Tenth Singer/Srilankan Airlines Sevens prevails over early disappointments

SKEPTICISM and the just-concluded Singer/Srilankan Airlines International Rugby Sevens were never distant of each other in the weeks approaching the landmark edition. And for good reasons. The exalted IRB Satellite status bestowed since 2004 had been stripped of the event on its 10th birthday.

If that was unkind, the fallout from the lost status was cruel. Defending champions and Asia's No.3, Hong Kong, flatly thumbed down the invitation saying the event "wasn't an IRB Satellite tournament." Asian champions, Japan, cited security concerns and its players' engagement in the domestic competition - a polite and diplomatic 'excuse-me,' though, pretty much a sugar-coated version of Hong Kong's point-blank refusal.

And that was why the intended 12-nation tournament was shrunk to 10 - not quite the best of blessings approaching the event's 10th birthday. So, if all this pre-tournament disappointment hadn't encouraged you to spend the weekend at home, then, you trekked it up to Nittawela with some reservations.

The trek downhill Sunday evening, though, was eminently satisfying; the weekend had indeed been well-spent. It might have been memorably-spent had Sri Lanka brought home the Cup, which it promised it could by breezing to the semifinals through four rousing performances. The winning-brilliance however was too good to last; that it died on them one match away from the Cup final seemed, to local minds at least, a travesty of justice.

In the end, Sri Lanka's dreams of Cup glory came to grief in the semifinals, just as it had in the two previous years. The impact of being disappointed for a third time apparently had a paralyzing effect on the players: in the face-off for third place, Sri Lanka went down 5/24 to China, the team they outthought and outplayed 17/7 only some five hours before in a Group B meeting.

It is not that the hosts' form dramatically worsened in the hours morning became early evening, but when aspiration was only about winning the Cup, Pradeep Liyanage's men, forgivably, lost interest in playing for anything less. It didn't matter if they resided in slot three or. four, which, in the event, was where they finished. Whether the semifinal match v. Korea could have ended differently to the way it did, a 14/28 defeat, we will leave for the time being.

To return to the event itself: The hope of sponsors, organisers and local rugby followers was that the Sri Lanka team might notch its first-ever Cup success in international rugby and so deliver the event from its disappointments, mentioned earlier. Ah, for a sip of champagne from the just-won Cup. What a 10th birthday celebration that might have made!

That didn't happen. But that didn't mean the 10th Singer/Srilankan Sevens was left without a historic identifying-mark of its own. The 10th tournament will be remembered as the one in which Malaysia won their first ever Cup in international rugby, staging an unforgettable second- half comeback to win the final over top seed Korea, 31/21, overhauling a first-half 5/21 deficit. The Malaysians historic triumph will surely trigger quite some reverberations through Asia, especially in Japan and Hong Kong, the absentees in Kandy.

Strictly on historical evidence, Malaysia's Cup success is just as staggering as, say, Sri Lanka conquering Japan. The Malaysians were never considered serious challengers in any Asian competition. It is ranked 79th in the world - above only India and Guam among the Asian countries listed in the rankings. Consequently, it is placed among the second division teams in IRB's Asian Nations tournament, alongside other minnows like India, Guam and Pakistan.

Its Kandy Sevens record, until last weekend, was pretty ordinary. A participant since the event's 1999 inception, Malaysia's best achievement was in 2006 when it won the Bowl, beating off India, Pakistan and the Philippines.

But since last year, we have been seeing a new Malaysia, meaning a team with Fijians. With four from Fiji meant that Malaysia was more than half-Fiji - and it showed on the field. The diffidence and lazy reactions of old Malaysia was replaced by the inventiveness and nimbleness that is characteristic of Fijian rugby. They just outran and overpowered their opponents.

New Malaysia performed quite some commendable deeds on the way to the Cup final. They had met Korea earlier in a Group match and held them to a 28-all draw. In the semifinal, they handed China their worst defeat in the event, 35/14, and capped it all in style in the final - all of which gives next month's Sevens World Cup Asian qualifier in Hong Kong quite another dimension.

The qualifier in Hong Kong next month will decide the two Asian representatives for the 2009 World Cup in Dubai. The popular prediction is that Japan and Hong Kong/or Korea would be the two qualifiers. But on the strength of performances seen in Kandy, there's no dismissing the chances of new Malaysia.

