Lanka News – Lanka Gazette – Sri Lanka News Portal

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) employees are fuming as the SLC top brass waste the hard-earned money of cricketers on overseas tours while asking them to suggest ways and means of cutting down expenses.
Sri Lanka Cricket, running on an overdraft running on to several millions is under pressure to reduce it expenditure as its financial situation is fast deteriorating and through an internal memo has requested its employees to submit proposals to cut down cost. Continue Reading

Minister of Sports CB Ratnayaka says the controversial Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) will be held on May 21 (Friday) at the Sports Ministry auditorium.
The minister made this revelation to LAKBIMAnEWS in the wake of the International Rugby Board (IRB) having affirmed moves to slap a ban on Sri Lanka’s membership if an elected body is not installed to the local controlling body before June 1 this year. Continue Reading

St. Peter’s College, Bambalapitiya went on yet another try spree as they thrashed Dharmaraja College, Kandy 58-0 in their lop-sided President’s Trophy league inter-school group ‘A’ rugby match concluded at Bambalapitiya yesterday.
The Peterites who are one of the form teams in this year’s championship raked in no fewer than 10 scorching tries in a dazzling display of expansive rugby as the visitors caved in.
The home side who are the current leaders of the league points table made up their tally with four converted tries and six tries having led 31-0 at half-time. Continue Reading

Royal College, Colombo also enjoyed rich tidings as they trounced St. Anthony’s College, Katugastota 35-18 in their President’s Trophy league inter-school group ‘A’ rugby match ended at Royal Sports Complex yesterday evening.
The hosts who trailed 15-5 at half-time collected their points from a converted try, five tries and a penalty goal to which the visitors could reply with three tries and a penalty goal. Continue Reading

S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia beat Trinity College, Kandy 40-30 in a high-scoring President’s Trophy league inter-school group ‘A’ rugby match ended at Pallekele yesterday evening.
As a result of this win, the Thomians retained the Canon RS de Saram Shield for a second successive season.
The winners who led 20-13 at the short whistle of referee D Nimal, scored their points from three converted tries, two tries and three penalty goals to which the hosts countered with two converted tries, two tries and two penalty goals in a game that featured nine tries. Continue Reading

Sri Lanka hockey team beat Thailand by 4 goals to 3 in their Asian Championship qualifying round match at Dhaka, Bangladesh yesterday.
For Sri Lanka MM Mulafer (02), NDB Dissanayake (01) and DT Panditharatna (01) scored goals. Sri Lanka’s next and final game will be played against Singapore today (16).
Earlier Sri Lanka drew their matches against Chinese Taipei and hosts Bangladesh and lost to Hong Kong and Oman.
The match against Chinese Taipei ended 3-3 and the match against Bangladesh too ended similarly. Continue Reading

The final of the Twenty20 World Cup will be played today. And two deserving teams are in the final. England and Australia are well organized and have shown their class right throughout the tournament. England was the side to watch. This time around England has some exciting players and they seem to be spot on when it comes to selections. Both the teams have got good opening pairs who can use power play (first six overs) to their advantage. They are followed by a good middle order which can belt the ball over the rope when it comes to acceleration. Continue Reading

Though included in the T20 World Cup probables’ list after his impressive performances in the Inter-provincial T20 championships, Jeevantha Kulatunga may not make it to the final squad.

The selectors took a u-turn from their previous decision to overlook the man of the series at the inter-provincial tournament to add him to the list.

According to Sri Lanka Cricket media release issued last week, “Jeevantha was included into the squad considering his outstanding performance in the recently concluded Bank of Ceylon Inter-Provincial Twenty20 tournament.”

“He is included only for training,” said chairman of selectors Ashantha de Mel ruling out the 36-year old making the final 15.
Kulatunga is one of most prolific batsmen in the inter-provincial T20 tournament and was instrumental in Wayamaba clinching their successive title. Kulataunga scored 277 runs at 69.25, which included the only century of the series – an unbeaten 104, the fastest Twenty20 century recorded in Sri Lanka. The 2010 World Twenty20 will be played from April 30 to May 16. Sri Lanka the runner-up of the previous edition will kick off its campaign against New Zealand in the opening encounter on April 30, in group B. Zimbabwe is the other team in the group.

Sri Lanka probables squad for the 2010 World Twenty20: Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Chamara Kapugedara, Angelo Mathews, Chinthaka Jayasinghe, Thissara Perera, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Suraj Randiv, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Nuwan Kulasekera, Thilan Thushara, Chanaka Welegedara, Suranga Lakmal, Farveez Maharoof, Isuru Udana, Malinga Bandara, Mahela Udawatte, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dinesh Chandimal, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, Kaushalya Weeraratne, Kaushal Silva, Chamara Silva, Upul Tharanga, Jeewan Mendis, Nuwan Zoysa, Jeevantha Kulatunga.

Royal College, Colombo retained the coveted Mustangs Trophy for the second successive season when they handed out a 133-run pasting to traditional rivals S. Thomas’ College MT. Lavinia on the back of an undefeated 104 by opener Chalaka Bogoda in their one-sided 35th annual limited overs cricket encounter which ended at SCC grounds yesterday evening.

S. Thomas’ chasing an imposing Royal total of 289 for 6 never really threatened the target and were shot out for 156 with seven and a half overs yet remaining, as Royal’s big match star Ramith Rambukwella proved to be the chief wrecker with impressive figures of 3 for 28.

Rambuwekka who destroyed the Thomian bowling attack with a majestic165 in the Battle of the Blues big match last week with the willow, returned to haunt the Mount Lavinia school with his off breaks this time, as the game took a lop-sided turn in the afternoon.

Earlier, Chalaka Bogoda provided much-needed solidity at the top of the order for Royal with his splendid innings of 104 not out after three of their big guns co-opener Ramith Rambukwella, skipper Bhanuka Rajapakse and Kithruwan Vithanage had perished cheaply.

Bogoda’s knock which came off 120 deliveries was studded with eight boundaries as he received fine support from the likes of Madusha Rajaratne (60) and Waruna Dissanayake (44) in the middle-order for Royal to amass a match-winning total in their allotted 50 overs.

For S. Thomas’ pacer Nilaksha Fernando bowled best to return figures of 3 for 49.

In turn, the Thomians floundered from the outset and never quite recovered losing wickets at regular intervals with Royal captain Rajapakse (2/18) and Gaurav Deva (2/25) also adding valuable support to Rambukwella in the bowling department to dispatch their rivals comfortably.

As a result of yesterday’s thumping victory, Royal lead the Mustangs series tally with 18 wins to 16 by the Thomians with the 2002 match ending in a tie.

Chief Scores

Royal 289/6 wkts in 50 overs (Chalaka Bogoda 104 no., Madusha Rajaratne 60, Waruna Dissanayake 44, Maneesha Thanthirigoda 21 no, Nilaksha Fernando 3/49) S. Thomas’ 156 in 42.3 overs (S Liyanarachchi 28, Sachin Peiris 23, Ramith Rambukwella 3/28, Bhanuka Rajapakse 2/18, Gaurav Deva 2/21)

South Asia’s fastest man Shehan Ambepitiya suggests that only a rewarding system could bring back the golden era of athletics which helped Sri Lanka reach new heights in the late 90’s as most of the young athletes are a demoralized lot at present.
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