Matheesha and Chanithma claim top Junior Squash honours

Matheesha Wijesekara of Royal College and Chanithma Sinaly of Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya were crowned Junior National Boys’ and Girls’ Players of the Year at the 35th Sri Lanka Junior National Squash Championship, which concluded on Saturday at the Air Force Squash Complex in Ratmalana.

The PSA Satellite event, organized by Sri Lanka Squash and sponsored by Ritzbury, also saw Manula Kareendra of DS Senanayake College and Ifra Booso of St. Paul’s Girls School, Milagiriya, win the Most Promising Junior Boy and Girl Player of the Year awards.

In the Boys’ Under-19 final, Matheesha Wijesekara defeated his Royal College teammate, Tharul Pinwatta, to claim the Junior National Title, with Pinwatta finishing as the runner-up. Vishan Ranatunga of Gateway College Colombo secured third place, while PM Thalagala of Defence Services College Colombo took fourth.

In the Girls’ Under-19 category, former national champion and top-ranked Sri Lankan player, Chanithma Sinaly, emerged victorious over Adhithi Gunasekara of Ladies’ College to claim the title. Gunasekara finished in second place, with Ranliya Wood of Lindsay Girls’ College securing third and Ashendri Mendis of Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya finishing fourth.

The Under-17 category saw a repeat of the boys’ Under-19 results, as Matheesha Wijesekara once again defeated Tharul Pinwatta, claiming the Under-17 title as well. Mohomed Rilwan of St. Joseph’s College secured third place, and Manuth Dassanayake of Gateway College Colombo finished fourth.

In the Girls’ Under-17 division, Adhithi Gunasekara of Ladies’ College took the championship, while Ifra Booso of St. Paul’s Girls’ School Milagiriya finished as the runner-up. Nirushi Wickramasinghe of Anula Vidyalaya Nugegoda secured third place, and Senomi Silva of Musaeus College finished fourth.

Dominance in the Under-15 Category Manuth Dassanayake of Gateway College and Ifra Booso continued their strong performances in the Under-15 age group, with Dassanayake winning the Boys’ Championship and Booso claiming the Girls’ Championship. Manula Kareendra of DS Senanayake College finished as the runner-up in the boys’ category, while PN Wickramasinghe of Anula Vidyalaya took second place in the girls’ division.

Nimnath Silva of DS Senanayake College claimed third place in the boys’ Under-15 category, with Randil Siriwardena of S. Thomas’ College finishing fourth. In the girls’ division, Sithumli Mendis of Gateway College secured third place, and Thedara Liyanage of Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya finished fourth.

 Source:Daily News