News

46th Mustangs Trophy One-Day Encounter

Published

4 years ago

March 28, 2023

Editor

Rehan, Uvindu shine in Royals’ comfortable 7-wicket win

Half-centuries from Rehan Peris and Uvindu Weerasekara helped Royal College outplay arch-rivals S. Thomas’ College by 7 wickets and bag the 46th Mustangs Trophy one Day Encounter worked off at SSC Grounds, Colombo on Friday (24).

Batting first, the boys from Mt Lavinia were bundled out for 165 runs despite Senadhi Bulankulama’s lone cameo, and in reply, Royal achieved the target in just 37 overs.

Senadhi Bulankulama and Thishen Ehaliyagoda walked out to open the innings for S. Thomas’, but their partnership was short-lived, with Thishen being the first wicket to fall for just 5 runs.

One down batter Dineth Gunawardena also lasted just 19 balls as he was run out courtesy of a brilliant fielding effort from Bulan Weerathunga.

Adding salt to their wounds, their skipper Romesh Mendis also bit the dust when he walked back to the pavilion for just 2 runs to make things worse for the Thomians.

S. Thomas found themselves in a tight spot at ( ), but a desperate effort from Senadhi Bulankulama and Mahith Perera, who rotated the strike, saw them slowly reviving their innings.

However, the Royal bowlers didn’t allow any breathing space for the opposition to settle down, as they continued bowling good lines and lengths to put constant pressure on the Thomians.

Senadhi Bulankulama was the only batter to trouble the Royal bowling attack, and apart from him none of the other batters posed a threat to the Royalists.

Bulankulama went on to score a fighting 133 ball 66 runs including 4 boundaries, while Mahith Perera contributed 28 runs before the Thomians were bowled out for a below-par score of 165 runs inside 48.2 overs.

Bulan Weerathunga, Sandesh Ramanayaka and skipper Dasis Manchanayake shone with the ball claiming two wickets each, while Anush Polonnowita, Ranuka Malaviarachchi and Ramiru Perera chipped in with a wicket each.

In reply, it was a walk in the park for the Royalists as they achieved the target in just 37 overs.

Rehan Peris was the hero in the chase top scoring with a blistering 69 runs off 107 deliveries including 7 boundaries and a six, while middle-order batter Uvindu Weerasekara smashed a 68 ball 50 runs with 4 boundaries and 2 sixes to take their team home comfortably.

The win also saw Royal whitewashing the Thomians, as they also won the 144th ‘Battle of the Blues’ annual cricket encounter played for the Rt. Hon. D.S Senanayake Memorial Shield recently.

46 වැනි මස්ටැංග්ස් කුසලාන එක්දින හමුව

රෙහාන් සහ උවිඳු රාජකීයයන් කඩුලු 7ක පහසු ජයග්‍රහණයකින් බැබළේ

රෙහාන් පීරිස් සහ උවිඳු වීරසේකරගේ අර්ධ ශතක හේතුවෙන් රාජකීය විද්‍යාලය කඩුලු 7කින් පරම්පරාගත ප්‍රතිවාදී S. තෝමස් විද්‍යාලය අභිබවා ගොස් 46 වැනි මස්ටැංග්ස් කුසලාන එක්දින තරගය සිකුරාදා (24) කොළඹ SSC පිටියේදී නිමාවට පත්විය.

ප්‍රථමයෙන් පන්දුවට පහරදුන් ගල්කිස්ස බාලකයෝ ලකුණු 165කට දැවී ගිය අතර, සේනාධි බුලන්කුලමගේ හුදකලා ආරාධිතයා නොතකා, පිළිතුරු ලෙස රාජකීය විදුහල ඕවර 37කදී එම ඉලක්කය සපුරා ගත්තේය.

S. තෝමස් වෙනුවෙන් ඉනිම ආරම්භ කිරීමට සේනාධි බුලන්කුලම සහ තිශේන් ඇහැලියගොඩ පිටව ගිය නමුත් ඔවුන්ගේ සබඳතාව කෙටිකාලීන වූ අතර තිෂේන් පළමු කඩුල්ල ලෙස ලකුණු 5ක් පමණක් දැවී ගියේය.

