National TT C'ships a great success

The 61st National Table Tennis Championship 2007, conducted by the Table Tennis Association of Sri Lanka (TTASL) was concluded recently at the St Thomas College Indoor Stadium.

Sponsored by the Finance and Guarantee Group, a subsidiary of the Ceylinco Group of Companies, the Junior National Championships were held on 4th and 5th January with the Senior Championships following on 6th and 7th January 2008.

The 61st Nationals was the last events of the Table Tennis Calendar for year 2007 that will be counted for the National Table Tennis Rankings of 2007. The new Administrators who have made a tremendous effort to uplift the game of Table Tennis in the country after taking-over the office of Table Tennis in last July has planned to release the National Table Tennis Rankings of 2007 within the next couple of days.

The Champion - Champions were duly crowned but if there was one victor who shone above all others, it was "Table Tennis"; the numbers, especially in the younger age groups were most impressive, a fact that must augur well for the future of Sri Lankan table tennis.

Numbers - The Senior National Championships attracted a total of two hundred and ten entries with one hundred and two players competing in the Men's Singles event and sixty-five in the Women's Singles but it was in the preceding Junior Championships where the numbers hit the ceiling.

No less than six hundred ten entries were received with one hundred and seventy-seven players competing in the Under 15 Boys' Singles event and one hundred and twelve in the counterpart Girls' Singles competition. Many a larger table tennis association would have been pleased with that response.

Young Age Groups - Meanwhile, the Under 10 Boys' Singles event saw one hundred and twenty-five entrants, the Under 12 Boys' Singles one hundred and sixty-five and the Under 18 Boys' Singles one hundred and fifty-seven.

Equally, the female entry was impressive. The Under 10 Girls' Singles event attracted no less than one hundred and ten entrants, the Under 12 Girls' Singles one hundred and forty and the Under 18 Girls' Singles eighty.

Senior Winners - Winner of the Men's Singles event was Rohan Sirisena, currently ranked number one in Sri Lanka. He won the title for the first time in his career. A watershed in the career of Rohan Sirisena but in the female events, the victor was no stranger to winning gold.

Deepika Rodrigo won the Women's Singles title for the ninth time and in addition to her singles success she won the Women's Doubles with Ruhansi Wijekoon and the Mixed Doubles with Indika Prasad.

Junior Winners - Similarly, in the Junior Championships there was a triple crown gained with Ishara Madrangi, currently the number one ranked woman in Sri Lanka, winning the Under 18 Girls' Singles title plus the Girls' Doubles with Dinusha Manoji and the Mixed Doubles with Chathura Viskam.

Distinctions - Winner of the Under 18 Boys' Singles title was Sahanaka Ganegoda whilst there was also a special award made to Srimali Wimalaranthe who successfully combined sport and education.

She won the Women's Singles title in 2006 and in her Advanced Level examinations gained three Grade A passes with distinction.

In 2008 there was one further Grade A pass with distinction, the winners being the Table Tennis Association of Sri Lanka for giving the New Year such a splendid start.

Deepika Rodrigo who won her 9th National Table Tennis Championship out of the 15 National Finals she has entered stated that this was the best National Championship that she has ever witnessed and extended her gratitude to the present Table Tennis Administration led by Rajiva Wijetunge, President of TTASL and Director/General Manager of Ceylinco Shriram.

Speaking at the award ceremony Wijetunge thanked the officials of the TTASL and the others who supported to make the event a grand success. He extended his gratitude to Mervyn Jayasinghe, Deputy Chairman of F & G Group for coming forward as sponsors for the event and for gracing the Finals and the Award Ceremony with his presence as Chief Guest.

Wijetunge speaking further extended a special appreciation to Ajith Gamage, Hony. Secretary TTASL for his generosity to sponsor the all Trophies and Certificates of the 61st Nationals and his hard work behind the scene to make year 2007 a successful year for Sri Lanka's Table Tennis. Gamage will leave Sri Lanka in February 2008 to take over duties as Regional Head South Asian Regional Operations his Company.

Jagath Rajapakse who Coached the Sri Lanka Team to win 3 Silver Medals and 6 Bronze Medals at the South Asian Games 2006 and who continuously supports Table Tennis of Sri Lanka from France, donated Rs 20,000/- to the TTASL to be given as Cash Awards for the Men's and Women's National Champions.

Mervyn Jayasinghe speaking at the Award Ceremony congratulated the President and the officials of the TTASL for organising the 61st National Championship at very high standard. He further stated that being a Table Tennis Player in the past that he looks forward to continue supporting Table Tennis of Sri Lanka.