Sports
Prima Sunrise Breads sponsors Sri Lanka Junior Open Golf Championship
For the 13th year, Prima Sunrise Bread has committed to sponsor the most prestigious event in the junior golf calendar, the Sri Lanka Junior Open Golf Tournament. With more than a decade of magnanimous sponsorship this generous support by Prima Group Sri Lanka, is ample testimony to its continued commitment to promoting junior golf in the country in partnership with the national body for golf in the country the Sri Lanka Golf Union.
Resuming after a lapse of one year, due to the inability to host the event during the pandemic, the Sri Lanka Junior Open Golf Championship is scheduled to be played between December 15 and 17 at the RCGC. It remains the decisive test for juniors who are also required to make it through the gruelling Regional Junior Opens also sponsored by Prima Group Sri Lanka, as well as a number of club level tournaments throughout the year. The Sri Lanka Junior Open is thus the established benchmark for national rankings of junior golf. The winner of the Sri Lanka Junior Open will be crowned the National Junior Champion in both boys’ and girls’ categories.
“The committed sponsorship of junior golf by Prima Group Sri Lanka and Prima Sunrise Bread has been invaluable to the Sri Lanka Golf Union in promoting the sport island wide. The popularity of the sport is seen to be growing mainly due to the focused outreach programs carried out by Sri Lanka Golf to propagate the sport at the grassroots. This initiative was the brainchild of the Junior Sub Committee of Sri Lanka Golf to identify young golf talent with a view to nurturing and developing them for future national and international representation. This year we have slowly started the rollout of junior training starting from Anuradhapura golf academy,” Niloo Jayatilake Chairperson of Junior Development – Sri Lanka Golf said.
“As the long-standing partner in supporting junior golf in Sri Lanka, we are pleased to sponsor the Junior Open Golf tournament once again this year. As the most important tournament for young and upcoming golfers in the country, we look forward to some high standard golf this year as well. We are grateful to the Sri Lanka Golf Union for hosting the tournament once again, and continuing to enrich the sport of golf,” stated Lawrence Chan, Group General Manager of Prima Group Sri Lanka.
This event will once again be conducted according to four age group categories as follows; 15-18 years (Gold Division), 12-14 years (Silver Division), 10 -11 years (Bronze Division) and nine years and under (Copper Division). A quartet of young golfing talent likes of Haroon Aslam, Nirekh Tejwani, Yannik Kumara and Reshan Algama from the boys’ division and sisters Taniya and Sherin Balasuriya, Devinka Kanag-isvaran, Kaya Daluwatta and Kayla Perera are to compete in the girls’ division. Organisers are hopeful to attract foreign entries for this year’s competition with the country opening up, and they are expected to provide stiff competition to local field of juniors.
In the more junior categories K. Danushan, Shanal Binuksha, Keshav Algama, Thejas Kanth and Kavahn Tejwani are recognized as the emerging talent and this event should provide them a golden opportunity to showcase their skills and it is hoped the youngsters play to their fullest potential.
Prima Sunrise Bread, the title sponsor of this tournament, will provide nutrition for the players during the event. The Prize giving is scheduled for December 17.
Sports
Kavith top scores as Maris Stella post 270 runs
Under 19 Cricket
Kavith de Silva with a half century (78) and Hashmika Nethshan and Dasun Nethsara with valuable knocks of 40s helped Maris Stell post 270 runs against St. Aloysius’ on day one of the Under 19 cricket encounter at Karandeniya on Tuesday.
For St. Aloysius’ Dulsath Nimviru and Oshada Devinda took four wickets each.
Meanwhile the Under 19 Division I tier B match between Ananda and Isipatana ended in a no decision.
Match Scores
Maris Stella post 270 at Karandeniya
Scores
Maris Stella 270 all out in 79.1 overs (Hansaka Perera 29, Kavith de Silva 78, Hashmika Nethshan 45, Dasun Nethsara 41, Ameesha Fernando 25; Dulsath Nimviru 4/100, Oshada Devinda 4/68)
St. Aloysius’ 54 for 2 in 16 overs
(Gimhan Hansaka 34; Savindu Sathsara 2/15)
No decision at Ananda Mawatha
Scores
Ananda 204 for 9 decl. in 64.2 overs
(Danindu Sellapperuma 21, Himira Kudagama 43, Lithma Perera 28, Binara Umayanga 39, Rashan Dilaksha 29; Tharindu Naveen 2/21, Dasith Senal 3/56)
Isipatana 110 for 5 in 46 overs (Navindu Umeth 48, Dewshan Deneth 23; Himira Kudagama 4/23) (RF)
Latest News
Harmanpreet masterclass seals second-highest chase in WPL, Mumbai Indians go 8-0 against Gujarat Giants
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s unbeaten 71 off 43 balls powered Mumbai Indians (MI) to a seven-wicket win over Gujarat Giants [GG], as they chased down 193, the second-highest successful chase in WPL history.
