Garudas Sports Club at Sepaktakraw Nationals

Sepaktakraw - A fine exhibition of Sepaktakraw was dished out by the competing teams at the "Sepaktakraw Nationals 2008" held at the Indoor Sports Complex of the Colombo University on the 6th and 7th of December 2008. The Amateur Sepaktakraw Association had taken great pains to organise this event that also consisted of a cultural display by the Sri Lanka Police Dance Troupe before the finals of the Regu event.

Sepaktakraw is similar to volleyball but instead of the hands, the head, the feet and any part of the body is used to propel the ball to the opponent side, spiking of the ball is done airborne in acrobatic fashion with the feet. Even the service is executed with a powerful kick. Sepaktakraw has variety in the sense the standard game is called `Regu Event' comprising of 3 players a side, whilst the Double event consist of 2 players a side.

Ten teams participated in the Sepaktakraw Nationals where the outstation teams especially Trincomalee and Badulla posed a stiff challenge to the teams from Colombo. In fact both teams were unlucky not to win a championship.

The events contested were for the Regu and Double Events. Garudas Sports Club from Colombo clinched both titles by defeating Trincomalee Sports Club in the Doubles final and Kolonnawa Sports Club in the Regu final. There were awards presented to the 3rd and 4th place as well. The winning Garudas team consisted of I. H. Samarasinghe (captain), G. Razak, C. De Silva and Sampath. The runners-up Kolonnawa Sport Club team in the Regu event comprised of M. A. Ahamat (captain), T. A. Falil, Sally and Imran whilst the Runners-up in the Doubles Event, Trincomalee Youth comprised of Nishantha (captain), Nadee, Silva and Banu.