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| Sunday, 4 July 2004 |
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New look Lankan netballers for Asian Junior C'ships by Leslie Fernando "It is quite a new look Sri Lanka junior national netball team with only a few experienced players in the side, but I will make every endeavour to organise it to a very formidable unit", said Ms. Padma Gunawardena, the coach during a practise session in preparation for the Asian Junior Netball Championships from July 24 to 31 at Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium. The young Sri Lankan netball team is presently hard at training in the morning and afternoon at two venues - Sports Ministry grounds at Torrington Place and Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium. Ms. Gunawardena added that skipper Geesanthi Jayakody, Shani Nissansala, Sanduni Bollegala and Anjalee Lokuliyana are the only four players with experience from the 2002 victorious team in Malaysia. The rest of the eight players plus the three standbys are newcomers and myself together with Deepthi de Alwis assistant coach are putting the players on a systematic training session improving their skills on passing, shooting, collecting, attacking, defending. They are being motivated to the hilt and are shaping well. Both of us want to improve their team work as the game of netball is totally a team game. In addition to daily practice sessions the team will be engaged in several warm up games with top teams like Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Hatton National Bank, National Youth Service Council, Kegalle Balika Vidyalaya and District teams. In 2002 Sri Lanka became champions defeating Singapore in the final played in Malaysia and in 1999 Sri Lanka also emerged champions in New Delhi. So our main aim is to retain the title and bring honour to Sri Lanka," said Ms. Gunawardena. Five countries have already confirmed their participation namely India, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Maldives," said Ms. Yasmin Dharmaratne, Secretary of the Interim Committee of the Netball Federation of Sri Lanka. In the championships the teams will play in two groups. The preliminary round games will be on a league basis. The winner and runner-up in respective groups will play on a cris-cross basis to find the champions and runners-up. The 12-member team approved by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports comprises Geesanthi Jayakody (captain), Shani Nissansala (v. captain), Anjalee Lokyliyana, Sanduni Bollegala, Pabasara Gunasekera, Prasila Cook, Chamili Priyani, Sheron Nugewela, Erosha Harshani, Nadeesha de Silva. Rasuni Karunaratne. Standbys - Chamila Perera, Dinusha Perera and Vasundera Pathirage. |
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