Sri Lanka to face Scotland in opener
Sri Lanka will face Scotland in the opening game of the 8th World Youth Netball Championships in Botswana from July 8 to 16.
This has been decided by the Tournament Committee of the International Federation of Netball (IFN).
In the first round Sri Lanka will play four matches from Group ‘A’. The second match for Sri Lanka will be against Northern Ireland on July 9. July 10 is a Rest Day for Sri Lanka. The third game will be on July 11 against Samoa. The last match in the first round on July 12 will be against New Zealand.
In the 2013 edition of the competition held in Glasgow, Scotland New Zealand emerged champions.
Twenty teams are taking part in the competition. They are:
Group ‘B’: Australia, South Africa, Barbados, Zimbabwe and Singapore. Group ‘C’: Jamaica, Botswana, Cook Islands, Malaysia and Uganda. Group ‘D’: England, Fiji, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales and Grenada.
200 netball players and 100 team officials will take part in the competition featuring 70 games.
The Sri Lanka pool for the competition will start training from tomorrow onwards for 20 days at the Panagoda Army Camp ( mornings) and the evening sessions at the Torrington Indoor Stadium.
On June 17, after final selections, the team will be announced. There are 20 members training in the pool currently.
Sri Lanka qualified for the competition as Asian champions but at the Asian Youth Championships in South Korea, Sri Lanka received a setback, when they were placed fourth. Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera has said that it is not worthy to send the team to Botswana.
The current President of the Sri Lanka Netball Federation Yasa Ramachandra and the future president Trixie Nanayakkara and others met the Minister and after discussions, the Minister decided to send the team to the competition.
Three coaches have been appointed to train the pool. They are former National Coach Hyacinth Wijesinghe (Consultant Coach), Junior Coaches, Janaki Gunasekera and Amalka Gunatilleke.
Jayanthi Somasekeram De Silva, a former Sri Lanka skipper, has been appointed as the Manager of the team. This is the first time that Sri Lanka is taking part in a world youth tournament.
The Sri Lanka Youth Netball Pool: Bimanya Ratnayake (Ladies College Colombo), Natasha Aluwihare (Hillwood College Kandy), Rashmi Divyanjali ( Presbyterian), H.D.N.T.M. Hapuarachchi (Navy), Lakshani Gamage (Army), Mandira Charuni (Seylan Bank), Rashmi Nirmani (CDB Finance), Kavisha Rajapakse, Malsa Sathsari (Seylan Bank), Sachini Hirunika (Army), Hasini Perera (Army), Nadee Madushika Fernando (Kalutara), W.A.D.M.A. N. Warnakula (Navy), Aloka Udani Dissanayake (High School Kandy), Dilshani Kaveesha (Sacred Heart Convent Galle), Susima Kumari Bandara (HFC Kurunegala), Melani Wijesinghe (Visakha Vidyalaya Colombo), Sethmi Dhanoshi (HFC Kurunagala), Imesha Nirmani (Navy) and Ganya Henanayake (Ladies College Colombo).