Sports
Youth athletes end competition drought with notable feats
by Reemus Fernando
Youth athletes ended a two-year long competition drought producing notable feats at the Youth Selection Trial conducted by Sri Lanka Athletics at the Sugathadasa Stadium over the weekend.
A remarkable 5.73 metres long jump feat from little known Nannapurawa MV, Moneragala, athlete Madushani Herath, a stunning 17.74 metres throw in the shot put by Jayavi Ranhinda of Royal College, Panadura, 2:14.45 seconds finish in the girls’ 800 metres by Nirmali Wickramasinghe of Wickramabahu MV, Gampola and a host of impressive sprint finishes highlighted that all was not lost due to the absence of competitions during the last two years for youth athletes.
In sprint events, Sir John Kothalawala College, Kurunegala sprinters Avishka Theminda and Maheema Pravindi registered the 400 metres victories. Pravindi who was also the winner of the 200 metres on Saturday, returned a time of 58.43 seconds to win, while Nirmali Wickramasinghe, the winner of the 800 metres and Shehara Karunaratne of Lyceum Wattala clocked sub 60 seconds. Theminda stopped the clock at 50.45 seconds to win the boys’ event.
In a closely contested girls’ 100 metres final three clocked sub 13 seconds. Colombo International School, Kandy sprinter Seneka Guneratne pipped Dhanani Kodithuwakku and Ruwansa Weerakkody to the second and third places as she clocked 12.66 seconds.
Mahinda College sprinter Ayesh Mihiranga proved that he is an athlete to be reckoned with when he overcame a disastrous start to be placed second in the 200 metres. On Sunday he made sure that he take a solid start to clock 10.94 seconds to win the 100 metres.
Competing in the boys’ shot put on Saturday, Ranhinda was on a zone of his own as all his throws landed well beyond the reach of others. Of his six throws five were measured over 17 metres. The next best was St. Joseph’s thrower D.I. White’s 12.98 metres.
Madushani Herath was the clear favourite for victory in the girls’ long jump as she made clean take offs against several failures by Dananjana Sithmini of Lyceum Wattala. The latter made a 5.60 metres in her fifth attempt but Herath pipped her to the second place with a leap of 5.73 metres in the final attempt.
On Sunday she further improved her profile with a feat of 11.77 metres in the triple jump.
Nirmali Wickramasinghe of Wickramabahu MV, Gampola added herself to the list of emerging 800 metres runners with a 2:14.45 seconds finish.
The two-day athletics event was the first competition for athletes in the youth category since 2019.
Sri Lanka Athletics conducted the two-day event as a precursor to next year’s Youth Selection Trial for Asian Youth Athletics Championship.
With the objective of enhancing the living conditions of the agricultural community and increasing the contribution of the agricultural sector to the GDP, ‘Smallholder Agribusiness Partnerships Programme’ is being implemented with the financial contribution form the government and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation is
implementing the program in collaboration with the Regional Development Department of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. All recoveries from loans provided under the program shall be directed to a revolving fund titled the “Sustainable Agricultural Fund”, which shall be utilized exclusively for the provision of
agricultural loans. Using the said fund, it is proposed to implement an agricultural loan scheme titled the “Sustainable Agriculture Programme” for individuals and institutions engaged in agriculture and related activities.
It is expected that an amount of Rs. 800 million from the funds available in the Sustainable Agriculture Fund will be allocated for the implementation of the Sustainable Agriculture Program in the year 2026.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal made by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to implement the “Sustainable Agriculture Program” loan scheme through the Participatory Finance Institution as an annual program from the year 2026.
The BCCI has raised the match fees in women’s domestic cricket, from INR 20,000 to INR 50,000 per day, for those in the first XIs in senior competitions. The decision was taken at an Apex Council meeting on Monday in Mumbai.
Those in the reserves are entitled to half that amount (INR 25,000 per day). There has also been a revision at the age-group level, with players part of the first XIs set to earn INR 25,000 a day, and reserves earning INR 12,500.
