Ishara, Rohan to lead CG TT teams

by S.M. Jiffrey Abdeen - Kandy Sports Corr.

Table Tennis: Ishara Madurangi and Rohan Sirisena both from Sri Lanka Air Force will lead the Sri Lanka woman and men's table tennis teams for the Commonwealth Games to be held in Glasgow, Scotland next week. The Sri Lanka team will leave on July 16th and return on August 4th.

Ishara Madurangi is Sri Lanka's number one player and has been the womens national champion for the past six years and has also won it in 2005, 2006. She has captained the Sri Lanka Womens team on a number of overseas tours including the SAF Games, Asian Championship and the World Championship this year in which Sri Lanka did well.

She is the first girl from Sri Devananda College, Ambalangoda to represent Sri Lanka and is most experienced player in the team.

Fourteen-year-old Hansani Piumila Kapugeekiyana from Visaka College is the youngest member of the team and she had climbed the ladder of success through sheer performance and she along with schoolmate Chamathsara Fernando could be the brightest prospects for the future.

Piumila Hansani who took to competitive table tennis only a few years while at Anula Vidyalaya, Nugegoda had a national ranking of number three and her ranking at junior level is both number two at under 15 and under 18.

Fifteen-year-old Chamathsara Fernando of Visakha Vidyalaya started her table tennis at Girls High School, Mount Lavinia, before coming over to Visakha Vidyalaya. A gritty player. She has a national ranking of number three and is number one at under 15 and under 18.

The fourth member of the team is 19 year-old Erandi Warusawitharane of Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda with a national ranking of two and is the current junior national champion. She represented Sri Lanka at the World Championship held in Tokyo Japan earlier this year.

The mens team is led by Rohan Sirisena who is an old boy of Royal College, Colombo and is currently ranked number one though he lost the national title to Udaya Ranasinghe this year.

One of the finest paddlers to enter the table tennis arena and has been the national champion for many years and led Sri Lanka on a number of overseas tours including the World Championship held in Japan and the Asia championship and helped Sri Lanka to move from the World ranking of 98 to 24 - a climb of 22 places.

Udaya Ranasinghe just 16 years is the current junior and senior national champion - a very rare achievement. Has made many overseas tours. He has a junior ranking of number one. He is from Vidyartha College, Kandy, and has still not set for his G.C.E. Ordinary Examination.

Nirmala Jayasinghe - an old boy of Vidyartha College is presently employed at MAS Holdings. He was the Senior National Champion two years ago and his current national ranking is two.

The fourth member of the men's team is Dinesh Deshapriya with a national ranking of number three doughty fifter and has been once the runner up at the Senior National championship. Has won a silver and a bronze medal at the SAF Games has a national ranking of three.

Former St.Anthony's College, Kandy paddler and current Chairman of the Development Committee Manzil Muthalib is the Manager of the team with Lalith Priyantha as the coach.