• "We didn't come to lose", - Ranatunga
• Lankan born Roshan Amendra is Canada’s future athletic prospect
• ReflectionS
  Cricket beyond a passion
• When Hutton dropped the great Alec Bedser
• Rugby's 'Bang, Bang' man Niranjan
• A fifth title for Brazil or French champagne?
• Sri Lanka Ladies Open Stroke Play C'ships
• Ranatunga says 'we are very positive'
• Trinity table leaders in Kandy/Kurunegala Zone

We didn't come to lose - Ranatunga

From Sujeeva Nivunhella in London
"We didn't come here to lose,'' said skipper Arjuna Ranatunge speaking at his first press conference at the commencement of the English tour of the Sri Lanka cricketers.

Ranatunge who was very upbeat about the prospects of Muralitharan said: "We don't have an Allan Donald but we do have Muttiah Muralitharan who is one of the world's top spinners. Ours is a positive side.''

He said that they were not going to say that "we are going to thrash everybody, that's not right,'' indicated that Aravinda de Silva will be a key player. Rating de Silva to be among the world's three best batsmen, Ranatunge said that it would have been nice if he could have played in a 3-Test series.

"As the World Cup is being played in England next year, we could use this tour to get used to the English pitches,'' he said.

Ranatunge was accompanied by Manager Ranjit Fernando and Coach Roy Dias for the press conference at Lord's on Friday.

Meanwhile Queen Elizabeth has indicated her interest at seeing the Lankans in action at the World Cup. She said so in a letter to the organisers of the Sri Lanka Day at Essex scheduled for July 19.

Funds raised in this event will help purchase cricket equipment for needy children in the provinces. Aravinda de Silva and Sanath Jayasuriya are scheduled to make an appearance at this event.

The Lankan team which arrived on Thursday practiced at Lord's on Friday and Southampton on Saturday prior to their opening game against Hampshire today (Sunday).

They will play in a triangular limited over tournament against England and South Africa in August and also play England in a single Test match.

By Shirajiv Sirimane in Galle
Striking Gold at Olympics is any athlete's ultimate goal. But only around 600 sporting personalties out of around 11,000 participants can achieve that. A once in a lifetime chance, in every four years.

For this tiny island only one athlete, Duncan White came in sight of the 1948, 400 metre hurdles Gold Medal and stopped at the silver. The second athlete who some foresee as an Olympic Games sprint final round competitor is, Susanthika Jayasinghe.

Volumes have been written about these two hero and heroine, but only a very few have focused their eyes on yet another bright and brimming character Gymnast Roshan Amendra.

Passing the 21st milestone in his life, Roshan became a household name in Toronto, Canada since 1997. But after being selected to the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Roshan is now the much talked of sporting subject in Canada.

His father Percy, who is the mentor in a career that has culminated with a series of successes for Roshan, is now in town on holiday.

Hailing from the famous Amendra brothers he took some time off his busy schedule to pour his heart out to the ‘Sunday Island’ readers. He says that success needs dedication, sacrifice and courage. This is what I taught Roshan since he was six years old.

Percy together with his four brothers played for the same school (Mahinda) in the Richmond-Mahinda ‘Big Match’ nearly four decades ago. This record is acknowledged even by the Guinness and the Wisden Cricket Almanack and is yet to be erased by any similar achievement. This mark is likely to remain for ever, untarnished.

This backdrop and the highly professional manner in Percy has guided Roshan to the top spot in Canadian gymnastics systematically.

The Canadian Gymnastic Authorities too are banking on Roshan Amendra and a few others for their 2000 Sydney Olympic medals. They have decided to pool these players at ‘Kingswood’ to keep athletes living and working together in one place.

It was sheer dedication that saw Roshan turn down a scholarship opportunity at Nebraska and opt to attend university of New Brunswick while he trains.

Five of Amendra’s teammates are there right now and organizers are trying to get the whole gymnastic team there.

For Amendra, 21, it’s one more step toward his lifelong goal of going to the Olympics. He has been involved in gymnastics since he was six years old.

He has competed in world competitions before. He went to Puerto Rico in his second year as a junior and Switzerland for the senior competition. But he missed out on his chance to make it to Atlanta when he got very sick at the Canadian qualifying meet.

Instead of quitting, however, Amendra discovered a new commitment to reaching his Olympic goal. And now he is leaving everything he knows — his family friends and community — to go all out to Sydney, host of the 2000 Games.