බුලාන් වීරතුංගගේ විශිෂ්ට පන්දු රැකීමේ ප්‍රයත්නයෙන් දැවී යාමෙන් එක් පහළ පිතිකරු දිනෙත් ගුණවර්ධන ද දැවී ගියේ පන්දු 19ක් පමණි.

ඔවුන්ගේ තුවාලවලට ලුණු එකතු කරමින් ඔවුන්ගේ නායක රොමේෂ් මෙන්ඩිස් ද ලකුණු 2ක් පමණක් ලබා නැවත මණ්ඩපයට යන විට දූවිල්ල හපමින් තෝමස් පිලේ තත්ත්වය තවත් නරක අතට හැරිණි.

එස්. තෝමස් () හි දී දැඩි අසීරුතාවයකට පත් වූ නමුත්, පහර භ්‍රමණය කළ සේනාධි බුලන්කුලම සහ මහීත් පෙරේරාගේ මංමුලා සහගත උත්සාහය නිසා ඔවුන් සෙමෙන් සිය ඉනිම පණ ගන්වනු දක්නට ලැබිණි.

කෙසේ වෙතත්, රාජකීය පන්දු යවන්නන් ප්‍රතිවාදීන්ට කිසිදු හුස්ම ගැනීමේ ඉඩක් ලබා දුන්නේ නැත, මන්ද ඔවුන් තෝමියානුවන් මත නිරන්තර පීඩනයක් ඇති කිරීම සඳහා හොඳ රේඛා සහ දිග දිගේ පන්දු යවන බැවිනි.

රාජකීය පන්දු යැවීමේ ප්‍රහාරයට බාධා කළ එකම පිතිකරුවා සේනධි බුලන්කුලම වූ අතර ඔහු හැරුණු විට සෙසු කිසිදු පිතිකරුවෙක් රාජකීයයන්ට තර්ජනයක් වූයේ නැත.

බුලංකුලම පිල පන්දු 133කදී හතරේ පහර 4ක් සමඟින් ලකුණු 66ක් ලබා ගත් අතර මහීත් පෙරේරා ලකුණු 28කට දායක වූ අතර තෝමස් පිල ඕවර 48.2කදී ලකුණු 165කට අඩුවෙන් දැවී ගියේය.

පන්දු යැවීමේදී බුලන් වීරතුංග, සන්දේශ් රාමනායක සහ නායක දාසිස් මංචනායක කඩුලු 2 බැගින් දවාගත් අතර අනුෂ් පොළොන්නෝවිට, රනුක මලවිආරච්චි සහ රමිරු පෙරේරා කඩුල්ල බැගින් ද බිඳ දැමූහ.

පිළිතුරු ලෙස රාජකීය ක්‍රීඩකයින්ට එය උද්‍යානයේ ඇවිදීමක් වූ අතර ඔවුන් එම ඉලක්කය පන්දුවාර 37 කදී සපුරා ගත්හ.

රෙහාන් පීරිස් පන්දු 107කදී හතරේ පහර 7ක් සහ හයේ පහරක් සමගින් ලකුණු 69ක් රැස්කරමින් විශිෂ්ට පිතිහරඹයක නිරත වූ අතර මැදපෙළ පිතිකරු උවිඳු වීරසේකර පන්දු 68කදී හතරේ පහර 4ක් සහ හයේ පහර 2ක් සමඟින් ලකුණු 50ක් රැස්කරමින් තම කණ්ඩායම පහසුව කරා රැගෙන ගියේය. .

මෙම ජයග්‍රහණයෙන් රාජකීයයන් තෝමියානුවන්ට සුදු හුනු ගෑම ද දක්නට ලැබුණි, ඔවුන් Rt වෙනුවෙන් ක්‍රීඩා කළ 144 වැනි ‘Battle of the Blues’ වාර්ෂික ක්‍රිකට් තරගයද ජයග්‍රහණය කළේය. ගරු. D.S සේනානායක අනුස්මරණ පලිහ මෑතකදී.

