Badminton Nationals at Nawalapitiya on October 8 to 12

by S.M. Jiffrey Abdeen, Kandy Sports Correspondent

National Badminton Championship: The 61st National Badminton Championship organised by the Sri Lanka Badminton Association will be worked off at the Jayatilleke Indoor Stadium Nawalapitiya from October 8 to 12th.

This will be only the second time in the history of this championship that it will be played outside colombo. Last year too this was played at Nawalapitiya.

The defending National champions for men is Niluka Karunaratne of McLarens Group who won it for record 12 successive time. The defending ladies champion is Shehani Lekha of Sri Lanka Air Force.

Last year, the men's singles final saw the brothers Niluka and Dinuka Karunaratne battle-it-out.

Achini Ratnasiri who has just joined the McLaren group should be one of the top contenders for the Ladies singles title. She is also the defending ladies doubles champion with Upali Weerasinghe.