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Buck up or be booted out, SLTA warns coaches

SRI Lanka’s tennis coaches are to be told: keep abreast with the new coaching techniques or be struck off the list.

Under a new SLTA rule to be announced shortly, local coaches, holding the ITF level one certificates, will be required to re-validate their coaching licence every two years. >

“In future a level one coaching certificate will be valid for only two years,” said SLTA president Suresh Subramaniam. ‘’Tennis keeps changing constantly and so do the coaching techniques. We have to ensure our coaches keep abreast with the changes _ and a way of doing that is to renew coaches licence every two years. Renewal will depend on how well they’ve evolved to the new trends.”

According to Coaching Director, K D Y Pathiraja there are about 40 level one coaches plying their trade island-wide. ‘’Basically, the development of Sri Lanka tennis will depend on how knowledgeable these coaches are. It is thus necessary that they update their knowledge regularly,” said Pathiraja.”The revalidation of coaching certificates is something ITF has suggested to all its member countries. Obviously, coaches worldwide have shown an indifference to the changes taking place.”

Since ITF level one examinations were conducted here in the mid-90s, the SLTA has conducted workshops, seminars and refresher courses for the qualified coaches. ‘’Unfortunately, the response to these workshops and seminars wasn’t what it should be; the permanence of their coaching certificate is perhaps a reason for the disinterest. I suppose they felt the time given to listening to lectures would be spent more profitably doing coaching,” said Subramaniam.

In another move indicative of the higher priority given to coaching, the SLTA is to send four coaches to ITF’s Worldwide Coaches Workshop in Portugal this month. The one-week workshop, entitled “Applied Sports Science for Tennis Coaching”, is to be attended by Shalini de Silva, Jayantha Welikela, Seevali Wickremaratchchi and K D Y Pathiraja.

Recently the SLTA held level one examinations for aspiring coaches, conducted by Arul Amalnathan. And next January, ITF officials, Miguel Crespo of Spain and ITF’s development officer for Asia, Suresh Menon, will be in Colombo to conduct level two examinations.

“The need to have new coaches is felt with the mini tennis program adding to the playing numbers. And with our four-year old junior development program now beginning to show results _ four national titles were won by schoolchildren _ more level two coaches are a compulsory requirement,” said president Subramaniam.

Josephian Twenty - 20 Invitation Schools’ Cricket Tournament

Joseph’s College, Colombo are organizing for the first time in Sri Lanka, an Invitation Schools knockout twenty 20 Cricket tournament to be conducted at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium on 24, 25 and 26 October. The following teams will participate in this inaugural tournament, which the organisers hope will be an annual event.

St. Joseph’s College, Colombo, Royal College, Colombo, St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa, St. Peter’s College, Colombo, D.S. Senanayake College, Colombo, Lumbini College, Colombo, Isipathana College, Colombo, S. Thomas’ College, Colombo, Thurstan College, Colombo, Dharmatajah College, Kandy, Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda, Jaffna School Cricket Association

The Twenty 20 Cup, which originated in England this year and replaced the Benson & Hedges Cup in the county cricket calendar was a bold initiative taken by the ECB to attract spectators and bring back the crowds for County games. The tournament was a huge success with over 250,000 spectators attending 45 group matches, the semifinals and the finals.

This action packed competition promises non- stop big hitting entertainment for 20 overs a side with each match being completed in under three hours. Short boundaries, penalty runs for delays, a free hit for foot fault no balls are some of the features of this tournament, which has been specifically designed to keep the spectators on their toes from first ball to last.

At a time when interest in school cricket in Sri Lanka is waning, this revolutionary and exciting tournament is expected to attract big crowds to the R.Premadasa International Cricket Stadium where some of Sri Lanka’s best schoolboy cricketers will pit their skills and talents against each other. Whilst some of the group matches and the final will be played under lights in a carnival atmosphere there will be complete television coverage on Rupavahini’s channel eye on the last two days.

• South Africa in Pakistan 2003-04

 Malik fires Pakistan to hefty total

A spectacular innings by Shoaib Malik, who made 82 off 41 balls and hit five sixes in the last two overs alone, undid all the good work done by South Africa in the first 40 overs of the innings, and took Pakistan to 276 for 6 in the first one-day international at Lahore.

Malik came in with Pakistan 167 for 4 in the 39th over, about thirty runs short of what they would have liked to be at that stage after two wasteful run-outs. A natural hitter of the ball, Malik played with great flair from the very beginning, keeping pace with Inzamam-ul-Haq in a partnership of 74 for the fifth wicket.

None of the South African bowlers bowled at a pace that could trouble him, and as he grew in confidence he proceeded to get down on one knee to the bowlers, get his left leg out of the way, and mow the bowling over mid-wicket and mid-on. The last two overs, bowled by Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis respectively, were carted for 42 runs. Even in an age in which a number of batsmen excel in this kind of late-innings hitting, Malik’s strokemaking, his exceptional eye, and immense power and co-ordination all stood out.

Malik’s half-century was the third made by a Pakistani batsman on the day, and undoubtedly the most crucial. Earlier, Yasir Hameed and Yousuf Youhana played accomplished innings, but both were out just when they would have been looking to up the scoring-rate.

50 overs Pakistan 277 for 6 (Malik 82*, Youhana 68, Hameed 56)

Confifi International Beach Volleyball

Confifi Amateur International Beach Volleyball Tournament was held on September 13 and 14 in Beruwela on the Club Palm Garden Beach.

This was the first ever international beach volleyball tournament held in Sri Lanka. Confifi Group together with the Volleyball Federation of Sri Lanka conducted the event for which 60 teams took part in the tournament. This included 14 foreign teams arriving in Sri Lanka to play International Beach Volleyball from Singapore, Hong Kong, India and Holland.

Confifi Group Hotels have bigger plans for the future to conduct many events of this nature and introducing these destinations as a potential venue for sports tourism. The Women’s team from Hong Kong collected the winner’s trophy while the Men’s winners were the Sri Lanka Air Force team.

The prizes included a trophy, a cash award of US $ 750, a weekend for two at any Confifi Group Hotel and a gift voucher for jewellery from the hotel Jewellery shop. The co-sponsors of this event were Pepsi, Nowgem jewellers, Dialog GSM and SriLankan Airlines.

A large gathering witnessed this event on both days and the entire stretch of Beruwela Beach had a superb atmosphere with lots of fun and music throughout. Mervyn J. Cooray, President of the Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation was the chief guest at the awards ceremony and delivered the winner’s awards.

Lanka Bell sponsors SSC

Lanka Bell has signed a three-year renewable contract for the exclusive sponsorship of Premier League cricket at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC). Each season, Lanka Bell will provide 25 SSC Premier cricket team members with branded playing clothes including T-shirts and caps. Lanka Bell will also sponsor the annual cricket match between SSC and NCC for the J.R. Jayew- ardene Trophy in 2004.

“We are very pleased to accept the sponsorship package offered by Lanka Bell, which will help our club and our premier league cricketers. We have agreed to give Lanka Bell exclusive sponsorship for cricket and will not appoint any co-sponsors during the three-year contract period,” said Mahinda Halangoda, Chairman of the SSC Cricket House Committee, at the signing of the sponsorship agreement, Lanka Bell’s General Manager, Finance, Suren Goonewardene, said “We are proud to become the official sponsor of a prestigious cricket club a cricket club with a history of over 100 years, that has produced many fine cricketers who have excelled in local club cricket as well as international tests and one day matches.”

As the official sponsor, Lanka Bell with have many prominent locations at the SSC cricket grounds reserved exclusively for Lanka Bell branding.