Any notions that the Malaysians' success last week is a flash in pan would be mistaken. A warning of their coming dominance was issued in last year's Singer/Srilankan Sevens, when it lost narrowly to Korea, 12/14, in the Cup semifinal. Last weekend confirmed their arrival at the top level of Asian Sevens rugby. Japan and Hong Kong, so, must feel more than a tinge of regret on missing out on experiencing first-hand the challenge of new Malaysia last week - an experience that would be immensely useful for the World Cup qualifier.

Korea, through two meetings in Kandy, perhaps is wiser about the Malaysians - Japan and Hong Kong, on the other hand, doesn't know what to make of a team that's half-Fiji.

If we might engage in a bit of hypothesis at this point: Suppose Sri Lanka won its semifinal v. Korea, what might have been their fate in a final against new Malaysia? The home team would not have been short on inspiration, but whether they could have matched the strength, power and pace of the half-Fiji team is doubtful. Possession would be difficult to obtain, which would have meant constantly defending against men stronger, heavier and faster - an exercise that's destined to break down at some point.

This brings us to the reason why we lost to the Koreans in the semifinals. The Koreans were slighter than the Malaysians, but still the home team found possession a rare commodity. The upshot: the Koreans were doing much of the attacking, and we, the tackling. Sri Lanka did draw first blood, but it was only a question of time before the endless probing by Koreans would breach our defence - and it did, no less than three times in the first half. And a 7/21 first half-deficit was always going to be a chasm too big to close. So it was.

It has to be said, though, Sri Lanka didn't field its better forwards in the semifinal - tall forwards who might have helped win more possession.

A notable absentee was Wasim Thajudeen, whose speed and height brought his team a quantum of possession in the Group matches which wasn't available in  the semifinal. Thajudeen's presence in the Korean semifinal might not have provided a different outcome, but a Sri Lankan win might have not been as chimerical as it was. No matter.

The magic that they weaved in the four Group matches will still remain the memory of the 10th birthday in our minds at least.

Sri Lanka won't be one of the World Cup qualifiers next month, but after last weekend, they go to Hong Kong in the knowledge that they can more than hold their own against any mid-level team, such as China, Chinese-Taipei and Kazakh- stan - countries they overcame in Kandy.

Sanjeewa v. Lewke feud needs happier ending

By T.M.K. Samat

FOR no reason other than his indispensability, the SLRFU, his club and, if need be, the Sport Ministry ought to talk Sanjeewa Jayasinghe out of his decision to quit the National rugby pool.

The tear-away winger, Thursday, said he won't be a part of the national team under the captaincy of Dushanth Lewke, appointed a fortnight ago to lead Sri Lanka's Asian Nations campaign in Chinese-Taipei in November. His written withdrawal was couriered, Friday, to the union, the 30-year old Kandy SC winger said yesterday.

The selectors have yet to name the Taipei-bound squad, but the Sri Lanka wing three-quarter's inclusion is a given, just as it was since he debuted in 1998. The value of his experience of 10 years is immeasurable. And if he is not persuaded to rejoin the national pool, immense harm would have been inflicted on the country's Asian Nations campaign.

Last weekend's Singer/Srilankan Airlines International Sevens reflect his value: he scored nine tries of the country's collection of 18. He is so, singly the most productive national player. He has the distinction of being probably the only Sri Lankan to cross the line of the mighty All Blacks, in the 2001 Hong Kong Sevens. As well, he has scored against Scotland. Since all these achievements were in the Sevens, cynics might say the abbreviated game is hardly a test of a player's worth - to which, his 42 tries garnered in the last domestic fifteens season has to pointed out.

On the strength of those performances and his 10 years of national duty, Jayasinghe had good reasons to expect national leadership. "I feel I've been cheated," he laments. Given that the product of Science College, Mt. Lavinia, has already led the country in both Fifteens and Sevens, the selectors probably chose the "you had your turn, now it's another's" line.

If that was the thinking, then Jayasinghe demands "then why not Dilanka Wijesekera, Radhika Hettiarachchi, Pavithra Fernando or Pradeep Liyanage" - all of whom have leadership experience as captain of school, club or Sri Lanka or of all three. "Lewke hasn't led any team," claims Jayasinghe - adding there's an "invisible hand behind" the controversial appointment.

