Queen Sirikit Cup in Sri Lanka after 25 years

By Lal Gunesekera

GOLF: Rs. 5 million is needed by the Sri Lanka Golf Union (SLGU) to host the 30th Asia Pacific Ladies Invitational Team and Individual Championship for the Queen Sirikit Cup to be staged at the Victoria Golf and Country Resort at Rajawella in Kandy from March 1 to 5 next year (2008).

A spokesman for the SLGU told the Sunday Observer that they are hopeful of finding the necessary funds for this event for which the main sponsor is Central Investment and Finance Limited (CIFL) with Aspic as the co-sponsor. The SLGU are also planning to "sell" each Green and Tee at the VG & CR at Rs. 100,000 each.

The Ministry of Sport and Public Recreation too has promised, together with Sri Lanka Tourism, every possible assistance to the SLGU to host this event in the country after a lapse of 25 years. It was last staged in Sri Lanka in 1982 at the Nuwara-Eliya Golf Club (NEGC) course where Sri Lanka were represented by Tiru Fernando, Yvonne Abhayaratne and Mira Lobo.

The Sirikit Cup tournament was inaugurated in 1979 in Bangkok, Thailand and next year's event will see 14 countries in the region competing for honours. They are Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

The format of play is a 54-Hole stroke-play over three days with the best gross scores to count each day for the event and the three day combined gross scores and the daily best score counting towards the individual event. Each team will comprise three players and a non-playing captain.

Sri Lanka have competed in this event regularly from 1979 to 1984, but were stopped fielding sides from 1985 to 2003 due to the lack of "good players".

For next year's tournament in Kandy, Thuhashini Selvaratnam, Sri Lanka's top amateur, now a resident in Arizona (USA), has made herself available. She has been excelling herself in the USA in various amateur tournaments. Also making herself available is young Kishani Vedavinayagam, who is a student also in Arizona, USA and playing good golf too.

Among the other top women golfers are Jackie Dias, Niloo Jayatilleke, Milina Awn and Dinali de Zoysa with a programme already started for these players by the SLGU and a "trial" to be held at the Victoria Golf and Country Resort later this month. Sri Lanka's best performance at this tournament was in 1979 and 1980 at Bangkok and Indonesia respectively where the Sri Lankans comprises Yvonne Abhayaratne, Suwaneetha Selvaratnam and Tiru Fernando. Sri Lanka were third in both years.

CIFL, the main sponsor of next year's event, are one of the pioneers in the finance industry in the country established in 1966, who are the main sponsors for SLARDAR events.