In the case of Roshan Amendra, sports and academics do mix. He is now a second year undergraduate at the university of Toronto. His versatility at the keyboard is exceptional and he is also a rated List Player of the Canadian Chess Federation.

Roshan Amendra began to show talent at the early age of four, and his father Percy, himself an athlete and sportsman, of Amendra fame in Galle, Sri Lanka, took him in hand to be his first teacher. At the age of seven, Roshan Amendra joined the Scarborough Gymnasts Club. Since then there has been no looking back for Roshan Amendra who has, over the years, represented Canada internationally, in several countries.

by Sriyan Obeyesekere
Cricket is a fad today associated with a type of passion that spills beyond the playing fields. From the passion to represent one's country and to win, to disunity and dissension. All seeped into a sport that's today bubbling with everything its modernisation has lent to a once friendly recreational pastime that sprouted with British colonialism. Having journeyed through the passage of time, spilling forth with all its ferocity the game is known to generate and evoke.

But, alas, cricket has also inherited the seeds of sowing friction. Perhaps, much more than the action in the middle could radiate where perhaps a player's future cannot but be a better issue to stir the dust.

The Roshan Mahanama issue that touched the pulse of the general public like wild fire as witnessed last week following his omission from the Sri Lanka squad to England is a perfect example of, to what extent the game has ridden since the good old days. From the most ardent Mahanama fans to the cricketing corridors to the ordinary man on the street, the dropping of the right hand batsman, regarded as Sri Lanka's best fielder in the side came as a bombshell. Reacting in anger were the fish monger, sweep ticket seller to other vendors forming the hustle and bustle of everyday life. "Is he not one of our World Cup heroes?"

From the reaction of most, the axing of Mahanama was something difficult to stomach which found venting through public radio talk shows, certain sections of the electronic and print media and placards. Even giving way to mouthing curses. The issue apart, a clear indication that the following for the game here has grown in leaps and bounds since Sri Lanka rocketed to World Cup champion fame just 3 years ago, and the wonders that instant cricket has heralded.

As it has been, there have been arguments in support of and against the dropping of Mahanama. One of the strong points of the selectors and Sports Minister, S. B. Dissanayake justifying the dropping has been that when Romesh Kaluvitharana and Hashan Tillekeratne were left out there were no clamours. Why the exception now when Mahanama who is not in the best of form is dropped?

But the dissenting voices of Mahanama sympathisers has been, "If he was good enough to be in the 14 for the Nidahas Trophy Triangular and to be selected to play, how come he is not good enough to make it to the 18 for England.

So it has been that Mahanama did not make the tour. But, whatever the pros and cons of the issue - this columnist's view is that being a specialist one-day player he should have been in for the triangular - cricket has bowled another bouncer. The game will be the worse for the rivalries it is known to generate. The Asanka Gurusinha affair is now well into the dust of the past. Australian coach Dave Whatmore left disillusioned with the treatment meted to him. And so invariably it was with Bruce Yardley who could not cope with the tide. The Mahanama issue ballooned to such proportions necessitating even the Sports Minister to step in.

In favour of Mahanama is that with the exception of one or two specialist batsmen, no batsmen has for that matter in real terms justified his presence with the bat when taking into account overall overseas tours in the past so many years.

By Mihinda Wijesinghe
The mayhem caused by the dropping of Mahanama is nothing new in international cricket though the reasons, as ascribed by many accredited local commentators, in this particular instance seems strange. For instance, if Mahanama is fit to represent the country - in a team of XI - in the Nidahas Trophy final, how come he is not suitable to be selected for a squad of 18? Then, one may say Mahanama has not been scoring runs as freely as (say) Aravinda. By the same token, has Aravinda been fielding as brilliantly as Mahanama? Also, Mahanama has to bat in all sorts of positions and hence makes the scoring of runs that much difficult. But, his fielding - when not placed in the slips - has remained from the top drawer always. So, Sri Lanka drops the best fielder in the side, not for the first time, because of poor form with the bat. Form which has been affected by the needs of the side, by batting all over the order. As skipper Arjuna Ranatunga said on the eve of their departure to England at the airport "Mahanama had scored only three half-centuries since the World Cup in one-day cricket". Of course, by the same token it was after the World Cup that Roshan became the co-holder of the world's highest Test partnership record when he scored a double century, and then played a scintillating innings in the final of the Singer-Akai Nidahas Trophy. If form is the guideline for selection how come Pramodya Wickremasinghe, or for that matter Upul Chandana be picked? In the Nidahas Trophy, Wickremasinghe did not capture a wicket and conceded 140 runs in 21 overs. Where is the consistency for our selections? Sauce for the goose must be sauce for the gander. Form, someone wrote, is temporary but class is permanent.