46வது முஸ்டாங்ஸ் டிராபி ஒருநாள் சந்திப்பு

ரெஹான், உவிந்து ஆகியோர் ராயல்ஸ் 7 விக்கெட் வித்தியாசத்தில் வெற்றி பெற்றனர்

ரெஹான் பெரிஸ் மற்றும் உவிந்து வீரசேகர ஆகியோரின் அரை சதங்களின் மூலம் றோயல் கல்லூரியின் பரம எதிரிகளான எஸ். தோமஸ் கல்லூரியை 7 விக்கெட்டுகள் வித்தியாசத்தில் வீழ்த்தி 46வது முஸ்டாங்ஸ் டிராபி ஒருநாள் என்கவுன்டர் வெள்ளிக்கிழமை (24) கொழும்பு SSC மைதானத்தில் நடைபெற்றது.

முதலில் துடுப்பெடுத்தாடிய கல்கிசையைச் சேர்ந்த சிறுவர்கள் சேனாதி புலங்குளமவின் தனி ஆட்டத்தை மீறி 165 ஓட்டங்களுக்கு ஆட்டமிழந்தனர், பதிலுக்கு றோயல் வெறும் 37 ஓவர்களில் இலக்கை அடைந்தது.

சேனாதி புலங்குளம மற்றும் திஷேன் எஹலியகொட ஆகியோர் S. தோமஸ் இன் இன்னிங்ஸைத் தொடங்குவதற்கு வெளியேறினர், ஆனால் அவர்களது பார்ட்னர்ஷிப் சிறிது காலம் நீடித்தது, திஷேன் 5 ரன்களுக்கு முதல் விக்கெட்டாக வீழ்ந்தார்.

ஒன் டவுன் பேட்டர் தினேத் குணவர்தனவும் 19 பந்துகளுக்கு மட்டுமே நீடித்து, புலன் வீரதுங்கவின் சிறப்பான பீல்டிங் முயற்சியால் ரன் அவுட் ஆனார்.

அவர்களின் காயங்களுக்கு உப்பு சேர்த்து, அவர்களின் கேப்டன் ரொமேஷ் மெண்டிஸும் 2 ரன்களுக்கு பெவிலியனுக்கு திரும்பி நடந்தபோது தூசி கடித்தார், தோமியன்களுக்கு விஷயங்களை மோசமாக்கினார்.

எஸ். தோமஸ் ( ) இல் ஒரு இறுக்கமான இடத்தில் தங்களைக் கண்டார், ஆனால் சேனாதி புலங்குளம மற்றும் மஹித் பெரேரா ஆகியோரின் அவநம்பிக்கையான முயற்சியால் ஸ்டிரைக்கைச் சுழற்றினார், அவர்கள் மெதுவாக தங்கள் இன்னிங்ஸை மீட்டெடுத்தனர்.

இருப்பினும், ராயல் பந்துவீச்சாளர்கள் எதிரணியை நிலைநிறுத்துவதற்கு எந்த சுவாச இடத்தையும் அனுமதிக்கவில்லை, ஏனெனில் அவர்கள் தொடர்ந்து நல்ல கோடுகள் மற்றும் நீளங்களை வீசியதால் தோமியன்களுக்கு நிலையான அழுத்தம் கொடுக்கப்பட்டது.

சேனாதி புலங்குளம மட்டுமே றோயல் பந்துவீச்சு தாக்குதலுக்கு சிக்கலை ஏற்படுத்தினார், அவரைத் தவிர மற்ற எந்த பேட்டர்களும் ராயல்ஸ்டுகளுக்கு அச்சுறுத்தலாக இருக்கவில்லை.

புலங்குளம போராடி 133 பந்துகளில் 4 பவுண்டரிகள் உட்பட 66 ரன்கள் எடுத்தார், அதே நேரத்தில் மஹித் பெரேரா 28 ரன்கள் எடுத்தார், தோமியன்ஸ் பந்துவீச்சில் 48.2 ஓவர்களுக்குள் 165 ரன்கள் குறைவாக இருந்தது.

பந்து வீச்சில் புலன் வீரதுங்க, சந்தேஷ் ராமநாயக்க மற்றும் அணித்தலைவர் தாசிஸ் மஞ்சநாயக்க ஆகியோர் தலா இரண்டு விக்கெட்டுகளையும், அனுஷ் பொலொன்னோவிட்ட, ரணுக மளவியராச்சி மற்றும் ரமிரு பெரேரா ஆகியோர் தலா ஒரு விக்கெட்டையும் கைப்பற்றினர்.

