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by Kandy Sports Correspondent

Deepika Rodrigo and Tilina Piyadasa carried away the women's and men's singles 'plum' but 15-year-old Girls High School paddler and national champion Kalpani Herath dazzled to win three titles at the Central Province Open Table Tennis Championship which was a national ranking championship conducted by the Central Province Table Tennis Association and played at the University of Peradeniya indoor courts last Sunday.

All three paddlers who stole the honours hailed from Kandy with Tilina Piyadasa now studying at Sri Jayawardenapura University coming out of the portals of Vidyartha College. Deepika Rodrigo now attached to Lake House studied at Mahamaya College while 15-year-old Kalpani Herath is still to appear for her GCE Ordinary Level examination from Girls High School, Kandy, and both are products of that famous table tennis coach from the hill capital Mahinda Ellepola who has produced champion outfits at St. Anthony's College, Mahamaya Girls College and Girls High School. Kalpani Herath is the youngest national singles champion and has successfully defended for two years. As expected Tilina Piyadasa swept through to victory over Indika Prasad in straight sets to win the singles title with the latter hardly giving any fight especially in the 2nd and 3rd sets.

Deepika Rodrigo first beat Kalpani Herath to win the women's singles title but she was given some anxious moments by the youngster who earlier won three titles and this appeared to be having a telling effect on her. Kalpani Herath won the first and third sets and did well in the fourth but lost the last two but with a fight. Kalpani Herath could not employ her secret weapon of spin series and spin attack which has had baffled her opponents as Deepika Rodrigo countered it beautifully. Deepika Rodrigo won her second title by winning the Mixed doubles partnered by Indika Prasad to beat M. Kottegoda and N. B. Jayasundera. But the major honours went to Kalpani Herath who won three titles as she won the girls under 15 and under 17 titles without much effort and went on to complete the triple by winning the Open Women's doubles partnered by her one time schoolmate Upeka Kotinkaduwa.

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