Selectors deserve bouquet
Another important criterion for selection should be the potential of a player to perform at international levels. Some very good club players will remain at that level. They can never excel at international levels reasonably consistently. Though, a couple of wickets here and a few runs there might help Selectors to keep such a player going. At what cost? But, sometimes a potentially good player may fail at the start. A glaring example was Marvan Atapattu. He began his career with a flurry of 'ducks'. One national selector had many an argument with me as to why I advocated his continued selection. Perhaps he has now changed his mind. But, the persistent confidence they had placed on Marvan was one bouquet the Selectors deserved.

There have been too many players who have been dropped at the deep end of the Sri Lankan side and floundered. One cannot blame the player, after all, he will attempt his best but it so happens that his best is just isn't good enough. The most recent example was the 18 - year old schoolboy leg-spinner Malinga Bandara. Let us hope that he is assisted in his quest to reach the top. The senior leg-spinner of the side Upul Chandana is, in my view, not a spinner of international class though his fielding is. Surely, Sri Lanka can unearth a leg-spinner of quality?

What about our pace bowlers?
The same goes for the pace bowling department. In the absence of Vaas, we are scraping the barrel. As mentioned before in this column, what benefits have we gained by sending candidates to the MRF in India? Has it been worth the while.? Certainly not, when judging the manner in which the Indian openers manhandled them. It was sheer murder. How many selectors have been to the outstations - or for that matter watched first-class matches in the city itself on a consistent basis - and watched promising players?

The case of Alec Bedser
Anyway, selectors dropping bombshells is not something entirely new in the international circuit. In 1954-55, England under, Len Hutton went to battle it out against their traditional foes Australia. The Greatest English medium-fast bowler in post-war cricket, Alec Bedser, was Hutton's spearhead. Came the first test at Brisbane and Australia trounced England by an innings and 154 runs. Bedser's figures were a poor 1/131. Worse was that of Frank Tyson's with a calamitous return of 1/160. But, the shrewd Hutton was not beaten yet. He planned and plotted. He persuaded the Tearaway Tyson to reduce his run-up of some 32 strides to a mere 8. And, he dropped Bedser!! And, the rest was history. "Typhoon" Tyson simply reduced the Australians to ashes capturing 25 wickets for 330 runs (13.2 runs/wicket) helping England to win the next three tests, and secure the Ashes.

What Bradman thought of Bedser
However, dropping Bedser was no easy task for skipper Hutton. Remember, Bedser was a bowler even the mighty Bradman had the greatest regard for. Bradman still maintains the best delivery that dismissed him was bowled by Alec Bedser. It was during the fourth test at Adelaide in the 1946-47 Ashes series. Bradman was bowled for 0. As The Don himself wrote in his autobiography:

"The ball with which he bowled me in the Adelaide Test was, I think, the finest ever to take my wicket. It must have come three quarters of the way straight on the off stump then suddenly dipped to pitch on the leg-stump, only to turn off the pitch and hit the middle and off stumps. It was Bedser's misfortune to bowl quite a few more of this type which grazed the off stump."

Geoffrey Howard, the Manager of that 1954-55 England side, interviewed in a contemporary cricket journal, recounts the poignant moments skipper Hutton went through before dropping Bedser.

"After the Brisbane Test when Australia were sent in and posted 600, Hutton was overwhelmed: 'I looked at the Brisbane River and thought of throwing myself in', he would say later. Howard remembers Alec Bedser walking past and saying 'Cheer up Len, the bomb hasn't dropped yet." But Len brooded on and on about the bomb that he would have to drop on Alec, the great bowler who had stood almost alone between England and massive opposing totals since the war.

The second test at Sydney was won by England - just, by 38 runs - but still Len was weighed down, perhaps depressed. On the first morning of the third Test at Melbourne Howard found the captain staring at the wall of his room in the Windsor Hotel, and saying nothing, except that he wanted to see a doctor. Once the doctor had persuaded him to play Hutton went to the MCG, took Bedser out to the middle, returned to the dressing room and, Ahab-like, posted up the team sheet in silence. It had been done. Bedser was gone."

