Sports

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

Published

3 years ago

2022/11/15

Sahan Weerasooriya

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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Related Topics:Air Force Open PSA Satellite Squash Championship Squash Championship

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De Klerk comes clutch as RCB steal last-ball thriller against Mumbai Indians

Published

21 hours ago

2026/01/10

Priyan

Nadine de Klerk showed off her finishing prowess on RCB debut ( BCCI)

Nadine de Klerk’s sensational late onslaught, eerily reminiscent of the heist that turned the tables on India at the 2025 ODI World Cup, catapulted RCB to a sensational opening-night win over defending champions Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Stadium.

That de Klerk pulled it off without Smriti Mandhana, Grace Harris or Richa Ghosh – all gone inside eight overs with RCB still needing 90 – made it even more sensational.

Needing 18 off the final over, de Klerk played out two dot balls, before going 6,4,6 to bring the equation down to 2 off 1. Then with the field in to save the single, she backed away to drill Nat Sciver-Brunt back over the bowler to clinch an improbable win.

De Klerk finished 63 not out along with her 4 for 26 to deliver an MVP performance that left the opponents shell shocked. Harmanpreet Kaur could only muster a wry smile that conveyed more than words could. For her, it was deja vu all over again.

MI could have killed the game at the start of the 19th over with RCB needing 29. Sciver-Brunt putting down a straightforward chance at long-off first ball. Off the fourth, MI missed two opportunities – Amelia Kerr spilled de Klerk’s miscued swipe at deep square, and G Kamal8ni failed to gather the return cleanly for a run out as de Klerk tried to scramble back for a second.

Amid the chaos, Prema Rawat, not called upon to bowl a single over of legspin, still found a way to contribute, walloping two priceless boundaries, including one in the penultimate over, to finish 8 not out.

She couldn’t lay bat on ball earlier in the game, but Kerr’s wickets of Radha Yadav and the dangerous Richa Ghosh in quick succession left RCB – playing a batter short – gasping at 65 for 5 in the eighth over. RCB’s fiery start – they hit seven fours and a six in the first three overs alone – courtesy Grace Harris and Smriti Mandhana, was suddenly being undone. It needed a 52-run partnership from de Klerk and Arundhati Reddy – who made 20 off 25 – to bring RCB’s chase back within the realms of possibility, before de Klerk cut loose.

Lauren Bell set the tone early with a spell of high-class swing bowling. Kerr, opening in Hayley Matthews’ absence due to an illness, was beaten eight times in her first ten deliveries as she failed to combat Bell’s late outswing. She finally scraped off the mark only off her 11th ball.

Bell was trusted with a third over in the powerplay and she finished the job by sending back Kerr with a hard-length delivery she sliced to cover, making 4 off 15. Bell’s figures of 4-1-14-1 underlined just how much she had suffocated MI.

Kamalini briefly dazzled, as did Harmanpreet. If the short-arm jab in front of square off Bell was a teaser, the lofted inside-out hit over extra cover off Shreyanka Patil was blockbuster. The signs were ominous, but a hack off de Klerk saw Harmanpreet nick one to Richa Ghosh to leave MI 67 for 4 in 11 overs.

Promoted ahead of the more accomplished Amanjot Kaur, Sajana survived two chances in as many overs – first by D Hemalatha at midwicket, then by substitute Sayali Satghare at mid-off. At the other end, the pressure was mounting on debutant Nicola Carey, who limped to 14 off 14. MI needed to flick a switch, and Sajana did.

Radha’s left-arm spin was taken for 15 in the 15th over. Then, she clinically took down de Klerk when she returned for her third by using long levers and brute force to muscle big hits in the arc between long-on and deep midwicket for three fours. Overs 14-17 fetched MI 41, and they were back on the move.

Between them, Carey, all timing, and Sajana, gloriously agricultural, contributed 85 to ensure MI would make a match of it, which they did, only to be pipped at the finish line.