பதிலுக்கு, 37 ஓவர்களில் அவர்கள் இலக்கை அடைந்ததால், ராயல்ஸ்டுக்கு இது பூங்காவில் ஒரு நடை.

ரெஹான் பெரிஸ் 107 பந்துகளில் 7 பவுண்டரிகள் மற்றும் ஒரு சிக்ஸர் உள்ளடங்கலாக 69 ஓட்டங்களை விளாசினார், அதே சமயம் மத்திய வரிசை வீரர் உவிந்து வீரசேகர 68 பந்துகளில் 4 பவுண்டரிகள் மற்றும் 2 சிக்ஸர்களுடன் 50 ஓட்டங்களை விளாசினார். .

இந்த வெற்றியானது தோமியன்ஸை ஒயிட்வாஷ் செய்வதையும் ராயல் கண்டது, ஏனெனில் அவர்கள் Rtக்காக விளையாடிய 144வது ‘பேட்டில் ஆஃப் தி ப்ளூஸ்’ வருடாந்திர கிரிக்கெட் சந்திப்பையும் வென்றனர். கௌரவ. டி.எஸ் சேனநாயக்கா நினைவு கேடயம் சமீபத்தில்.

News

Sri Lanka Crowned Runners-Up at Inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship 2026

Published

16 hours ago

November 1, 2026

Editor

Sri Lanka’s men’s kabaddi team secured a historic silver medal at the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship 2026, finishing as runners-up after reaching the tournament final in Ahmedabad, India.

The Sri Lankan team faced hosts India in the men’s final on 31 October at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, where India secured a 54–20 victory to claim the inaugural championship title.

Despite missing out on the gold medal, Sri Lanka’s journey to the final marked a significant achievement for the country’s kabaddi programme on the international stage.

Sri Lanka’s Road to the Final

Sri Lanka demonstrated impressive form throughout the men’s competition, competing against some of the strongest kabaddi nations in the Commonwealth.

The team recorded several important victories during the group stage, including wins against Scotland (53–10), England (50–22), Nigeria (53–14) and Bangladesh (31–20).

Although Sri Lanka suffered a defeat against Kenya and later against India in the group stage, the team progressed to the knockout stages.

In the semi-final, Sri Lanka produced an outstanding performance to overcome Kenya 28–24 in a closely contested encounter, securing their place in the historic final against India.

However, the hosts proved too strong in the final, dominating the contest to secure a 54–20 victory and claim the men’s championship.

Sri Lanka Women Finish with a Medal

Sri Lanka’s women’s team also delivered a commendable campaign at the inaugural championship.

The team recorded victories against Scotland, England and Bangladesh during the group stage, earning a place in the semi-finals.

However, they were unable to overcome India in the last four, going down 39–14.

With the semi-final defeat, Sri Lanka secured a bronze medal in the women’s competition, while Uganda went on to defeat Kenya 23–21 to reach the final.

India subsequently defeated Uganda 35–15 in the women’s final to complete a double championship triumph.

A Historic Championship for Kabaddi

The inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship was held from 23 to 31 October 2026 in Ahmedabad, bringing together 13 men’s teams and 10 women’s teams from across the Commonwealth.

The competition provided a new international platform for kabaddi, bringing together nations from Asia, Africa, Europe and other regions.

India claimed both the men’s and women’s titles, while Sri Lanka finished with silver in the men’s competition and bronze in the women’s event.

Sri Lanka’s performances represent an encouraging milestone for the sport and provide a strong foundation for the continued development of kabaddi in the country.

Men’s Champions: India
Men’s Runners-up: Sri Lanka

Women’s Champions: India
Women’s Runners-up: Uganda
Women’s Bronze: Sri Lanka and Kenya

News

BALL BLASTER 2026: SRI LANKA’S BIGGEST SCHOOL FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT RETURNS BIGGER THAN EVER

Published

2 months ago

September 17, 2026

Editor

24 Schools, 15 Venues and Three National Trophies as Ball Blaster Enters Its Third Year

COLOMBO — Ball Blaster, Sri Lanka’s premier school football tournament, is set to return in 2026 with its biggest edition yet, organized by Aasgard Sports (Private) Limited in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Schools Football Association and the Ministry of Education.