Howard's - now almost 90 - memory is not quite correct. Bedser was actually dropped for the second Test at Sydney. But, the point is made. That it affected Hutton greatly. And, in dropping Bedser hutton's judgement was justified as England swept through the rest of the series. So, let us all hope that, after dropping Mahanama, Sri Lanka too sweep over England.

By Ravi Nagahawatte
An exquisite dummy, a timely up an under or a master fully performed sidestep might look meaningless to Sri Lanka second row forward Sundar Niranjan. As for the two hundred and thirty pound six footer it has to be nothing but bang-bang-band. Even as a kid he was fascinated by the mere thought of running through the opponents. And today when the local 'big foot' is in full flight even police barricades might not be enough to stop him.

Toughie...
Many who don't know much about him might get the impression that he is a 'toughie'. But rarely have we seen Niranjan get involved in fisty cuffs, which is today looked upon as a macho act. "I don't lose my cool now," said Niranjan who regards himself as a matured player. The twenty-eight year old sees the only way to counter aggressiveness is to play the game hard. "You just can't retaliate by playing dirty," opined the former Thomian. However, there have been times where Niranjan has stood up for what he has thought to be right. He once flatly refused to play without the services of foreigners when his former club, Havelocks, decided to play with locals. He even went to the point of quitting the club which he once captained. "It's simply frustrating to lose all the time," voiced Niranjan who went onto state that obtaining the services of foreigners to match well equipped teams was a must.

Mathematical
As much as his liking to use brawn, Sundar knows the wonders that one can achieve by using the brain. He looks upon the mass of soft grey matter in the skull as the greatest thing a human owns. "Before the match I play the game in my own thoughts," reminisced Niranjan. And after all that psyching up done before a match I asked him whether his thinking pattern was similar to an animal's when he was ready to take the field. "I think the correct word would be 'warrior', shot backs a thoughtful Niranjan. Looking back into his international career which began with the 1992 ASIAD in Korea, Sundar has been an automatic choice for the national team ever since. Niranjan could not have had pleasant memories of this tour where Sri Lanka were mauled 0-88 by Japan. But surprisingly, he had good games in the tour, specially against Japan. Two years later, during the ASIAD in Malaysia, it was reported that Sundar had played like a 'terrier' in the lose. Niranjan had such a fine tour that he had impressed a foreign reporter who went on to write in the 'rugby world cup magazine' that he was one of the best forwards seen in Asia. And as expected Sri Lanka's progress made in the sport was seen in the match against Japan, where the opponents score was reduced by twenty odd points compared to the previous ASIAD. Asked when that much looked forward to victory over Japan would be possible, Sundar formed his answer after a lot of thinking. "If we continue to practice hard as we have done, pay more attention to speed work and strength-training and if we start now we can probably reach this target in the year 2000. Despite being big himself Niranjan was quite frank when he said that Sri Lankans had not seen big men before the foreigners played here. He attributes our success to the current set-up where locals are pitted against expatriate players in the country's own league tournament. Niranjan also thinks that much of the credit should be owed to the stalwarts in the sport. Dr. Maiya Gunasekara, Ana Saranapala, Ajith Abeyratne, Anton Benedict and Priyantha Ekanayake who he opines is the best captain he has ever played under - for their contributions to the game. But Niranjan, was quick to focus on the big problem that Sri Lanka rugby was going to face in the future. As Sundar put it, "how are the authorities going to find an adequate replacement for Priyantha once he calls it a day?"

Happy memories
And when Sri Lanka came home winners after bagging the Neighbours Cup - quadrangular Tournament - last year, what happy memories the contingent would have brought home with them. It certainly was Niranjan's most memorable moment in the sport where he ranks the country's performance as far superior to the others which participated. However, there is one other memorable moment in the sport which even today takes his memory all the way back to a schools' final which was played in 1989 - Niranjan was a proud member of the champion Thomian side which beat Isipatana in the finals of the Premadasa Trophy Knock Out Tournament.