Brief scores:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women 157 for 7 in 20 overs (Nadine de Klerk 63*, Arundhati Reddy 20; Nat Sciver-Brunt 1-47, Shabnim Ismail 1-26, N8cola Carey 2-35, Amanjot Kaur 1-18. Amelia Kerr 2-13) beat Mumbai Indians Women 154 for 6 in 20 overs (Gunalan Kamalini 32, Harmanpreet Kaur 20, Sajeevan Sajana 45, Nicola Carey 40; Lauren Bell1-14, Nad8ne de Klerk 4-26, Shreyanka Patil 1-32) by three wickets

(Cricinfo)

Sports

Thomians post 292 runs

Published

22 hours ago

2026/01/10

Thilina Walpola

Under 19 Cricket

Half centuries by Ludeesha Matarage and Reshon Soloman and useful contributions from top order batsmen helped S. Thomas’ post 292 runs against Wesley in the Under 19 traditional cricket encounter at Mount Lavinia on Friday.

‎At Reid Avenue Rehan Peiris top scored with 82 runs as Royal scored 265 runs against St. Joseph’s on day one in their traditional match.

‎Ananda did well to restrict St. Anthony’s Katugastota to 163 runs but the home team lost two quick wickets for 16 runs in their response at Ananda Mawatha.

‎‎Scores

‎Thomians post 292 against Wesley

at Mount Lavinia

‎Scores

‎S. Thomas’ 292 in 79.6 overs

(Jayden Amaraweera 39, Ludeesha Matarage 73, Aaron Kodituwakku 28, Reshon Soloman 56, Shanil Perera 33; Rashmika Amararatne 4/58, Rasheed Nahyan 2/54, Methnula Mayadunna 2/46)

‎Wesley 28 for 1 in 13 overs

‎‎Royal 265, Joes 35/0 at Reid Avenue

‎‎Scores

‎Royal 265 all out in 78 overs

(Hirun Liyanarachchi 28, Rehan Peiris 82, Yasindu Dissanayake 24, Manuth Dasanayaka 25, Shehandu Sooriyaarachchi 20n.o.; Nushan Perera 3/100, Vishwa Peiris 5/60)

‎St. Joseph’s 35 for no loss in 12.2 overs

(Aveesha Samash 27n.o.)

‎St. Anthony’s restricted to 163 runs at Ananda Mawatha

‎Scores

‎St. Anthony’s 163 all out in 68.2 overs

(Praveen Gamage 21, Dinul Wijesinghe 65n.o., Ryan Gregory 21; Pasan Batugahage 2/22, Kithma Widanapathirana 3/58, Sharada Jayarathna 3/29)

‎Ananda 16 for 2 in 8 overs

‎Division I Tier B Cricket

‎‎Moratu MV on first inning, St. Anne’s

better in second innings at Moratuwa

‎Scores

‎Moratu MV 288 all out in 77.4 overs (Deneth Sithumina 54, Sanjana Senevirathne 111, Menuka Kothalawala 39n.o.; Sanuja Dissanayake 5/85, Yashmith Jayasundara 2/28, Nesad Weerasekara 2/93)

‎St. Anne’s 57 for 4 overnight 139 all out in 32.5 overs (Ishan Khan 28, Kushan Subasinghe 50n.o., ; Menuka Kothalawala 4/54, Vihanga Nethsara 3/27, Nipuna Sithum 2/34) and 300 for 8 decl. in 74 overs (Sanuka Kemsara 57, Methviru Abeysekara 30, Kushan Subasinghe 54, Yashmith Jayasundara 58, Sanuja Dissanayake 43; Sasindu Peiris 3/55, Sanjana Seneviratne 2/46, Sudharshana Suwaris 3/79)

‎‎St. Sebastians’ on first innings win at Katuneriya

‎‎Scores

‎St. Sebastians’ 145 all out in 35.1 overs (Dinindu Dilan 48, Maheesha Sithum 25; Thrindu Naveen 2/39, Menula Dambakumbura 5/40, Dimuthu Tharuka 2/13) and 130 all out in 46.2 overs (Maheesha Sithum 76; Menula Dambakumbura 7/55, Dasith Senal 3/49)

‎Isipatana 81 for 6 overnight 143 all out in 49.2 overs (Dewshan Deneth 26, Dasith Senal 20, Tharindu Naveen 24; Maheesha Sithum 3/48, Sachintha Sandeep 2/38, Damsith Subashan 2/28, Tharuka Manaram 2/11) and 83 for 7 in 28 overs (Maleesha Sandaruwan 26; Tharuka Manaram 2/27, Damsith Subashana 2/05) (RF)