ALL ISLAND TT IN NILAMBE Chalitha snatches win from the jaws of defeat

The big prize may have eluded him, due to fatigue than anything else, but there is no gainsaying the magnificent achievement of the tiny, fifteenyear-old Udaya Ranasinghe at the All Island TT championships held ay the Jagath Rajapakse Stadium in NilambeHaving won both the Under 15 and Under 18 titles, Udaya, for good measure, also claimed the Men’s Doubles event pairing with B.N.B. Jayasinghe. To cap it all off, Udaya beat the eventual champion K.S.T. Chalitha Rangana quite convincingly in the league stage.

However, when it came to the Open Final, a different approach from Chalitha unsettled Udaya Rannasinghe. Fatigue and weariness, as a result of playing too many events, cost Udaya, who was three sets to 1 up against Chalitha, the final. The final was a feast of TT for the connoisseur. Both players traded in counter top spinning from both wings. They were long back-handed rallies, combined with superb placements and body ball attack by both finalists. It maybe cliché tic, but Chalitha’s win was all about snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.

Ishara Madurangi overcame Nuwani Navodya quite comfortably in the Open Women’s final. Nuwani had the satisfaction of beating Ishara in the league stage but in the final Nu- wani found Ishara’s powerful smashes too hot to handle. Results

Girls - Under 10: Dilmi Colombage (Prajapathi Gothami) beat Aashika Sathsarani (Dharmasoka); Under 12: Hansani Piumika (Anula BV) beat Natasha Sadavini (Maliyadeva BV); der 15: Pavani Navodya (Dharmasoka) beat Ruwani Kannangara (Musaeus).

Boys - Under 10: Savinda Tennekoon (Dharmaraja) beat Abdullah Manzil (Trinity); Under 12: Chathura Gunasekera (Sussex Kandy) beat Sishanka Tennekoon (Dharmaraja); Under 15: Udaya Ranasinghe (Vidyartha) beat Randula Warsuvithane (Dharmasoka).

Men’s Singles: K.S.T. Chalitha Rangana (Seylan) beat Udaya Ranasinghe 7/11, 11/6, 8/11, 7/11, 11/7, 11/9, 11/9.

Women’s Singles: Ishara Madurangi (SLAF) beat Nuwani Navodya (Dharmasoka) 6/11, 11/2, 11/7, 11/4, 11/2, 11/3.

Men’s Doubles:

Udaya Ranasinghe, B.N.B. Jayasinghe beat Milinda Lakshita, Rohan Sirisena.

Mixed Doubles: Nuwani Navodya, Pubudu Chanuka beat Shanika Silva, Milinda Lakshita.

Women’s Doubles: Ishara Madurangi, Maulee Pieris beat Shanika Silva, Nirmani Silva.