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Laksiri, Issadeen win open men’s and women’s titles

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Winners pose with their awards.

Air Force Open PSA Satellite Squash Championship-2022

Reigning national champions Ravindu Laksiri and Fathoum Issadeen won the men’s and women’s titles of the Air Force Open PSA (Professional Squash Association) Satellite Squash Championship-2022 which concluded at the Squash Complex of Sri Lanka Air Force Base Ratmalana on Saturday.

Nine-time national champion Laksiri, who recently won his first PSA international tour, continued the good form to defeat Pakistan’s Farhan Zaman in the men’s final.

The tournament favorite, Farhan Zaman, a former world No. 47 and gold medalist at the South Asian Games 2016, was on his way to victory after taking the first two sets at scores of 11/7 and 11/9. However, Laksiri made a great effort to win the third set at 12-10 before continuing to win the next two sets at 13-11 and 11-6 to secure the Air Chief Marshal P H Mendis challenge trophy.

In the Women’s Open final, Yeheni Kuruppu from Visakha Vidyalaya battled against the three-time national champion Issadeen who could secure the Air Chief Marshal Harry Gunathilaka memorial trophy.

The finals of the Women’s Open and Men’s Open categories and the awards ceremony were live telecasted on Rupavahini Channel Eye. The occasion was graced by Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana as Chief Guest along with Chairman Air Force Squash, Group Captain Pujana Gunathilake, Secretary Air Force Sports Council and Vice President Sri Lanka Squash Federation as well as Organizing Committee Head of Sri Lanka Squash Tournaments, Group Captain Eranda Geegane, Secretary of Sri Lanka Squash Federation Eranga Alwis, Members of the Air Force Board of Management and other distinguished guests from Sri Lanka Air Force and Sri Lanka Squash.

Summary of results

Girls’ Under 13

1st Place –

Ifra Shasmin Booso (St. Paul’s Girls School Milagiriya)

2nd Place –

Punsara Nirushi Wickramasinghe (Anula Vidyalaya Nugegoda)

3rd Place –

Thedara Liyanage (Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya)

Boys’ Under 13

1st Place –

Manuth Sandira Dassanayake (Geteway International School)

2nd Place –

Linuka Silva (D.S Senanayake College)

3rd Place –

Thevan K Gunawardena (St Joseph College Maradana)

Girls’ Under 15

1st Place –

Punsara Nirushi Wickramasinghe (Anula Vidyalaya Nugegoda)

2nd Place –

Nethmi Wickramasinghe (Ladies College Colombo)

3rd Place –

Ifra Shasmin Booso (St. Paul’s Girls School Milagiriya)

Boys’ Under 15

1st Place –

Matheesha Wijesekara (Royal College Colombo)

2nd Place –

Bihandu Nanayakkara (Geteway International School)

3rd Place –

Tharul Pinwatta (Royal College Colombo)

Girls’ Under 17

1st Place –

Adhithi Gunasekera (Ladies College Colombo)

2nd Place –

Irudinithi Wood (Lindsay Balika Vidyalaya)

3rd Place –

Miyuni Misara Weerasinghe (Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya)

Boys’ Under 17

1st Place –

Matheesha Wijesekara (Royal College Colombo)

2nd Place –

Mohamed Rilwan (St Joseph’s College Maradana)

3rd Place –

Tharul Pinwatta (Royal College Colombo)

Girls’ Under 19

1st Place –

Chanithma Sinaly (Sirimawo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya)

2nd Place –

Irudinithi Wood (Lindsay Balika Vidyalaya)

3rd Place –

Anargi Perera (Visakha Vidyalaya)

Boys’ Under 19

1st Place –

Nevndu Lakman (D.S Senanayake College)

2nd Place –

Thinura Randina (Nalanda College Colombo)

3rd Place – Seniya Jayatilleke (Royal College Colombo)

Men’s Over 35

1st Place –

Leading Aircraftman DE Silva HAS (Sri Lanka Air Force)

2nd Place –

Staff Sergeant KG Prabath (Sri Lanka Army)

3rd Place –

Corporal Dissanayake DMR (Sri Lanka Army)

Men’s Over 40

1st Place –

Group Captain Eranda Geeganage (Sri Lanka Air Force)

2nd Place –

Fleet Chief Petty Officer ACC Kumara (Sri Lanka Navy)

3rd Place –

Commander WJS Fenando (Sri Lanka Navy)

Men’s Over 45

1st Place –

Abdul Cader

2nd Place –

Group Captain Duleep Hewavitharana (Sri Lanka Air Force)

3rd Place –

Colonel Kaminda Silva (Sri Lanka Army)

Veteran Over 50

1st Place –

Abdul Cader

2nd Place –

Mevan Rajeeve

3rd Place –

Air Commodore Upali Wijeweera (Retd – Sri Lanka Air Force)

Women’s Novices

1st Place –

Senuji Jayarathne (Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya)

2nd Place –

Dahami Peiris (Kotelawala Defence University)

3rd Place –

Sadini Rathnayake (Kotelawala Defence University)

Men’s Novices

1st Place –

Private Dilan AJAI (Sri Lanka Army)

2nd Place –

Private Rathnayaka RMSVP (Sri Lanka Army)

3rd Place –

Private T Supun Jayanath (Sri Lanka Army)

Men’s Plate

1st Place –

Lance Corporal Ekanayaka RMSLK (Sri Lanka Army)

2nd Place –

Leading Aircraftman Edirisinghe EAHM (Sri Lanka Air Force)

Womens’ Open

1st Place –

Fathoum Issadeen

2nd Place –

Yeheni Kuruppu

3rd Place –

Chanithma Sinaly (Sirimawo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya)

Men’s Open

1st Place –

Ravindu Laksiri

2nd Place –

Farhan Zaman (Pakistan Air Force)

3rd Place –

Shamil Wakeel



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Agha calls for ‘sportsman spirit’ after controversial dismissal

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Salman Agha reacted furiously after his controversial dismissal [BBC]

Salman Ali Agha said that he would have done things ‘differently”, after Mehidy Hasan Miraz ran him out in controversial circumstances in the second ODI in Dhaka.