But the selection of a national captain seldom earns universal approval. Depending on who you spoke to, the responses to Lewke's captaincy varied from "a far-sighted decision" to "lacking leadership qualities." Whatever, the appointment is eminently experimental. Lewke is young, and though he might not have leadership experience, who is to say, in him an inspiring leader might have been found.

But the wisdom of experimenting with a captain who hasn't led before, especially for a crucial tournament such as the Asian Nations, is questionable. At stake is a place in the top bracket of Asian Nations, i.e. in Asia's five nations, in the company of such Asian powerhouses as Japan, Korea and Hong Kong. Currently the other two in the top five grouping are Kazakhstan and Arabian Gulf.

Sri Lanka heads the grouping below, called Division 1, which also has China, Chinese-Taipei and Singapore. So as Division 1 leaders, Sri Lanka has to consider its chances as good for promotion. Whether the selectors gamble on the untried Lewke as leader will pay off is left to be seen. But the rejection of Jayasinghe's tremendous experience still is difficult to comprehend.

It has to be said, though, past instances of players leading the country before their clubs are many: Hadji Omar, Indrajit Coomaraswamy, Lanil Tennekoon, but none of them, it must be reminded, had their fathers serving as SLRFU President. Lewke's dad is - and thereby hangs a tale.

Holcim FA Cup comes to a climax

By Hafiz Marikar

The Holcim FA Cup Football Competition came to an end last evening with the final between Sri Lanka Police and the Civil Security Force.

   Chairman of the Management Committee of the Football Federation, and also the Chairman of Holcim Lanka, Manilal Fernando said that 133 teams took part and matches were played throughout the country and for the first time the two force's teams clashed in the final.

All the good work done by the players, officials of the Federation, match officials andthe medical crew  was seen by the CEO/Managing Director, Holcim, Peter Sprig who was invited to grace the final and present the Holcim Trophy, the medals and the cash awards of Rs.300,000 and Rs.150,000. He must have been happy over the conduct of the tournament.

Tremendous effort and hard work was put in by the  federation which was repaid in full by the top class football that entertained the football lovers in Sri Lanka.

Every match was played in the spirit of true sportsmanship, and the match officials did their part well said  Manilal Fernando.

"It was a great honour for my company Holcim to sponsor this prestigious FA Cup competition which is the most looked forward to football event of the year. It is a source of satisfaction that this tournament was conducted round the country," he said.

He said Holcim remains committed to the game of football, which is most popular sport in the world.

"In addition to the support of the FA cup, Holcim also sponsors  youth development in the game. Our support is another way of showing our commitment to excellence in everything we do. We believe sport operates on a set of values which Holcim identifies with - that is unity vision, growth, pride, passion and professionalism." Fernando added.

Chrysantha Perera, the CEO of the Federation says the series was well contested. The tournament over the last two years has been exceptional and the atmosphere generated by spectators electric. FFSL always sets the standard for the FA Cup series that moves to every city in the country.

"One behalf of the FFSL, I would like to thank the Competition Committee including all the enthusiastic staff and volunteers for contributing to the successful management and organisation of the tournament," said Perera.

"Our since thanks also go to the tournament's title sponsors, Holcim Lanka, for their support and investment in the FA Cup competition," Perera further said.

"None of this would have been possible without the participants. On behalf of the Federation I extended a special 'thank you' to them for a the great football played," Perera said in conclusion.

Outstanding performance by Benedictine athletes

Benedictine athletes performed extremely well once again to finish third at the Sir John Tarbet Senior Athletic Championship held at the Sugathadasa Stadium from September 3-5.

   During the last few years the Benedictines have shown a tremendous improvement in the field of athletics and last year created history when they emerged champions at the All Island School Athletic Championship with many of their athletes creating new records.

At this year's Sir John Tarbet Senior Championship it was a three corned tussle between St. Benedict's College, Joseph Vaz Wennappuwa and Walala Central Kandy. Rathnayake MV better known as Walala Central emerged champions eventually with 127 points, followed closely by Joseph Vaz College Wennappuwa with 122 points and the Benedictines who ended up 3rd with 116 points.

None of the other schools posed any threat to the top three who dominated the championship from the very start.

There were many notable performance by Benedictine athletes and among them were the fantastic performance of  A.W.R. G.M. Athauda who won Gold for Under 16 200 and 400 Metres and the silver at the Long Jump event.

He also contributed immensely to help the Benedictine quartet to win the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.

