Chamil, Roshita annex men and women’s carrom titles
Chamil Cooray and Joseph Roshita clinched the Men’s and Women’s singles titles respectively at the 13th President’s Cup Carrom Championship which concluded at the Carrom Federation of Sri Lanka headquarters in Maharagama yesterday.
Cooray dislodged the supremacy of reigning national champion Nishantha Fernando by two straight sets in the final to annex the Men’s Singles title with ease. The first set in the final was settled in a high- scoring affair after both slicers dragged it before Cooray claimed it by 25/20. The winner was much cosier in the second set which he claimed by 25/16. Cooray beat Mohamed Sherifdeen at two-nil (25/15, 25/12) while Fernando took the better off Viraj Fernando by 2-1 (25/1, 20/25, 25/0) in the semi-finals.
Roshita beat former national champion Yashika Rahubadda in the Women’s Singles final to hop towards the title with two straight sets after recording comfortable wins at 25/9 and 25/6. She destroyed Chalani Lakmali’s progress in the semi-final stage by recording an easy 2-0 (25/4, 25/20) wins while Rahubadda too had a comfortable passage against Madushika Kanchanamala by 2-0 (25/20, 25/5)
Nishantha Fernando bounced back from his semi-final defeat in the Men’s Singles to pair up with Brindley Wickremasinghe on their way to clinch the Men’s Doubles title yesterday. Fernando and Wickremasinghe beat Mohamed Sherifdeen and Mohamed Hilmy by two straight sets but they had to work hard for the win. The first set was relatively on the board of Fernando and Wickremasinghe who won it at 25/16. But the second set went down to the wire as Sherifdeen and Hilmy retaliated to almost force a third set before conceding the win by a slender 25/24. The winners qualified for the final after beating Udesh Chandima and Sajith Ishanka 2-0 (25/23, 25/9) while the losers brought down Charith Madushanka and M. Dayanandan 2-1 (22/25, 25/4, 25/5) in a three- setter in the semis.
The Josephs, Roshita and Dilki, enjoyed a pushover win against Chalani Lakmali and Arosha Wickremasinghe to clinch the Women’s Doubles title. Lakmali and Wickremasinghe were no match to the Josephs who swept the finals by 25/9 and 25/0, after overcoming Maduka Dilshani and Rebecca Dalrene by 2-0 (25/15, 25/10) in the semi-final. Lakmali and Wickremasinghe overcame Madusha Withana and Maduwanthi Gunadasa by 2-0 (25/3, 25/11) in the semi-final. The 25th Federation Cup Carrom Championship will begin from September 1 at Maharagama.