Agha, who made 64 from 62 balls, had been backing up at the non-striker’s end when Mohammad Rizwan drove the ball back towards him. He was still out of his ground as Mehidy swooped round behind him in an attempt to gather, and Agha had appeared ready to pass the ball back to the bowler before Mehidy reached down to grab it first and throw down the stumps.

Agha reacted furiously to the dismissal, throwing his gloves and helmet down in disgust at the decision. However, he later came to the post-match press conference, ahead of captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and player of the match Maaz Sadaqat,  to clear the air.

“I think sportsman spirit has to be there,” Agha said. “What he [Mehidy] has done is in the law. I think if he thinks it’s right, it’s right, but if you ask me my perspective, I would have done differently. I would have gone for sportsman spirit. We haven’t done this [type of thing] previously, we would never do that in the future as well.”

Agha explained that he had been trying to pick up the ball to give to Miraz, thinking it was likely to have been called dead. “Actually, the ball hit on my pad and then my bat,” he said. “So I thought he can’t get me run-out now, because the ball already hit on my pad and my bat.

“I was just trying to give him the ball back. I was not looking for the run or anything like that, but he already decided [to make the run-out].”

Agha however regretted his angry reaction. “It was just heat-of-the-moment kind of stuff,” he said. “If you ask me what would I have done, I would have done things differently. But it was everything, whatever happened after that, it was in the moment.”

He was also involved in a robust exchange with Bangladesh wicketkeeper Litton Das, though he didn’t divulge many of the details.

“I can’t remember what I was saying and I can’t remember what he was saying,” he said. “I’m sure I wasn’t saying nice things, and I’m sure he wasn’t saying nice stuff as well. But it was just heat of the moment, so we are fine.

Asked if he had patched things up with Mehidy, Agha said: “I haven’t yet, but don’t worry, I’ll find him.”

Pakistan won the match by 128 runs via the DLS method.

[Cricinfo]

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Bahrain & Saudi Arabia Grands Prix to be cancelled

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The grands prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were scheduled for next month (BBC)

The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix that were scheduled for next month are set to be cancelled as a result of the war in the Middle East.

A formal decision to call off the races has not yet been made but is expected before the end of the weekend.

Freight would need to start being shipped to the Middle East in the coming days. With no sign of the conflict between the US/Israel and Iran coming to a conclusion, holding the races would put personnel at too great a risk.

Neither event will be replaced, with the season being cut to 22 grands prix and F1 taking a commercial hit of more than £100m, given Bahrain and Saudi Arabia pay two of the highest hosting fees.

The race in Bahrain was scheduled to be on 12 April with Jeddah the following weekend.

Consideration was given to holding events at Portimao in Portugal, Imola in Italy or Istanbul Park in Turkey.

But it was accepted that the time to organise a race at any of those locations was too short, and there was little chance of securing a hosting fee.

The decision will mean there is a five-week break between the Japanese Grand Prix on 29 March and Miami on 3 May.

(BBC)

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Rehan, Ramiru guide Royal on day two

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Royal College made steady progress in reply to their arch rivals’ first innings total as skipper Rehan Peiris and Ramiru Perera guided them to 175 for four wickets at stumps on day two of the 147th Battle of the Blues at the SSC ground on Friday.

‎Royal needed only 51 overs to reach their end-of-day total after S. Thomas’ College had earlier adopted a cautious approach before being bowled out for 302 runs.

‎Royal suffered an early setback when open batsman Hirun Liyanarachchi was dismissed for naught in the very first over, caught behind by Aaron Kodituwakku off the bowling of Gimhan Mendis.

‎Skipper Rehan Peiris then steadied the innings, repairing the early damage with two useful partnerships. He first added 41 runs for the second wicket with Udantha Gangewatta and followed it up with a 34-run stand for the third wicket alongside Sri Lanka Under-19 skipper Vimath Dinsara.

‎Dinsara struggled to find fluency during his stay at the crease, managing 11 runs off 30 balls before being trapped leg-before by Gimhan Mendis, who finished the day with two wickets.

‎Rehan continued to anchor the innings and produced the most productive stand of the Royal innings when he combined with Ramiru Perera for a vital 78-run partnership for the fourth wicket. The Royal skipper’s determined knock finally ended on 63 when he was dismissed by Ludeesha Matarage.

‎From there, Ramiru Perera and Yasindu Dissanayake ensured there were no further setbacks, batting cautiously until bad light forced the umpires to call off play.

‎Perera remained unbeaten on 70, an attractive innings that included ten boundaries, while Dissanayake provided solid support at the other end as Royal closed the day strongly.

‎Earlier in the day, resuming from their overnight score, the Thomians continued with their ultra-cautious approach, scoring at just over two runs per over. Reshon Solomon top-scored with 66 runs, while Ludeesha Matarage and Raphael Hettige chipped in with useful contributions in the twenties.

‎S. Thomas’ were eventually bowled out for 302 just before the lunch interval on the second day, having consumed 124 overs during their four-session first innings.

‎Gagan Gamage was the pick of the Royal bowlers with impressive figures of four wickets for 49 runs. He received good support from Sehandu Sooriyaarachchi, who claimed three wickets for 64 runs, while Himaru Deshan picked up two wickets for 43. Ramiru Perera also chipped in with a wicket to complete the Thomian innings.

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