Until now, the age-group players used to take home INR 10,000 a day if they were in the XI, while the reserves made INR 5000. This fee structure totalled to a little more than INR 2 lakh a season if they played all league fixtures, including the final. That figure will now be in the region of INR 5 lakh.
The changes are part of BCCI’s ongoing efforts to elevate the domestic game in the wake of India’s maiden ODI World Cup triumph, amid calls within the system to have a relook at match fees.
ESPNcricinfo understands that several top state coaches and players had requested such a change internally to help expand an existing talent pool that the WPL has helped amplify. The pay revision at the junior level stems from a growing interest in the game among younger women, with India emerging champions in back-to-back editions of the Under-19 World Cup.
In 2022, the BCCI had put the match fees of the women’s national team at par with that of men, meaning those playing a Test took home INR 15 lakh per match, while the corresponding amounts for an ODI and a T20I stood at INR 6 lakh and INR 3 lakh respectively.
There has, however, been no change in central contract figures, with those ranked in the highest grade taking home INR 50 lakh, which is less than the lowest pay slab for the men.
[Cricinfo]
Gede Priandana, Indonesia’s 28-year-old right-arm quick bowler, has become the first to pick up five wickets in an over in an international T20I match (where ball-by-ball data is available), achieving the feat in the first T20I against Cambodia in Bali on Tuesday. He is the first man or woman to achieve the feat.
Indonesia had the upper hand in the game, but Cambodia were not out of it yet at the end of the 15th over of the chase of 168, the scorecard reading 106 for 5. Bowling his first over, Priandana struck off the first three balls to record a hat-trick, sending back Shah Abrar Hussain, Nirmaljit Singh and Chanthoeun Rathanak. A dot ball followed, after which Priandana got rid of Mongdara Sok and Pel Vennak to finish off the match, Cambodia getting just one run in the over, a wide between the last two wickets, to end 60 runs short.
Priandana had earlier scored 6 in 11 balls opening the innings alongside Dharma Kesuma, the wicketkeeper-batter, who led the batting show for Indonesia with an unbeaten 110 in 68 balls with eight fours and six sixes.
The feat has, however, been achieved twice before in men’s T20s. Al Amin Hossain took five wickets in an over against Abahani Limited playing for UCB-BCB XI in the Victory Day T20 Cup in 2013-14. The other was when Karnataka’s Abhimanyu Mithun dismissed five Haryana batters in the semi-final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019-20.
While this is the first time a bowler has taken five in an over in an international game, there have been 14 instances of a bowler taking four in an over before today. The most famous of these was when Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga famously took four in four balls in the third over of a T20Is against New Zealand in 2019.
[Cricinfo]
Implementation of the loan scheme, “Sustainable Agriculture Program”
Cabinet nod to implement ‘Suraksha’ Student Insurance Programme in the year 2025 / 26
Establishment of Consultancy Boards for strengthening and promoting local production industries.
Match fees more than doubled for women’s domestic cricketers in India
National progress can be achieved only when everyone fulfills the responsibilities entrusted to them with steadfast determination, unity of purpose and resilience in the face of any challenge – President
Indonesia’s Gede Priandana becomes first to pick five wickets in an over in T20Is
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Midweek Review6 days agoHow massive Akuregoda defence complex was built with proceeds from sale of Galle Face land to Shangri-La
-
News5 days agoPope fires broadside: ‘The Holy See won’t be a silent bystander to the grave disparities, injustices, and fundamental human rights violations’
-
News5 days agoPakistan hands over 200 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Lanka
-
Business4 days agoUnlocking Sri Lanka’s hidden wealth: A $2 billion mineral opportunity awaits
-
News6 days agoBurnt elephant dies after delayed rescue; activists demand arrests
-
News12 hours agoMembers of Lankan Community in Washington D.C. donates to ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Flood Relief Fund
-
Editorial6 days agoColombo Port facing strategic neglect
-
News4 days agoArmy engineers set up new Nayaru emergency bridge