Benedictines were crowned the Under 16 Champions, Overall Relay Champions and Overall Champions of the Field Events.

Under 16

A.W.R.G.M. Athauda     200 Metres - 1st 400 Metres - Ist

Long Jump - 2nd

Asantha Kumara          100 Metres - 2nd

Ravindu Shanilka         100 Metre Hurdles - 4th

Rasansa Prathapa       Javelin Throw - 4th

Under 18

Heshan Chamara         Putt Shot - 1st Discuss Throw - 4th

Under 20

Marlon Niranga Paul     Discuss Throw - 2nd

Dilhan Aloka     400 Metres - 2nd 800 Metres - 3rd

Relays

Under 16 - 4 X 100 Metres - lst

(AWRGM Athauda, Krishan Madushanka, Asantha Kumara and Amila Gunasekara)

Under 16 - 4 X 400 Metres - lst

(A.W.R.G.M. Athauda, Krishan Madushanka, Thilanka Dias and Lakshan Silva)

Under 20 - 4 X 100 Metres - 3rd

(W. Dilhan Aloka, Damith Wickremasinghe, Samith Malinda and M.A.D. Chanuka)

Under 20 - 4 X 400 Metres - 1st

(W. Dilhan Aloka, Damith Wickremasinghe, Samith Malinda and R.D.T. Udayanga Kumara)

Raja Rata Blind Youth in winning spree

The Blind Youth from Raja Rata Disabled South SC scored their second and third successive victories in the Dilmah Challenge trophy when they beat Pulasthi Deaf and Blind School, Siripura, by 160 runs in their 40 overs match played at the Prison Grounds, Anuradhapura recently,

Batting first Raja Rata breezed to 277 for 9 wickets with skipper Keerthi Bandara leading from the front with 75 runs (3 boundaries), with brother Wasantha Jayawardena 36 runs (2 boundaries) and Ekanayake 34 (6 boundaries) also contributing. Ajith Priyantha bagged 4 wickets for 42 runs. Siripura folded up for 117 runs in 23 overs. Jayantha Dahanayake top scored with 25 runs with 4 boundaries. Pradeep bagged 2 wickets.

On July 12 at the same grounds, Raja Rata Disabled Youth amassed 506 runsfor only 3 wickets - a new record for cricket for the blind. Sri Lanka cap Wasantha Jayawardena hit a whirlwind 187 with 4 boundaries. Skipper Keerthi Jayawardena scored 96 runs with 6 boundaries and Ekanayake notched 80 with 6 boundaries. Wasantha and Pathmasiri put on 224 runs for the 2nd wicket. Seeduwa Vocational Training Centre crashed to 10 all out. 

Two Sri Lankans in action today

By Hisan Welmilla in Beijing

With  three more days left in the 13th edition of the Paralympic Games here in Beijing, the dominance of the medals tally is still with the host nation. China and Britain are competing for the top spot in terms of the total number of gold medals.

Two Sri Lankans will be in action today at the Paralympic Games. The first will be Lal Pushpakumara competing in the Men's High Jump event commencing at 6.50pm local time  (4.20pm Sri Lankan time). Shantha Kumara will be competing his final event at this years game in the Men's 800m T-46 event heats which are scheduled to start at 9.25 pm local time (6.55pm Sri Lankan time)

The finals event for the Lankans is scheduled on 16 September as Udaya Pushpakumara will be competing in the Men's Long Jump F42/44 event. That will get underway at 9.25 am ( 6.55 am Sri Lankan time)

 Bettered his own record

Sri Lanka's Shantha Kumara bettered his own record of timing even though he missed a golden opportunity to qualify to run in the finals of men's 800m T-46 event at the Paralympics 2008. Shantha competed in the 1st heat of the event and managed to finish fifth place with a time of 51.08 seconds. It was 0.97 seconds better than his previous best 52.05 seconds.

It was unfortunate to see Shantha finishing fifth in the heat as he was placed number three with another 60 meters to the finishing line. But Bashiru Yunusa (50.20sec) of Nigeria ,Simon Wambugu (50.48 sec) of Kenya and Willy Martinez of Venezuela (50.87) took the lead ahead of Kumara and finished second, third and fourth places respectively.  But it was easy way out for the Austrian Guenther Matzinger who crossed the line first with a time of 49.43 seconds to win the heat.

 Season's best distance

Udaya Pushpakumara recorded his season's best distance in the Men's Javelin Throw F42/44 event which concluded on Friday night.

