Sports
Vidyaloka meet Loyola in the final on Sunday
Under 19 Division III Tier ‘A’ Cricket Final
Vidyaloka College Galle will meet Loyola College Kochchikade in the final of the Under 19 Division III Tier ‘A’ Limited Overs Cricket tournament at the Ananda College grounds in Colombo on Sunday (18). The two teams which competed in the same group during the first round shared the top two places. Loyola College beat Vidyaloka during that phase and completed the first round as champions. They are captained by Stefan Fernandopulle, while Vidyaloka are skippered by Rashmika Prabath.
Loyola College beat Rajasinghe Central, Hanwella (pre-quarter-final) and Harischandra National School (quarter-final) to reach the semi-final. The semi-final against Jaffna Central ended in a no result due to rain. Loyola College were selected to the final by virtue of better average points in the previous round. Vidyaloka advanced to the second round as runners-up of their group.
They beat St. Patrick’s College Jaffna, Wickramabahu National School, Gampola (pre-quarter-final), Sri Sumangala, Kandy (quarter-final) and Debarawewa National School (semi-final) to secure the final spot.
Teams:
Loyola College (from): Stefan Fernandopulle (Captain), Dimuthu Sashimal, Kavindu Kaushalya, Brendon Fernando, Kaveen Nethush, Pramod Sanjana, Shafni Deen, Nadeesha Akash, Saliya Kawya, Nimesh Nishshanka, Akash Rajakaruna, Pahan Fernando, Savindu Nethsara, Maleesha Mallawarachchi, Ashen Fernando.
Officials: Maduranga Dissanayake (Master in Charge), Nimantha Pieris (Head Coach)
Vidyaloka College (from): Rashmika Prabath (Captain), Prageeth Bimsara, Dasun Chamod, Umesh Kavinda, Pasindu Sankalpa, Pasan Madushanka, Seniru Niduwara, Nimsh Avinda, Lidula Nuwanga, Dilusha Hansamal, Sadil Senuda, Hansaka Randeepa, Sachithya Induwara, Mithila Sathnidu, Thenuka Dahamsilu, Tenura Geemeth, Gajitha Sahiru.
Officials: L.R. Manthunga (Master in Charge), T.T. Kariyawasam (Coach), A. Shashika Gayan (Asst. coach).
Ruwan Paul has carved out a name for himself in Sri Lankan sport, particularly in powerlifting, where he has enjoyed considerable success on the international stage.
A former athlete, honorary military officer, sports administrator and coach, Paul is an alumnus of Maris Stella College and Christ King College, Negombo. He holds a doctorate in Sports and Business Management and has been involved in sports nutrition for more than 35 years.
His powerlifting career has seen him represent Sri Lanka at several international competitions, returning home with an impressive collection of medals.
In 2020, Paul won three gold medals and a silver at the Asia-Pacific/Oceania Championships and the New Zealand Masters Games. He continued his success at the 2024 World Championships, claiming gold and silver medals across the Open and Masters categories.
More recently, at the 2026 Asia-Pacific Powerlifting Championships in Hong Kong, Paul added two gold and two silver medals to his international tally.
His contribution to the sport extends beyond the lifting platform. Paul also serves as President of World Powerlifting and is a powerlifting coach certified by the Australian Sports Commission.
After six abandoned matches, five of them without a toss, because of incessant rain – Shreyas Iyer called it a “torrential downpour” – in Nisshin, we might finally get some cricket again at the men’s Asian Games.
The timing couldn’t have been better because the four remaining games will decide the positions on the podium. Pakistan and Bangladesh still don’t have a gold in this edition (as of Wednesday morning); Sri Lanka have just one; India have seven but that’s well behind the 28 they finished with in 2023.
India are the defending champions, and it will take a gargantuan effort from the second string Sri Lanka side to throw them off their path. Even the full-strength Sri Lanka T20I side has not been able to score 150 of late, or win a match since June, and have only one win from their last ten attempts. The Sri Lanka squad that hasn’t played even a moment of cricket since landing in Japan has a captain – Sahan Arachchige – with just one T20I to his name, which came back in the 2023 Asian Games, when they lost to Afghanistan. The more recognisable names are Niroshan Dickwella and Ashen Bandara, who haven’t featured in a T20I since 2021 and 2023 respectively. There are six other players in that squad of 15 who have played fewer than ten T20Is each, and another four who are uncapped.
India, unlike most other Full Member sides, have sent their big guns to Japan.
There’s also an ODI series going on at home, and the ODI World Cup is just a year away. But they chose to send the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, among others, to Japan instead, which shows their commitment to the gold-medal cause.
Rain or shine, Sri Lanka will have to sweat it out on Thursday to try and get the better of India.
India have been plagued by injuries of late and one of the names on that list was that of Washington Sundar, who returned to action in the Japan T20I last week. He didn’t get to bat, but bowled two overs and took two wickets in his first game in two months. India would want to give him more game time before he heads back home for the West Indies T20Is that start on October 6. Washington has otherwise had an impressive year across formats with an unbeaten 52 in an ODI to give India their first win of their UK tour after he took a four-for in the Test against Afghanistan, in which he also scored 52*.
Niroshan Dickwella last played a T20I in 2021 and he is back in the scheme of things despite an underwhelming Lanka Premier League a couple of months ago, where he scored only 110 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 142.85 while averaging 18.33. He has, however, been among the runs of late, and scored a brisk 80 off 115 balls in the first Test against India. If he gets to bat on Tuesday, this could be a great chance for Dickwella to show why he was once an all-format regular for Sri Lanka.
India had rested Bumrah for the one-off T20I against Japan and played Arshdeep Singh and Yash Thakur as the quicks, and Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel and Washington as the lead spinners. India will now have to decide whom to leave out for Bumrah. The other question will be whether to give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a game, although neither Abhishek Sharma nor Sanju Samson have any reason to be dropped.
India (possible): Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur/Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah
Sri Lanka will be expected to hand out a few debut caps and give game time to some of the more inexperienced players.
Sri Lanka (possible): Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Lasith Croospulle, Sahan Arachchige (capt), Nuwanidu Fernando, Ashen Bandara, Chamika Karunaratne, Tharindu Ratnayake, Wanuja Sahan, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Nuwan Thushara, Binura Fernando
[Cricinfo]
by Reemus Fernando
The Sri Lanka Automobile Association in Japan (SLAAJ) has awarded a brand-new Honda Vezel to gold medallist Rumesh Tharanga at a felicitation ceremony for the Sri Lankan team that competed at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.
The gift was announced at the ceremony, held on the eve of the team’s departure from Nagoya.
”We decided to reward every Sri Lankan athlete who wins a gold medal with a brand-new vehicle. We invited all the Sri Lankan athletes taking part in the Games to the felicitation, and at the time of the event, only Tharanga had won gold,”
Nishantha Meegalla, Vice President of the Nagoya Prefecture of the Sri Lanka Business Council of Japan, told ‘The Island’.
Tharanga, the world’s top-ranked javelin thrower this season, won Sri Lanka’s first-ever javelin medal at the Asian Games on Monday, sealing the historic victory with a throw of 88.55 metres.
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