Sri Lanka Under-18 girls’ team in action in UAE

By Shamseer Jaleel

The Sri Lanka Under-18 girls’ rugby team competed at the Asian Sevens tournament which commenced yesterday in Dubai and will run until 2 December. This will be the first time Sri Lanka rugby will sport an Under-18 outfit for an overseas tour for girls.

The Sri Lanka Under-18 outfit is led by Nimesha Wijewardana of Dehiowita National School and coached by Thanuja Werrakody with Sri Lanka Rugby High Performance Coaching Director Inthi Marikar overseeing the team’s progress.

This is the inaugural tournament with six teams locking horns in a three-day tournament. Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, India, Hong Kong and Thailand are the participating countries.

In the first game Hong Kong beat Kazakhstan 22-7.

Touring squad: Madushika Maduwanthi (St. Mary’s), Sanoja Ranasinghe (Embilipitiya President’s), Piumi Kumari (St. Mary’s), Dilini Fernando (St. Mary’s), Lakshini Bhagya (Bandaranayake Girls’), Anjalika Bandara (Wayamba Royal), Nimesha Wijewardhana (Dehiowita National), Poornima Kusum (Bandaranayake Girls’), Lakna Herath (Bishop’s), Sashini Senevirathne (Wayamba Royal), Nipuni Rasanjali (Rohana) and Kavisha Perera (Piliyandal Central).