From cricket to rugby
Niranjan might not have ended up a star player today if the cricket and rugby seasons had continued to clash while at school. In fact, he was once forced to drop rugby all together and take to full time cricket at the age of thirteen due to a clashing of seasons. Sundar, who was put into his strides by coaches Bertie Wijesinghe and L. S. Gauder, later went on to captain the schools second eleven team. "My cricket career was more brilliant than my rugby," reflected Niranjan who had personal scores of 168 and 125 against Carey and Ananda respectively. This change in sport was probably influenced by his father who was more interested in his cricket than rugby. According to the big man, his father had also excelled as a cricketer for Jaffna Central College. However, he was back at rugby after a four-year lay off and a year later Sundar turned himself into one of the best number eights in the school arena under the tutelage of rugby maestro, Quintin Israel.

Indian, Chinese favourite dishes
Indian food, dhal, nan, mutton curry and Chinese food are some of his favourite dishes. "Why should I lie and say that my favourite food is rice... like some people do", said Sundar. Then the burly Niranjan made a confession. "I think that to become a good ruggerite one should regulate his diet with nutritional food. The top players refrain from eating oily foods."

Humorous Incidents
Sundar has memories of many humorous incidents which occurred on the field. But the one which still plays in his mind is when he and his teammates took the referee into a maul. "We all had a good laugh in the end," quipped Niranjan.

He has chosen banking as his profession and is currently employed in the Cards section at ANZ Grindlays Bank, Knowing the value of education, Sunder has enrolled himself as a student at the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

Very special fan...
Given his dark complexion and present build, Niranjan is often mistaken as a foreigner specially when he mingles with his Fijian counterparts. He has many fans. But his girl friend, Manojini, is a very special fan of his.

Paid tribute
Niranjan said that he had settled down with his new club, Chand FC, which is one of the leading teams in the local rugby tournaments. He took this opportunity to pay tribute to three officials, Ranjan Canagasabai, Surath Wickremasinghe and Chandrishan Perera, of the club who had helped him immensely.

"I will play as long as my legs can carry me" said Niranjan when asked how long he plans to continue playing.

By Srian Obeyesekere
The sports scene shifts today towards the soccer World Cup where reigning champions Brazil find themselves bracing hosts France who have fittingly worked their way to the final which alone gives the trimmings of a great contest at hand. This World Cup final carries much significance to both sides. Brazil, for their part, go in quest of a record five World Cup wins which would be unique by any standards in the cup's history. Still further, the South American country whose soccer is deeply rooted as from the ghettos, will be intent on extending their longtime dominance as the kings of the game.

That apart, Brazil goes out into this final within its fold a player considered the world's greatest find since compatriot the legendary Pele and Arentine Diego Maradona. In that perspective, for Ronaldo, voted the world's 'Best Player' of 1997, this his first Cup final would carry added significance where the world is before his feet. For Ronaldo, it would be the ultimate test where Brazil's hopes would lie heavily on him to dazzle. More so for the fact that the reigning champions have still not lived up to their full reputation causing raised eyebrows at times in the run up to the final. Their I-2 defeat to Norway in their second match denting that reputation.

As for France, beating Brazil as the host nation, would be the final cork in their champagne bottle. France has never won the World Cup in the game's history and they cannot hope for a better setting to do so. The massive home crowd support will be to their advantage. Victory would be a fitting way to round off the hosting of the World Cup where the crown would be on their heads.

France, in their thrust, could draw confidence from the fact that two of Brazil's victories have been from penalty shoot-outs having being stretched the full distance, including their semi final against Holland.

However, despite improved performances by the French with each game, Brazil remain the favourites with Ronaldo expected to live upto expectations going one better than his match winning two goals against Chile and as the sides key playmaker despite being heavily marked.

What will it be? The Brazilian samba? Or French champagne?

Sri Lanka leg spin bowler NIROSHAN BANDARATILLEKE, who did his ‘alma mater’ proud by becoming the first from Thurstan College to represent his country, was felicitated by the school in honour of his achievement. Here Bandaratilleke walks through an arc of cricket bats at the ceremony last week. Behind him is another former College cricketer, DEEPAL MADURAPPERUMA. — (PIC. BY ERANGA JAYAWARDENA)

The Ladies Stroke Play Championship will be played at the Ridgeway Course on July 14 and 15. This championship was last played in 1996. The reigning champion Thuhashini Selvaratnam will be defending her title.

Former Sri Lanka champion Anouk Chanmugam and former All India Champion Neesha Nirmalalingam will also be competing together with Shyanika de Silva and young schoolgirl Shannon Kern. A high standard of golf is expected as Sri Lanka's three best lady golfers are competing.

