Udaya of Vidyartha and Hansani of Visakha win Triple Crowns at Junior TT Championships

by S.M. Jiffrey Abdeen Kandy Sports Corr.

Udaya Ranasinghe of Vidyartha College, Kandy and Hansani Piumila Kapugeekiyana of Visakha College (Triple Crown) were crowned Junior Boys and Girls National Champions at the Junior

National Table Tennis championship organised by the Table Tennis Association of Sri Lanka and worked for 3 days at the Sugathadasa Stadium Complex, Colombo.

A total number of 613 paddlers participated at this championship which is the highest level for juniors in the country.

This Championship was largely dominated by table tennis players from Vidyartha College, Visakha Vidyalaya and Dharmasoka College and paddlers from Prajapathi Gothami BMV Ambalangoda and also Dharmaraja College, Kandy making an impression.

Udaya Ranasinghe of Vidyartha College successfully defended his Junior National Singles title for the third year in succession but not before going through some anxious moments which could have plunged him into defeat, if not for a tactical blunder by his opponent in the final by his school mate Prasad de Silva.

Prasad de Silva started off well by winning the first two sets 7/11, and 9/11, giving the defending champion the goose pimples.

This compelled Udaya Ranasinghe to win the crucial third set to stay in contention or 'go home' with a 3-0 defeat.

The third set began and Prasad de Silva was seen going for the 'kill' and led 10-8, when he took a 'time out' and this turned out to be his undoing. Not always does the player in the lead takes a 'time out' allowing the opponent to recoup and stage a rally.

What happened was Udaya Ranasinghe won this set 12-10 and demolished his challenger 11/7 and 11/7 in the next two sets to win 3-2. It was a narrow escape for Udaya Ranasinghe who has now formidable opponents in his own school in Tilina Wijesiri, Chinthaka Ekanayake and Prasad de Silva.

Fourteen-year-old Hansani Piumila of Visakha College keeps on winning titles like her mother breaking coconuts in the kitchen. She not only won the Junior National Title for girls but also took the Girls under 18 Doubles, partnered by Chamathsara Fernando.

In the Girls under 18 singles finals, Hansani Piumila had to face a strong opponent in former Junior National Champion Ruvini Kannangara of Musaeus College and won 3-1.

Hansani Piumila won the first set 11/6 but Ruwini Kannangara whipped her in the next, winning 11/1. But enough was enough for Hansani Piumila and with a superb display of placement of shots and spiced with dashes won the next two sets by the identical margins 11/8 and 11/8.

For Ruwini Kannangara she came very close but the title seemed yet so fora away.

Hansani Piumila's third title win was in the girls under 15 singles when she scored a comfortable 3-0 win over Imasha de Silva of Dharmasoka College.

The under 18 boys doubles turned out to be an all-Vidyartha affair with the two singles finalists Udaya Ranasinghe and Prasad de Silva beating Thilina Wijesiri and Chinthaka Ekanayake 3-0.

The results of the finals

Under 10 Girls Singles: Sanduni Prabuddhika (Prajapathi Gothami BMV Ambalangoda) beat Kavishka Kavindi (Dharmasoka College) 3-0 (11/7, 11/9, 12/10).

Under 10 Boys Singles: Chanuka Sri Bandara (St.Mary's College, Kegalle) beat Vihandu Randina (Dharmasoka College) 3-1, (6/11, 11/8, 11/5, 11/7).

Under 12 Girls Singles: D.H. Kolambage (Prajapathi Gothami BMV) beat Jithara Warnakulasuriya (Ladies College, Colombo) 3-0, (11/4, 11/5, 11/9).

Under 12 Boys Singles: Dewmith Weerasena (Lyceum International School, Nugegoda) beat P.S.D. Tennakoon (Dharmaraja College, Kandy) 3-0, (11/6, 11/5, 11/5).

Under 15 Girls Singles: Hansani Piumila (Visakha College, Colombo) beat S.H. Imasha de Silva (Dharmasoka College) 3-0, (11/6, 11/6, 11/7).

Under 15 Boys Singles: P.D.U. Tennakoon (Dharmaraja College) beat Nimesh Ranchagoda (Royal College) 3-2, (7/11, 11/8, 11/7, 6/11, 12/10).

Under 18 Girls Doubles: Chamathsara Fernando and Hansani Piumila (Visakha College) beat Thevidini Thushara / S.H. Imasha de Silva (Dharmasoka College 3-0 (11/6, 11/8, 11/5).

Under 18 Boys Doubles: Udaya Ranasinghe / Prasad de Silva (Vidyartha College) beat Thilina Wijesiri/ Chinthaka Ekanayaka (Vidyartha College 3-0 (11/4, 11/9, 11/8).