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| Sunday, 31 October 2004 |
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Namal Gunasekera and family affair ... by Leslie Fernando It's not an easy task for a player to continue playing any game in top level competition for 29 years. Namal Gunasekera of Lake House SC will set a new record when she participates in her 30th National Table Tennis Championships at S. Thomas' College, Indoor Stadium, Mt. Lavinia on November 7 and 8. A unique feat in the family affair will be three members of the family playing in the National Championships. Southpaw Namal who has captained Sri Lanka Women's table tennis team from 1991 to 1999 will play in the women's singles open mixed doubles with her son Sehan Eranga Withanachchi a student of Royal College and veteran mixed doubles with her husband W. A. Buddhasiri, a table tennis instructor with the TTASL and a former national player. Buddhasiri has played at the National Championships for 19 years that's 1972 to 1991. Namal has been playing in the National Table Tennis Championships from 1975, this is the 30th year. Namal gained national honours when she beat former national champion Frances Ratnayake in the women's singles at the Ashok Melvani Open Championships. It was her first major title. Since then, Namal has been performing with distinction, showing tremendous form. Namal dominated women's table tennis. She has won almost all singles titles in open tournaments. She emerged national singles champion in 1981 at the 37th Nationals, defeating Swarna Peiris in the final. She also won the women's doubles title partnering Swarna. Since 1981 Namal has kept on winning the national singles title, women's doubles title and mixed doubles title several times. Namal is the most travelled women's paddler. She has represented Sri Lanka here and abroad from 1979 and visited over 20 countries for international championships. Her last trip was to Japan for the World Veteran TT Championships recently. Namal, a former student of Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda, has made this sport - Table Tennis a family affair. Husband Buddhasiri, also a national table tennis player from the same college at Ambalangoda, was Namal's coach and has extended full support and co-operation for her rise and fame in the field of table tennis. Buddhsiri has toured with Sri Lanka team for several championships from 1980. He was also manager of the Sri Lanka team for the 41st World TT Championships held in Gothernburg, Sweden in 1993. He has held the post of Vice-President of Table Tennis Association of Sri Lanka. Presently he is a table tennis coach. Namal's son Sehan is following in the footsteps of his parents. The 14-year-old Sehan is a student of Royal College and has already proved his class, becoming runner-up in the All-Island Novices Championships singles under-19. He has been a member of the Royal College winning team in the Inter-School Table Tennis Championships in 2003 - 'C' division under-18, in the year 2004 under-16 and under-18 'B' division. Sehan is determined to follow in the same manner of his parents and climb the ladder of success in table tennis. |
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