Sixty-one member rugby pool for tour of Chinese Taipei

The National Selection Committee of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union headed by Brigadier Jupana Jayawardena has picked a 61-member pool in preparation for the Asian First Division Tournament which will be worked off from November 12 to 15, 2008 in Chinese Taipei.

Sri Lanka will compete with China, Singapore and host nation Chinese Taipei in this four nation tournament.

The selection committee comprising Brigadier Jupana Jayawardena (Chairman), Lanil Tennekoon, Graham Raux, Savantha de Saram and Norman Silva have selected 13 schoolboys for the pool - five Trinitians, three Peterites, two Isipatanians and one each from Royal, St. Joseph's and Kingswood.

Notable absentees from the pool are Sri Lanka fly half Fazil Marija, No. 8 Imran Bisthamin, full back Radhika Hettiarachchi, flanker Sean Wijesinghe (all from Kandy SC), Anuja Perera and Dinesh Kumara (CR and FC) while Kandy SC and Sri Lanka winger Sanjeeva Jayasinghe has withdrawn from the pool. The national poolists are requested to attend practices at Havelock Park on September 16 at 4 p.m.

The Pool:

Prop Forwards: 1. J. Ranaweera (CH&FC), 2. Shashika Cooray (CH&FC), 3. Shamil Mohamed (CR&FC), 4. Henry Terrence (CR&FC), 5. D. Boteju (CR&FC), 6. Shafi Hassan (Havelock SC), 7. N. D. Kothalawala (Army SC), 8. Jeeva Galgamuwa (Kandy SC).

Hooker: 1. Anuranga Walpola (Kandy SC), 2. Bilal Hassen (Royal College), 3. Achala Perera (CH&FC), 4. M. Hettiarachchi (Police SC), 5. Madushanka Padiepperuma (Air Force SC).

Second Rowers: 1. Sumedha Jayasinghe (Kandy SC), 2. Zaffer Jhan (Kandy SC), 3. Gayan Weerakoon (CR&FC), 4. Anuradha Dharmatilleke (CR&FC), 5. Gayan Fernando (CR&FC), 6. Sathya Ranatunga (CH&FC), 7. Dinesh Sanjeewa (CH&FC).

Flankers: 1. Pavithra Fernando (CR&FC), 2. Kasun De Silva (CR&FC), 3. Dhanushka Perera (CR&FC), 4. Ashen Karthelis (CR&FC), 5. Dilip Selvam (Kandy SC), 6. Dilanka Wijesekera (CH&FC), 7. Dinesh Weeraratne (Air Force SC), 8. Sajith Saranga (Isipathana College), 9. Sharo Fernando (Havelock SC), 10. Idris Omar (Trinity College), 11. Milinda Gunawardena (Trinity College).

Number Eight: 1. Dushanth Lewke (CR&FC, Captain), 2. Ishan Noor (St. Peter's College), 3. Mohamed Ruzmi (Trinity College, Kandy), 4. Rajiv Ganapathy (Havelock SC).

Scrum Halves: 1. Radeesha Seneviratne (Air Force SC), 2. Saliya Kumara (Kandy SC), 3. Amjad Buksh (CR&FC), 4. Adel Hameed (Trinity College, Kandy), 5. Tuan Shamrock (CH&FC), 6. Milinda Bandara (Police SC).

Fly-Halves: 1. Shanaka Pietersz (St. Joseph's College), 2. Harsha Weerakkody (St. Peter's College), 3. Wasim Thajudeen (Havelock SC), 4. Roshan Weeraratne (Kingswood College), 5. Ashan De Costa (CR&FC).

Centres: 1. Pradeep Liyanage (Kandy SC), 2. Niroshan Karunanayake (CR&FC), 3. Lasintha De Costa (CR&FC), 4. Chula Susantha (Police SC), 5. Dinusha Chathuranga (Isipathana College), 6. B. Ambuwangala (Army SC).

Wingers: 1. Mathisha de Silva (CH&FC), 2. Sameera Silva (Kandy SC), 3. Saliya Handapangoda (Army SC), 4. Gerald Canute (St. Peter's College), 5. Viswajith Wijesinghe (Trinity College, Kandy).

Full Backs: 1. Mohamed Sheriff (CR&FC), Riza Mubarak (CR&FC), Dulip Methruwan (Havelocks SC), T. A. Silva (Army SC).