Trinity trio stacking up TT titles
Trinity College Kandy is on the verge of producing table tennis prodigies of the future through the Manzil brothers - Anan, Abdullah and Attaab. The trio displayed their potential in the sport when they performed creditably at the recently concluded All-Island Ranking Tournament, conducted by the Table Tennis Association of Sri Lanka (TTASL).
Attaab (7), who is the youngest of the three, is currently ranked number one in the Boy’s Under-8 age category. He has already won two All-Island tournaments in the ongoing calendar year of the TTASL. This year he maintained his stranglehold in the Under-8 age category at the All-Island tournament, conducted by the Ping Pong Academy, when he overcame Rasika Gunasekara of Sussex International to clinch his first title. This year he emerged champion at the All-Island Tibhar tournament in his age category after beating Sanjeewa Hulungamuwa of S. Thomas’ College. The young paddler within a year has become a capable contender in the table tennis world with some exquisite stroke play. Despite his tender age, Attaab has already shown that he will be a player to be reckoned with in the future.
Abdullah, who reached a final in the boy’s Under-10 ranking competition, the Ashok Melvani tournament, has now become the cynosure at many tournaments in his age group. In fact it was the first occasion that a table tennis player from Trinity rode to the top of this age category in nearly two decades. Abdullah started his winning streak by clinching the Central Province Under-10 title in 2011. After that feat he reached the semi-final stage three times at All-Island Ranking Tournaments before annexing the boy’s Under-10 Novices title at the Tibhar championship. Abdullah has also played several crucial roles in the Under10 team category while steering his team to many victories. Abdullah first established himself as a table tennis prodigy way back in 2010 by clinching the Kandy District Under-10 singles title. Since then he has developed himself into an exciting player to watch. His prowess as a star player was further proved when Abdullah beat the Junior Boy’s Under-15 second seed Supuna Warusawithara of Dharmashoka College in a surprise victory, at the Invitation Tournament conducted by the Nuwara Eliya Table Tennis Association. At present he is the number four ranked player in the Under-10 age category.The elder brother of the trio, Anan, is the captain of Trinity Under-12 table tennis team, which eventually became the Division ‘C’ team champions this year. Anan reached the semi-final and quarterfinal stages at many All-Island tournaments. Incidentally Anan, who is among the top 12 players in the Under-12 age category, and his brother Abdullah are in the Sri Lanka Under-12 pool. Some years ago these siblings were total newcomers to the sport as they were in the receiving end at many competitions. But with the guidance of G.M.D.S. Kumara, today the Manzil trio is emerging to be great table tennis players for the future. Presently they are proud of their achievements which have brought pride to their school.