidential election, he had lost Dallas. The state of Texas is a Republican party stronghold and it’s known for the conservative views. Kennedy was determined to change it in the next election in 1964. However, a progressive President wasn’t everyone’s friend.
Kennedy was travelling through the key areas of Dallas in an open car with his wife by the side of him waving to the public when several bullets were fired by a nearby building. He was hit by two bullets with the second one causing fatal injuries. Although he was rushed to hospital, the President died.
Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for killing the President. It is said that Oswald had fired the gun shots from the sixth floor of a nearby building. However, Oswald maintained that he was being scapegoated. Two days later, he was killed by a local nightclub owner who said he was avenging the killing of the President. Hence, the real motives of killing Kennedy were forever buried with the killing of Harvey.
Kennedy’s killing has lots of conspiracy theories as some believe that it was an inside job with fingers being pointed at Kennedy’s Vice-President, Secret Service and even CIA. Russian intelligence agency KGB, Fidel Castro, wealthy conservative American oil interests are also blamed by in some others.
The Kennedy Memorial is a monument in the heart of Dallas. Adjoining that is the Sixth Floor Museum. The building from where the shots were fired has been converted into the museum. It contains highlights of Kennedy’s life in pictures and video clips. There’s also a collection of rare items that the President used.
The final week of the year is like a Roman feast for the Test cricket fan, and Boxing Day this year promises mouth-watering contests in Melbourne and Centurion but look this way too, will you? Bulawayo is set to host Zimbabwe’s first Boxing Day Test 8n 28 years too, and with unpredictable Afghanistan on the other side, a real tussle is expected between the two teams, who despite their recent underwhelming performances, would feel like they’re favourites. After all, the last time either side won a Test was against each other.
But that was way back 8n 2021. Since then, they have not found a way to win. And one look at the Zimbabwe and Afghanistan squads for this two-Test series suggests that they’re both looking to change that by taking a different direction for 2025 and beyond. A splattering of Test debutants are expected – theoretically, there could be as many 15 debuts across the two XIs – and this series could very well be the one that births a new generation.
Under 19 Cricket
by Reemus Fernando
Mahinda College, Galle took firm control of their two-day Under 19 Division I Tier ‘B’ cricket encounter as they reached 213 for nine wickets at stumps after restricting Moratu Vidyalaya to 96 runs at Galle on Wednesday.
After Arosha Udayanga grabbed five wickets to trouble the visitors, the home team topped 200 runs thanks to a century by open batsman Dulsith Darshana and a half century by Senuka Dangamuwa.
While Darshana scored 13 fours and a six in his 106 which came in 143 balls, Dangamuwa hammered nine fours and a six in his 50 which came in 51 balls.
Mahinda are in search of their first outright victory in the tournament proper after having earned first innings points in two out of the three matches in their group.
Moratu Vidyalaya too have completed three matches and have scored first innings points on one occasion.
Scores
Moratu Vidyalaya
96 all out in 45.2 overs (Sanjana Senavirathna 31, Shehara Fernando 20; Arosha Udayanga 5/35)
Mahinda
213 for 9 in 52 overs (Dulsith Darshana 106, Senuka Dangamuwa 50; Isuru Nidharshana 2/64, Nishitha Fernando 5/45)
by Reemus Fernando
Sri Lanka Athletics has suspended track and field official S. W. Nimalsiri for four years after a three member committee appointed by the sports governing body found him guilty of manhandling leading athletic official G.L.S. Perera within the Sri Lanka Athletics premises in Torrington.
“The executive committee of Sri Lanka Athletics decided to hand Nimalsiri a four year suspension after the three member committee concluded that he was guilty of manhandling the respected official,” Saman Kumara Gunawardhana, the secretary of Sri Lanka Athletics told The Island.
At the time of the suspension Nimalairi was a committee member of Sri Lanka Athletics and is the president of the Ace Athletics Club and secretary of the Colombo District Athletics Association.
The three member committee that inquired the incident involving Nimalairi and Perera was headed by retired district court judge Upali Samaraweera. Others in the committee were former director of sports Padma Siriwardana and disciplinary committee chairman of Sri Lanka Athletics Chandana Ekanayake.
Nimalsiri has also been suspended from officiating in track and field competitions.
Winless in three years, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan set for rare Boxing Day Test
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