Harmanpreet paced the chase to near perfection, finding support from Amanjot Kaur and Nicola Carey, as MI extended their perfect head-to-head record against Giants to 8-0. MI also maintained their remarkable streak of never losing a WPL match when Harmanpreet scores a fifty, this being the 10th such instance.
Giants began briskly after being put in, with Sophie Devine and Beth Mooney taking on the returning Hayley Matthews for four boundaries in the second over. Devine got an early reprieve, when Shabnim Ismail induced an edge in the opening over and wicketkeeper G Kamalini put down the chance. The miss proved inconsequential as Ismail struck again in the third over, this time having Devine nick behind for 8, with Kamalini holding on.
With Anushka Sharma sidelined through injury, Kanika Ahuja was promoted to No. 3. She ensured the momentum did not dip, getting off the mark with a powerful drive through the covers, and combining with Mooney to inflict damage. After Mooney’s departure, she continued the same alongside Ash Gardner. The pair carried Giants to 99 for 3 at the end of 10th over. Gardner fell in the 10th over and Ahuja followed in the 11th, but Giants had laid a solid platform by then.
MI clawed their way back into the contest after Ahuja’s dismissal. Ayushi Soni, brought in for Anushka, struggled to find fluency, while her partner Georgia Wareham continued to find the gaps regularly. Soni was on 7 off 10 balls at the end of the 16th over when she retired out, becoming the first player in WOL to do so. The move paved the way for Bharti Fulmali, who ensured it paid dividends.
Fulmali survived two lbw appeals in the 17th over from Amanjot, both overturned in her favour. She then launched a late onslaught, taking on Carey with two fours and a six in the 19th, before going even harder in the final over. Fulmali smashed two fours and two sixes off Amanjot as Giants plundered 39 runs across the last two overs, finishing on 192.
Hayley Matthews returned to the top of the order after missing the first two matches with injury. Despite losing her opening partner Kamalini in the third over, she ensured MI made a positive start. However, her stay was short-lived, ending on 22 off 12 balls. That dismissal brought Harmanpreet and Amanjot together, and the pair began to rebuild.
Amanjot soon found her rhythm, unfurling a flurry of boundaries against Wareham and Tanuja Kanwar, while Harmanpreet ticked along at better than run-a-ball through the first 10 overs.
Once set, Amanjot shifted gears, taking on Renuka Singh and Gardner with a series of cleanly struck sixes. The breakthrough for Giants came through Devine, whose slower ball accounted for Amanjot and ended a 72-run partnership.
Harmanpreet, though, remained unfazed and continued to dictate terms, with Carey joining her at a stage when MI required 84 off 48 balls.
Carey swung the momentum decisively in the 16th over, hammering five boundaries off Renuka, who continued to struggle for accuracy. The over slashed the equation to 39 needed off 24 balls.
Harmanpreet soon brought up her half-century off 33 deliveries, and Giants compounded their woes with a series of fielding lapses, putting down three chances of her.
Harmanpreet made them pay, pouncing on the width offered by wayward bowling to keep the chase firmly on track. With four needed off five balls, she sealed the contest by hitting a boundary, through the gap between deep square leg and deep midwicket.
Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians Women 193 for 3 in 19.2 overs (Gunalan Kamalini 13, Hayley Maththews 22, Amanjot Kaur 40, Harmanpreet Kaur 71*, Nicola Carey 38*; Renuka Singh 1-39, Kashvee Gautam 1-33, Sophie Devine 1-29) beat Gujarat Giants Women 192 for 5 in 20 overs (Beth Mooney 33, Kanika Ahuja 35, Ashleigh Gardner 20, Georgia Wareham 43*, Ayushi Sani 11, Bharti Fulmali 36*; Shabnim Ismail 1-25, Hayley Maththews 1-34, Nicola Carey 1-36, Amelia Kerr 1-40 ) by seven wickets
[Cricinfo]
Latest News
Lanka Premier League draft set to take place on March 22
There will be no auction for this year’s Lanka Premier League, Sri Lanka Cricket has announced, with a player draft set to take place instead on March 22.
The sixth edition of the LPL had originally been slated for early December 2025, but was postponed on account of ensuring the readiness of venues for the 2026 World Cup set to be co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India. The league has since been scheduled to take place from July 8 to August 8, which is the SLC’s preferred window.
This will be the first time since 2022 that a draft system is being utilised in the LPL, with both of the past two seasons hosting player auctions.
“During the draft, franchises will select both Sri Lankan and overseas players for the upcoming season of Sri Lanka’s premier domestic T20 tournament,” an SLC media release confirmed.
The inclusion of a sixth team had also been mooted prior to the competition’s postponement, however there have been no developments on that front since. Each of the first five editions of the LPL saw five teams representing Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Dambulla and Jaffna compete.
Earlier this year, Jaffna Kings – formerly the longest-standing franchise, having joined in the tournament’s second edition – and Colombo Strikers were terminated by SLC for “failure to uphold contractual obligations.” As a result, the LPL currently has no franchise owners with a history stretching back beyond 2024. New owners for both the Jaffna and Colombo teams are yet to be announced.
[Cricinfo]
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