It was his third throw which recorded as 46.30m. It was 0.15m better than his previous best of 46.15m. He recorded a distance of 42.65m and 45.34m in his first and second throws respectively.

Doping at Paralympics

Two more power lifters have been  disqualified at the Beijing Paralympics after failing doping tests, bringing the number of athletes expelled from the Games to four, organisers said Thursday, ( September 11).  Powerlifters Facourou Sissoko, from Mali, and Liudmyla Osmanova, from the Ukraine, were both slapped with two-year bans for failing pre-competition drug tests, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said.

Sissoko, 46, tested positive for the banned steroid boldenone metabolite, on September 6, the day of the opening ceremony, the IPC said in a statement. He had been due to compete on Sunday.  Osmanova tested positive for 19-norandrosterone, also a banned steroid, the statement added. The 22-year-old, tested at a training camp on August 29, was due to start her medal bid on Saturday.

The positive doping tests bring the number of powerlifters expelled to three. Pakistani Naveed Ahmed Butt, 37, tested positive for a steroid on September 4, it was announced Tuesday.

On Wednesday, German wheelchair basketball player Ahmet Coskun was expelled from the Paralympics for taking a banned drug contained in hair loss treatment.

A statement from the German National Paralympic Committee said that although finasteride does not enhance performance, it can be used to cover up drugs that do.

Before the Games started, IPC president Philip Craven said he was hoping for a "totally clean" event but he acknowledged the doping problems associated with powerlifting.

At the Athens Games in 2004, 680 doping tests were conducted, resulting in 10 violations.

 100m sprint

South African athlete Oscar Pistorius became the titan of the track after taking the 100m sprint - the blue-ribbon event of the Paralympics - in the most dramatic fashion last night.

While Usain Bolt had time to primp, preen and pose when he took gold in the Olympics last month, there was no time for the Bladerunner to think as he was forced to recover from a slow start to beat America's Jerome Singleton by just three-hundredths of a second. American Brian Frasure was third, while defending champion Marlon Shirley, a single-leg amputee, fell in a heap in the second half of the race as his good leg "popped."

Pistorius, won with a time of 11.17 seconds. And it was  South Africa's fifth gold of the Games, giving them an overall total of six.

Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee who sprints with the aid of carbon fibre artificial limbs, has signed a deal with The Pirelli Group for a "Carl Lewis style" advertising campaign.

Pistorius, the 'Blade Runner' who holds world records for 100m 200m  and 400m, believes it is "another sign that barriers are in the eyes of the beholder."

Super-Heroes

Super-heroes indeed; each and every one. The Paralympics should be renamed the Superlympics. It's nothing to do with the equality denoted by the Greek "para," it's about "super" ability, courage and strength that most of us, the top able-bodied athletes of the world included, will never have to muster.

It's worth remembering that many Paralympians are here because they've picked up horrific injuries while living life to the full.

Thomian grit defies the odds.yet again!

It was yet another fantastic display of steely determination, coupled with meticulous organising and clinical execution that was witnessed at S. Thomas' College "Big Club" grounds last Saturday, September 6, at their inaugural "Inter-Collegiate Batch Sixes" cricket carnival.

An accumulation of weather gods simmering down with their unified wrath could not keep the collective strength of the Thomian fraternity, old boy batches from Mt. Lavinia, Guruthalawa, Kollupitya and Bandarawela from taking to the field and continuing with their tournament.  At times in sheets of rain and minimum visibility; reminding the jolly onlookers of mythological deeds of the mighty Odysseus, classics which undoubtedly would have moulded these lads from very early ages within the hallowed precincts of their beloved Alma Mater.

The STC Class of '90, a batch of staunch old boys who organised this event to raise funds for renovating their tuck shop and pavilion building had planned for every detail. So whilst cricket remained the focal point there was something for everyone to engage in, including bouncers, pony rides and party trains for the kids, fairground games, trade stalls, vintage cars and boat display, DJ music and request stall, papare bands with petite cheer leaders to keep everyone in "the mood"', a free massage and foot-rub courtesy of their principle sponsor TIGO, even emission testing for vehicles and a free medical check-up were provided for at this one-of-a-kind, amazing Thomian cricket carnival. It was yet another "Thomian first" extravaganza that very few but these Mt. Lavinia lads know how to pull off in grand style - time after time!