Sports
Cricket’s future in good hands says Under-19 coach Mubarak
by Rex Clementine
Sri Lanka’s Under-19s completed a tour of England last week where they played two unofficial Test matches and three one-dayers. While the Sri Lankans triumphed in the Test series, they lost all three limited over games. The tour highlighted several promising young talents and gave players a taste of what playing cricket in other conditions meant. Some of the younger members of the squad were getting out of the country for the first time and it was a whole new experience for them.
All three limited over games were closely contested and were won by England. Sri Lanka had wanted to give all the players they had taken on tour a game so in a way, they were handicapped as the full strength didn’t feature in these games.
“We were in the game on all three occasions. It was hard with all the rain as we didn’t know what a good score was. Not disappointed with the way we played though. Spirit of the team was very good and lot of positives to take from the tour,” Jehan Mubarak, who was on his first assignment as Sri Lanka Under-19 coach told The Island.
“What I would say is that everyone we took on the tour are equally talented. Some might develop at the under-19 stage while some others develop when they start playing club cricket. There are also players who develop when they are 25. Ranuda Somaratne is right up there among the players who impressed us. Anjala Bandara batted really well too pulling us out of tough situations and enabling us to post competitive totals during the one-dayers. The other wicketkeeper, Lahiru Dewatage, who kept in Tests also did well. Trevin Mathew has a lot of potential. Malsha Tarupathi and Duvindu Ranatunga, the two young guys, I see them playing a big part as well moving forward. They are still 16 and they will be available for the next World Cup.”
“Asitha Wanninayake looks a very good long format player with good temperament and ability to bat for a long period of time. Shevon Daniel scored an outstanding hundred in Derby that enabled us to get into a strong position. I expected him to do much better in the one-dayers but that didn’t happen.”
The standout performer among the players was Ranuda Somaratne, who smashed 65 and 120 not out in the first Test at Chelmsford. The Trinity College batter also posted two half-centuries in the one-day leg of the tour. Somaratna’s approach in the second innings of Chelmsford was impressive as Sri Lanka slumped to 48 for four in pursuit of 273 runs in 59 overs.
“The main thing was his intent and strike rotations. When you are chasing totals, it’s important to put the opposition under pressure. If the opposition doesn’t have to worry about boundaries, they won’t; mind it. Ranuda kept the pressure on England bowlers by picking up boundaries. The moment the target fell below 100, England went on the defensive spreading the field. The way Ranuda batted impacted how everyone else batted.”
(Cricbuzz)
By A Special Sports Correspondent
All eyes will be on new entrants to rugby ‘Sri Lions Sports Club’ when they debut in the 2024/25 Inter-club league rugby tournament in Kandy on Sunday (December 15). Sri Lions are slated to take on last season’s league tournament runners-up Kandy Sports Club at the Nittawela grounds. Despite Sri Lions SC being new to domestic rugby, a thriller is expected; as the team is packed with players who are well drilled at training and the other reason being all players possess an IRB Level 1 qualification.
Sri Lions SC’s entry into division 1 rugby was not smooth. Many clubs opposed their promotion to the top league in the domestic tournament. Rugby sources told ‘The Island’ that despite the opposition shown by some clubs, Sri Lanka Rugby and other prominent sports authorities in Sri Lanka had to grant the new entrants their due place in the top league. This was largely because Sri Lions SC had made progress through the proper channel by winning the B Division rugby tournament last season.
Dr. Kelum Sujith Perera, the founder chairman of Sri Lions SC, was quoted in the newspapers saying that the club’s priority was centred around professionalism and transparency and that the club was committed to contributing to rugby development in Sri Lanka.
The club boasts of having in their line up comprising 12 former national players and a horde of talented ex-schoolboy players who have recently finished their academic commitments on a high.
The other matches scheduled for the first week of club rugby are: Sri Lanka Air Force Sports Club vs CH&FC at Ratmalana (December 13), Army Sports Club vs Police Sports Club at Panagoda, Navy Sport Club vs Havelocks SC at Welisara (Both matches on December 14).
CR&FC will be one of the teams to watch this season given that they are the reigning league rugby champions. The side is led by Gemunu Chethiya. The club upgrading their stadium to have floodlight facilities should elevate player thinking to another level. The other club to offer floodlight facilities for domestic rugby matches is Havelocks SC. However CR will not have a match in the opening week of the tournament.
Last season’s league runners-up Kandy SC are led this season by seasoned scrum half Srinath Sooriyabandara who counts years of experience playing in domestic and overseas tournaments. The side is coached by Fazil Marija. Kandy SC’s dominance in domestic rugby was broken last season and much is expected of the side from Nittawela, which is going through a team building phase at present.
CH&FC is a dangerous side to play against when the team members are gelled and focused. Last season the side finished fourth. This season the Gymkhana Club is led by Janidu Dilshan.
Havelocks SC led by Abdullah Faiz is set to finish on a high this season. The Park Club finished third in the league rugby tournament last season. Police SC, which had to be satisfied winning the ‘Plate Championship’ in the league tournament last season, will be another strong contender vying for honours . The side is led for the second consecutive year by third row forward Mohan Wimalaratne.
The other sides in the tournament are Army SC, Air Force Sports Club and Navy Sport Club.
The tournament is conducted by Sri Lanka Rugby, the governing body for the sport in the island. Rugby sources reveal that an SGM has been called on December 20 for clubs to attend with the motive of announcing the date for the much looked forward to Annual General Meeting of SLR. According to International Rugby regulations, SLR has to have it’s AGM before January 31 next year.
SLTA Hard Court Nationals
Revaan Amarasinghe and Shennon Senadheera reached the Under 12 boys singles final as they edged out their semi-final opponents at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association Hard Court Tennis Nationals at the SLTA courts on Thursday.
Amarasinghe of S.Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia beat Nuren Wevita 6-1, 6-1 in his semi-final.
In the other semi-final, Wesley’s Shannon Senadheera beat Yonal Dankumbura 7-6 (4), 6-2.
Results : Under 14 Boys quarter-final
Jayan Sebastian beat Buvidu Jayawardana 6-4, 6-3.
Damsath Peiris beat Thuvakar Sathiees 6-3, 6-4.
D. Wickramasinghe beat Umar Wayis 6-3, 6-1.
Under 18 Boys’ semi-final
Louis Knese beat Ganuka Fernando 6-4, 6-3
Women’s Singles quarter-final
Rukshika Wijesuriya beat Sandithi Usgodaarachchi 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
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