A 20-member strong Sri Lanka youth netball squad was selected in preparation for the upcoming Asian Youth Netball Championship which will be held in Japan from June 29 to July 7.
These youth players will be pitted against the Singapore team in a series of five matches as practice and preparations for the big event.
Sri Lanka won the Asian Youth Championships on three occasions (1998, 2002 and 2015) and was runners-up on five occasions (2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2013). The last edition of this competition was in 2017 in South Korea where Sri Lanka sank to fourth place.
At first a 60-member pool was selected late last year which was pruned down to 38 players in February. This squad was further reduced to 20 players last week.
After much contemplation the Netball Federation of Sri Lanka in consultation with the Ministry of Sports had selected Malindu Kumari Gamage as the head coach of the youth netball team.
Gamage represented the Badulla Netball Association and was part of the four-member coaching staff who were also coaching the development pool for last year’s Quadrangular tournament.
The squad includes five players from Visakha Vidyalaya, three from Presbyterian Girls’ School Dehiwala and two each from Holy Family Convent Kurunegala, Navy SC, Ladies College, Gateway College and Seylan Bank.
The squad’s most experienced player is Tharushi Illangaratne who represented Sri Lanka in the 2017 Asian Youth Netball Championship and the 2017 Netball World Youth Cup.
Natasha Aluvihare, Melani Wijesinghe and Sethmi Danoshi were also part of the World Youth Cup squad while Bimanya Ratnayake and Ganya Senanayake were in the 21-player pool.
The squad: Tharushi Illangaratne (Visakha Vidyalaya), Chirani Perera (Visakha Vidyalaya), Dilani Perera (Visakha Vidyalaya), Natasha Aluvihare (Visakha Vidyalaya), Melani Wijesinghe (Visakha Vidyalaya), Tharushi Perera (Presbyterian Girls’ School, Dehiwala), Kavindi Perera (Presbyterian Girls), Rashmi Anjalika (Presbyterian Girls), Sethmi Danoshi (Holy Family Convent, Kurunegala), Sajini Ratnayake (Holy Family Convent, Kurunegala), Dahamy Vimarshana (Navy SC), Imasha Perera (Navy SC), Ganya Senanayake (Ladies College), Bimanya Ratnayake (Ladies College), Vishmika Ratnayake (Gateway College), Aneesha Perera (Gateway College), Sajali Hettiarachchi (Seylan Bank), Dimitri Guniyangoda (Seylan Bank), Dewna Randeni (Kalutara Balika Vidyalaya), Liyara Malmi (Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya).