Sri Lanka poised to make impact in Asian netball scene

Pavillion view by Leslie Fernando

Netball: Sri Lanka is making steady progress in the game netball and the Netball Federation of Sri Lanka is making elaborate plans to have a team in the Four Nation Invitation Tournament that will do the country proud. The invitation tourney will be from June 14 to 17 at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium.

Shereen Kumaratunga - the President of the Netball Federation of Sri Lanka is a leader who means business and she is going flat-out to put on show a Sri Lanka team that will do the country proud with some fine performances in the four-nation tourney. The other nations that are participating are: India, Pakistan and Maldives.

Besides this prestigious tourney, the Sri Lankans will also have their eyes on two other "pools" - Senior National and Junior National to be selected and train under different coaches in view of the five Nations Netball Championships to be held in Singapore in September and the Asian Junior Netball Championships to be held in Hong Kong early next year.

I'm planning to hold several seminars, clinics for umpires and other official to raise the standard of umpiring. Even the netball coaches will be offered special coaching programmes, " the netball chief said.

"We are doing all what we could for the sake of the players and the players, in turn, should deliver the goods. "Shereen Kumaratunga emphasized.

Coach satisfied

The national netball coach Hyacinth Wijesinghe is pleased with her job. She said that the appointment is not entirely now to hot, as she was the netball coach in 2001 too. Hyacinth has a feather in her cap as she led the Sri Lanka team to victory in the first ever Asian Netball Championships held in 1990 in India.

As coach, her first task will be to train the National Development Pool team that is scheduled to play in the Four-National Netball Tournament Colombo.

Hyacinth is determined that the 'charges' under her will pick up the finer points in the game and distinguish themselves in the tournament that will be played next month. Right now, there are 30 players in the 'pool' and this is to be reduced to 20 shortly - so that the best players will be in the final training sessions.

"I want the players to know that the game of netball is a team sport and the players should not go for individual glory. Players will be taught to maintain hundred percent physical fitness. "She said and added that the game is fast and the players should be skilful in their passing, jumping for the ball, balance passing, catching and shooting.

Another method that the coach wants to introduce is to have regular meetings to discuss and share ideas.

Hyacinth is a double international, having represented the country in both basketball and netball.

Hyacinth who will be the head coach for both the Senior and Junior National pools said that same rules and techniques will be the order for players in both pools.

She has a keen interest in seeing the Asian Championship back in Sri Lanka. She temporarily suspended her coaching career with the local team in 2002 and took up the challenge as Head Coach for the Singapore National Team in 2002, Hyacinth played a major role in capturing the Singapore-Malaysia Challenge Trophy and the Energiser Invitational Gala event in 2003.

She is the first Sri Lankan to be qualified as level three coach in Australia - also the first Asian do so. She is determined that she will be able to train all three pools and bring in good results for the country.

Hyacinth a former Mahamaya College sportswoman, is presently employed as personal secretary at Sri Lanka Ports Authority.

Good response

Riophilla Ramalan - the Secretary of the Netball Federation of Sri Lanka is a much satisfied lady on the netball scene. The Development Pool has given us the necessary encouragement to go ahead with work in connection with the Four-Nation Invitation Tournament that will be played next month at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium.

Once the 20 players are picked. The girls will go into a residential training camp under the national coach.

She said that the Four-Nations Tournament will be well contested as all countries will be represented by their best teams. Sri Lanka, however, will not field the national side, but it will be the Development Pool team.

After this tourney, the Senior National Team will represent the country at Singapore's Five-Nations Tourney in September. The other teams there Canada, Trinidad, AIS team from Australia, besides the hosts.

The National Netball Federation will send umpires for the umpires seminar to be held Singapore on August 2 and 3.

The Netball Federation invites umpires wishing to participate to the forward names, to: Secretary, Netball Federation of Sri Lanka (Tel:0777-288270) with the details regarding themselves.

The senior Netball championships will be played on June 2 and 3 in Kuranegala.

Timely move

Yasa Ramachandra - the chairperson of the National Selection Committee of the Netball Federation of Sri Lanka said that it was a timely move by the authorities to pick three 'pools' - development pool, National Senior Pool and the Junior National Pool in preparation for three tournament to be held in Sri Lanka, Singapore and Hong Kong.

She said that besides her, there will be four other selectors- Suranganie Wijendra, Kumudini Gomes, K. D. Champa Ranjani and Sandya Jayasuriya who will be watching the progress of the trainees.

"We are looking for active players with special talent and also for players with good height. Height is a vital factor in netball and it is great advantage for a team to have tall players, but the players should also have skill.

The performances of the girls will be closely monitored at the forthcoming Senior National Netball Championships on June 2 and 3 in Kurunegela when selecting players for the senior and Junior National Netball Pools.