Kalutara LTC keeps its activities moving smoothly

By A.C. de Silva

TENNIS: Kalutara Lawn Tennis Club, though 70 years in existence now, is still carrying forward their activities and providing the recreation yearned for by the members who support the club year in and year out.

Sports down south is usually affected by climatic change from time to time, but Kalutara Lawn Tennis Club had weathered many storms and stays alive until this day. Tennis is played round the year and there are around five players at the club who play at the club on a daily basis.

For the players to play daily, the courts have to be maintained and the courts are in good shape and the members are very much pleased with the facilities available.

The members play the game in the afternoons and in the evenings.

The membership of Kalutara Lawn Tennis Club should be proud that the courts are well maintained and it is the best functioning club in the coastal belt stretching from Moratuwa to Galle. The day to day activities of the club goes on without a hitch. The club plays the game and it participates both All-Island Inter-Club Tennis Tournaments and the club administration ran smoothly last year.

Messrs Laksiri Peiris - the energetic Vice-President, Roche Fernando, Priyantha Fernando, Srimantha Fernando, Col. Jude Rupasinghe, Dulip Wijayanayake, H.S. Fernando and Supun de Vas Gunasekera should be lauded for their regular attendance at the club and their active participation has got the playing activities moving. There is also the Hony. President Elmo Fernando who is a ‘livewire’ in the club.

The club house got an attractive outlook last year after the refurbishment programme. In the activities, the Kalutara Lawn Tennis Club reached the semi-finals of this season’s all-island inter-club singles and lost by a mere match against a strong SSC side.

The performance of Supun de Vas Gunasekera in some of the matches earned him a lot of praise.

The Kalutara Lawn Tennis Club remained one of the few outstation tennis clubs that still engages in competitive tennis. This is in a backdrop where over 50 percent of such clubs are said to have ceased to function due to numerous social and economic reasons.

The club did not have a glorious year, the club has the good fortune of having a committed team to lead from the front and keep the activities alive.

President: Elmo Fernando, Vice-Presidents: Laksiri Peiris and Roche Fernando, Hony. Secretary: H.S. Fernando, Hony. Asst. Secretary: Duleep Wijayanayake, Hony. Social Secretary: Ananda Fernando, Hony. Treasurer: Mevan Fernando, Hony. Ground Secretary:

Chaminda Fernando, Auditor: Roche Fernando, Tennis Capt: Chamila Iddagoda, Committee: Priyantha Fernando, Srimantha Fernando, Roshan Fernando, Rewata Silva, Kumar Goonewardena and Roshan Fernando.