Wednesday 2nd August, 2006 11 Indian plans SAG deficit down to afoot to tackle Jayawardene BANGALORE — The Sri also has the mental aptitude to Rs. 30 million Lanka-bound Indian team is play long innings,” said Frazer. gearing up to confront the chal- Jayawardene completed his by Reemus Fernando The eight nation sport- co-sponsor the event are Bank, NSB, HSBC and Services, Ceylon lenge posed by Sri Lankan cap- 6,000 runs in his 83rd Test dur- With just 16 days to go ing extravaganza, which Ceylon Cold Stores, HNB are also supporting Electricity Board, Ceylon tain Mahela Jayawardene in ing the course of his mammoth for the South Asian is estimated to cost Rs. Cargills Ceylon Limited, this event as are the Petroleum Corporation, the forthcoming triangular 374 in the first Test against Games, the biggest sport- 1000 million, is heavily American Water National Lotteries Board Dockyard General series scheduled to begin in South Africa. It has also ing event to be held in Sri funded by the Company, Red Bull, Sri and Development Engineering, Enterprise Colombo in the middle of this brought his average closer to 50 Lanka, the organisers Government of Sri Lanka Lanka Tea Board, Swiss Lotteries Board. Technology, Lanfurrd & month. in Test . In all he has hit have narrowed the budget which bears 60 percent of Cheese Company and Nawaloka Hospitals Semler, Lanka Jayawardene has made the 15 centuries. deficit to Rs. 30 million. the cost. Coca Cola. Limited will provide Technologies, MOLTEN, world’s bowlers sit up and take Jayawardene made his debut This was revealed at a Having had to raise Rs. While Hameedia has emergency ambulance Ports Authority, Rent-a- notice with his breathtaking against India in 1997 and since press conference held at 300 million within 120 come forward as clothing services at the 11 day Com, Sri Lanka Export in recent weeks. He then has made some telling Ceylon Continental Hotel days, which was a Rs. 100 stylists, hSENID are the event, while Apollo Credit Insurance began with a sublime hundred scores against the Indians. He on Monday where the million increase com- official software solutions Hospital also will take Corporation, Sri Lanka against England at Lord’s in has played all-in-all in nine names of the co-sponsors pared to the original esti- provider. care of sportspersons in Export Development May which helped in his team Tests and managed 882 runs at were made public. mate, the organisers The official Flower an emergency. Board, Swiss Timing, staving off a certain defeat. He an average of 67.85. In the one- Over 45 private sector claimed that they have Suppliers are Sterling Sri Lanka Insurance MAS Holdings, Hayleys followed it up with innings dayers, he has a modest average and government sector accomplished a better Flowers while the official Co Ltd is the official Group, Tokyo Cement, impressive enough to bag man- of 36.17 against the Indians organisations, along with part of the agenda. Souvenir Provider is insurance company. Brandix, Ceylinco Group, of-the-match and series awards. from 32 games. main sponsor, Sri Lanka Leading food and bev- Stone ‘N’ String. The others who are set Sri Lanka Institute of However, in the recent Test In all, he has made 1049 runs Telecom have helped the erage companies who The People’s Bank, to support this event are Information Technology against South Africa in against the bigger rivals. organisers to achieve this. have stepped forward to Bank of Ceylon, Sampath Airport and Aviation and Xerox. Colombo, he went a few steps Presently, Jayawardene is further: He smashed the straining under the leash to get Proteas for 374 runs in the first his avenge against the Indians. Test which has been the fifth In the last series between the biggest innings ever seen on a two nations, India emerged vic- field. torious by 6-1. He made only 166 Rugby Even though the first camp runs from six games at an aver- for the Indian cricketers was age of 27.67. entirely devoted to fitness regi- Indians generally believe men, the bowlers did discuss that spin will be the key to hold- the ways to keep Jayawardene ing the likes of Jayawardene Development in check. and Kumara Sangakkara. With “He seemed to have more of the pitches likely to aid the a mental problem than a techni- slow bowlers, the reliance on cal one. With that having been the likes of in North taken care of now, he would be and Ramesh Pawar, with the a force to reckon with,” said a supporting cast of Sachin senior bowler of the team. Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Assistant coach Ian Frazer, who Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh in the absence of coach Greg Mongia could be critical. Central Chappell conducted the first “Above everything else, it R. Yasawathie, M-i-C, Rajarata Maha Vidyalaya , Polonnaruwa (L), camp, feels Jaywardene is will be important that our bats- receives a rugby ball from R. M. Dharmadasa (Director of Sports, NCP) extremely competent on deliv- men come to party. So strong is S. M. P. G. Jayasekara (R), M-i-C, Padikaramaduwa (R). V. Jayanethi, President, Rugby Football Union, NCP, A. R. M. eries bowled on his leg stump Sri Lankan batting at the Vijaya Maha Vidyalaya, Anuradhapura receives a rugby Silva, Technical Officer and Jayantha Gunaratna, Rugby Development which he profitably turns for moment that big scores alone Province ball from Col. H. Lasantha Guruge, Sri Lanka Ordnance Officer, are also in the picture. runs on the onside. can pressurise their batsmen,” Corps, Anuradhapura (L). “He has a good range of said a senior batsman of the strokes and now it seems he Indian side. - (Cricket News) Text and pix by M. Farook Lantra