Now entering its third year, Ball Blaster has grown from 2023 with 20 schools into one of the country’s largest youth football events. The 2025 edition featured 16 schools competing across four groups, drawing national broadcast attention through Sri Lankan Sports TV and PEO TV. For 2026, the tournament expands significantly, with 24 schools set to compete across 15 venues nationwide, in a season spanning six weeks and 84 matches.

A NEW FORMAT: THREE TROPHIES, THREE CHAMPIONS

The standout feature of Ball Blaster 2026 is a new three-tier trophy format. Schools will be drawn into four groups of six, playing a round-robin group stage before advancing into one of three parallel championships based on their group finish: the Cup Trophy for group winners, the Bowl Trophy for runners-up, and the Plate Trophy for second runners-up. The format ensures every participating school remains in contention for a national title deep into the tournament.

All three championships will reach their conclusion on the same finals weekend, with third-place playoffs and grand finals for the Cup, Bowl and Plate trophies all being played at Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo.

“Ball Blaster has always been about giving young footballers a stage,” said a spokesperson for Aasgard Sports. “This year, we’re expanding that stage to every corner of the island, and making sure every school that takes part has something real to play for, right to the final whistle.”

BUILDING ON A STRONG 2025

Ball Blaster’s growth has been underpinned by strong sponsor support. The 2025 edition was backed by Lifebuoy as Title Sponsor, alongside Lemonade as Refreshing Partner and Sky Market Travels as Travelling Partner. Organizers say conversations are already underway with returning and new sponsors ahead of the 2026 season, as the tournament’s expanded scale — nationwide venues, a longer season and three separate finals — offers significantly greater visibility for partners.

BROADCAST AND COVERAGE

As in previous years, Ball Blaster 2026 will be broadcast live via Sri Lankan Sports TV and PEO Sports, with matches also available on YouTube and across Sri Lankan Sports TV’s digital platforms.

For sponsorship and partnership enquiries, contact: Pasindu Mihiranga Sri Lankan Sports TV | Aasgard Sports (Private) Limited 0726 85 18 18 marketing@srilankansportstv.com

www.srilankansportstv.com

Football

Jaswar Umar Hails FIFA Series as Turning Point for Sri Lankan Football

Published

2 months ago

September 10, 2026

Editor

Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) President Jaswar Umar has described the inaugural FIFA Series in Colombo as a major milestone for the country’s football development, saying the tournament has given Sri Lanka renewed confidence and a stronger connection with the international game.

Umar, who has been involved in efforts to strengthen Sri Lankan football administration and development, said hosting the tournament demonstrated that developing football nations could compete on the global stage when given meaningful opportunities.

The FIFA Series, held in Colombo in March 2024, brought Sri Lanka together with Bhutan, Papua New Guinea and the Central African Republic. The four participating nations represented three different confederations, giving Sri Lanka an unusual opportunity to face teams with different playing styles.

Sri Lanka completed its campaign unbeaten, drawing 0-0 against Papua New Guinea and defeating Bhutan 2-0. Umar said the matches provided valuable experience for the national team and helped players adapt to different forms of international competition.

DOHA, QATAR – DECEMBER 17: FIFA President Gianni Infantino with Football Federation of Sri Lanka President Jaswar Umar during a meeting on December 17, 2024 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Serhat Akin/FIFA)

He stressed that the benefits extended beyond the football field. Sri Lankan officials involved in administration, technical operations, media, medical services and event management gained practical experience in organising matches to international standards.

The Racecourse Ground also received an important upgrade through assistance from FIFA’s Forward Programme. The renovation enabled the historic Colombo venue to host international football and created improved facilities for future events.

Umar said one of the most important achievements was bringing international football closer to Sri Lankan supporters. Young fans were able to watch national players compete against foreign opposition in their own city, helping to inspire a new generation.

He thanked FIFA and its President Gianni Infantino for supporting developing football nations.

According to Umar, the FIFA Series has left Sri Lanka with more than match results. It has provided international experience, stronger administrative capabilities, improved infrastructure and, most importantly, renewed belief in the future of Sri Lankan football.