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

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
Sports
England Lions strongly placed

Top-order batsmen Alex Lees, Haseeb Hameed and Tom Haines scored half-centuries for visiting England Lions to reach 249 for three wickets at stumps after they dismissed the hosts for 136 on day one of the unofficial Test at Galle on Tuesday.
Sadeera Samarawickrama with 43 runs was the top scorer for Sri Lanka.
Scores:
Sri Lanka ‘A’
136 all out in 35.4 overs (Oshada Fernando 21, Sadeera Samarawickrama 43, Lakshaitha Manasinghe 26; Matthew Fisher 5/34, Liam Patterson-White 3/51)
England Lions
249 for 3 in 48 overs (Alex Lees 56, Haseeb Hameed 81, Tom Haines 62, Josh Bohannon 26n.o.; Lasith Embuldeniya 2/89)
Sports
Hathurusingha named Bangladesh head coach

Bangladesh Cricket Board, on Tuesday (31), said that Chandika Hathurusingha has been named as the new head coach for a two-year period. He is expected to join the set-up in February.
“We have appointed Hathurusingha for two years as across the format head coach,” BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury was quoted by Cricbuzz as having said.
The former Sri Lanka all-rounder had earlier served as the head coach of Bangladesh from 2014 to 2017. He has also served in various coaching positions with Sri Lanka, Canada, NSW and Sydney Thunder.
In his previous coaching tenure, Bangladesh had won ODI series against India, Pakistan and South Africa, alongside achieving Test victories versus Sri Lanka, England and Australia. During his stint, Bangladesh also reached the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy in 2017.
“It’s an honour to have been given this opportunity to coach the Bangladesh national team once again. I really loved the warmth of the people and the culture of Bangladesh whenever I have been there. I’m looking forward to working with the players once again and enjoy their successes,” he said in a press release.
Cricbuzz had earlier reported that BCB is unlikely to continue with split coaching and Hathurusingha is the front-runner to replace Russell Domingo, who resigned before completing his stint that ran until the end of the 50-over ICC World Cup.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Test and T20I skipper Shakib Al Hasan remained tightlipped on the return of Hathurusingha as the head coach. No comments,” it’s all right,” he said, without elaborating further.
Sports
Methwan wins marathon encounter

ITF Junior Circuit Tennis
Methwan Wijemanne overcame Josh Hinton of Great Britain in a marathon three and half hour battle to win the first-round encounter of the ITF Junior Circuit Week 1 Tennis Event at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association courts on Tuesday.
Wijemanne scored 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 against Hinton.
ITF Junior Circuit Tennis Tournament which is currently underway in Colombo will conclude on February 5.
Meanwhile, in another first-round encounter, Nithila Goonathilake beat Aryan Mehata of India 6-3, 6-0.
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