LONDON, July 10 (AFP) - Slimline Sri Lanka cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga warned England's players on Friday - "we didn't come here to lose."

And Ranatunga, the once chubby stroke maker who has lost a stone and a half in the last six months, agreed that England's collapses against South Africa this summer have given his side cause for encouragement before a triangular limited-overs tournament against those two countries next month and a one-off Test against England at The Oval.

"We saw the first two Tests back home and although we don't have Allan Donald in our side we do have one of the world's top off-spinners, Muttiah Muralitharan," said Ranatunga.

"We are a very positive side, but we don't want to start off on the wrong track by saying we want to trash everyone. That's not the right thing."

Sri Lanka's three previous Tests in England were similar solitary matches in 1984, 1988 and 1991 and they are patiently waiting to be granted a series in the country after 18 years in the international arena. They hope their chance will come on the next visit in 2003.

Ranatunga, 34, played in the first two of those Tests at Lord's and apart from a couple of interruptions has captained Sri Lanka for 10 years, the longest run in Test cricket.

He cut a more substantial figure on previous trips but has shed weight by cutting out "The fried stuff and junk food".

Indeed, the whole Sri Lanka squad have paid extra attention to their fitness since their World Cup triumph. "I've lost weight to show people I'm not too old. I want to extend my cricket career," said Ranatunga.

"To tell you the truth, I wasn't very keen on coming to play one Test and go back. But we realised the World Cup in this country next year is very important to us and it is a chance to get used to the conditions.

"The English Cricket Board have organised a very decent tour of one-day and county matches for us.

"That's not to say we are not here to play good cricket against England and South Africa.

"We are given two or three Tests by other countries. It's a pity we only get one Test here. You just get used to the conditions and the Test is gone.

"It's a pity that the crowds here don't see someone like Aravinda de Silva in a three-Test series."

Ranatunga rates de Silva in a bracket with West Indies master Brian Lara and India's Sachin Tendulkar as the world's top three batsmen.

And while de Silva will be a big threat to England, so to will be stroke maker Sanath Jayasuriya, the explosive one-day opening batsman who amassed Test cricket's fourth highest score of 340 against India last year.

"He's not quite in his best form. He must be keeping something back for the important game," warned Ranatunga.

Sri Lanka have brought a squad of 18 but may add to it over the coming weeks.

Left at home was their leading fast bowler Chaminda Vaas, who underwent an ankle operation on the recent tour to South Africa.

But Vaas, ranked by Ranatunga in the top 10 quick bowlers, could be fit to join the party early next month.

Hafiz Marikar our Kandy Sports Corr.
Trinity College Kandy, led by Prasanna Jayawardena, emerged table leaders in the Kandy/Kurunegala Zone, Inter-Schools Rugby League tournament. Kingswood College, led by M. K. D. Ranasinghe were place second and Vidyartha College third followed by St. Sylvester's, Maliyadeva, Dharmaraja, St. Anthony's, and Sri Sumangala respectively.

Trinity out of their seven matches won six beating Vidyartha, St. Anthony’s, Maliyadeva, Kingswood, Dharmaraja, Sri Sumangala and went down to St. Sylvester's.

Kingswood beat St. Sylvester's, Dharmaraja, St. Anthony's, Sri Sumangala and lost to Trinity.

Vidyartha, who were placed third beat Dharmaraja, St. Sylvester's, Sri Sumangala, Maliyadeva, and lost to Trinity, St. Anthony's and Kingswood.

Sylvestrians did well, but were unlucky to be not in the knockout tournaments. They beat St. Anthony's, Trinity, Dharmaraja, Sri Sumangala and lost to Vidyartha and Kingswood.

Dharmaraja, this time had a young side, and did not do well, as they were expected, Maliyadeva too played well. Anthonians failed to live up to their reputation. Sri Sumangala though failed to win matches, they did a good job in gaining experience.

Out of the schools who took part in the Kandy/Kurunegala Zone, Trinity, Kingswood and Vidyartha qualified to play in the knockouts, but Trinitians pulled out due to injuries. Earlier it was the Sylvestrian's who were in, but in the last game Vidyartha got the wanted points and pushed the Sylvestrians and they got in.

So, this time except for Trinity and St. Anthony's traditional matches, other Kandy schools did not play against the Colombo schools.