he Rugby Development Training the Trainers programme was At 40, Hick offered new contract held in Polonnaruwa Thopawewa Maha Vidyalaya on July 25 LONDON (AP) - England county for 23 years, scoring more than 100 Tand at the Anuradhapura Public grounds on July 28. side Worcestershire has offered bats- centuries. Born in Salisbury, Rhodesia More than 180 participants from 17 schools in the Polonnaruwa man Graeme Hick a new contract at (now Zimbabwe), Hick came to Zone took part in this programme. the age of 40. England as a teenager and joined the Worcestershire chief executive western England county and has now In Anuradhapura too there was a good turn out of students, as Mark Newton said: ‘’Graeme is a leg- scored more than 39,000 first-class more than 400 students from 45 schools participated. end of Worcestershire cricket and he is runs. Rugby balls were presented to all participating schools at the end having another good season. I can Hick was widely touted for batting Sarath Ranaweera, National Rugby Football Development Manager, of the training programmes. confirm we recently discussed the situ- greatness but failed to live up to his SLRFU instructs some players at the Public grounds, Anuradhapura. ation with him and would love to see promise for England. He scored 3,381 him continue to rewrite the record runs in 64 tests for an average of just books at Worcestershire. 31 in his nine-year England career. ‘’The contract offer has been made Hick is currently out of action with a and Graeme has asked for time to con- finger injury, but is expected to return sider the situation.’’ for the top-of-the-table clash with Hick has played for Worcestershire Surrey which begins on August 8.

And they went to England With no Sonna and Marvan they went to Old Blighty With Ashes win under their belt Brits were almighty Feeling of all at home was lambs to the slaughter Confirmed very much after the first Test starter.

Niranjala Hemamali Thalduwa (L) of Siddhartha Maha Vidyalaya receives a rugby ball from V. Jayanethi Two young lasses are being trained on how to pass a rugby ball by a. First Test second essay heroics were heartening (L), President, North Central Province RFU. R. M. Silva (Technical Officer). After second Test tour future was frightening True there were occasional flashes of resistance But at end of Test two, Lankans not worth a pittance.

Pollock to add grit to Proteas team Then came the third Test lambs roaring and lions bleating Lankans turned tables on Brits all odds beating by Patrick Compton Interestingly, it looks as though This should not be interpreted as humour after Sri Lanka’s epic first While no final decisions have the experiment to open the innings not caring. It’s just that there was a innings had come to an end, “We’ve Mahela and his merry men danced rings around the Brits been made on the make-up of the with may remain in feeling of inevitability about it, sweated away our nerves now.” And Murali magic did the trick hit after hit. South African team for the second place. “We’ve got to sit down and given South Africa’s lack of prepa- And there was a steady improve- Test, indications are that there will talk about the team, but I still can’t ration, the loss of three key players, ment in the performance of the Against all odds Lankans ended Tests in a stalemate see any alternative to playing five the formidable nature of the opposi- South African team from about only be one change, with Shaun And now we all wait for first limited overs date Pollock replacing Andre Nel. bowlers if we want to take 20 wick- tion and the radical change in the halfway through the Test, with Pollock, as a allrounder, ets,” said Arthur. conditions. tighter bowling and at least a plan to Tharanga scored a ton and rest was a cakewalk brings a better balance to the team, The coach will, however, have to Three weeks ago, Arthur spoke contain the batsmen. Followed three more wins on the trot, which was towns talk and he ought to be considerably balance the fact that Hall batted about mapping out his team’s sea- This was followed by some fight- more efficient as a holding bowler - well, with his erratic performance son in terms of priorities. The Sri ing cricket in their second innings, Then came fifth and final Kiyala Wedak Na... his new role - than Nel. His experi- in his primary role as a bowler. Lankan tour came bottom of his with , Hall, ence and know-how will also pro- had a disap- list. Boucher and all vide a young and inexperienced pointing match, getting out to poor There’s simply no point in throw- striking half-centuries. Brits batted first and made the highest score that far team with a major boost. shots in both innings, but it looks as ing toys out of the cot at this stage. It wasn’t enough, of course, but it Strauss and team cock-a-hoop Lankans under pressure ha ha ha Arthur said on Monday that it though he will be given another Yes, South Africa batted badly on has raised the team’s morale ahead Young Tharanga and sizzling Sonna gave them a leather hunt chance to impress. the first day at the Sinhalese Sports of Friday’s second Test at the P. was important for the attacking Made them collect ball from boundary in an unending hunt bowlers, and Dale Poor , so often Club, and yes they bowled on both Saravanamuttu Stadium here. This Steyn, to raise their tempo this the bridesmaid, will probably con- sides of the in the early time Prince and his team will expect weekend. tinue to carry the drinks. stages of the Sri Lankan innings. to hit the ground running. They did it in 38 overs, first hundred in over number eight “Makhaya didn’t really hit his Meanwhile, as the smoke clears Whether that can be put down to Likely SA team: Gower said its carnage, Botham said its slaughter dear mate straps at the SSC ground,” he said. from the Proteas’ first battle of their nerves, as claimed by Arthur, we’ll Andrew Hall, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Many a record book was put up for re-writing enormously long season, nobody probably never know. It was, indu- “He needs a lot of bowling to Rudolph, Hashim Amla, Ashwell Prince Only sour note our own Aravinda in the box wheezing. really start hitting the gloves hard, here is either particularly surprised bitably, a hellishly bad day at the (capt), AB de Villiers, , Shaun so we expect him to do that in the or hugely downcast by Monday’s office. Pollock, , Dale Steyn, Makhaya Mahendra Samarasinghe next match.” crushing defeat by Sri Lanka. But, as Boucher put it with grim Ntini. - Cape Argus