Kayla-Taniya battle for girls’ crown, Vinod-Sathsara clash in boys

The Sri Lanka Junior Golf Championship reached the climax with five age group category finals to be played at the Royal Colombo Golf Club Course today (April 5).

The Sri Lanka Junior Golf Championship sponsored by Perera & Sons Bakers for the fifth consecutive year produced much interest and quite a following at the semi-final stage.

There were no surprises in the girls’ Gold & Silver combined category with top seeded Kayla Perera cruising to an easy 8 & 6 victory over Dhaliya Helshiba Herath from Victoria Golf Club to set up an enthralling final clash with Taniya Minel Balasuriya, the current Sri Lanka Ladies National title holder. Kayla Perera who missed the National Championship week, returned with a sensational 2 under par gross in the qualifying round to be the top seed for the Junior Girls Championship for the coveted Rukmini Kodagoda Challenge Trophy 2018.

Taniya Minel beat her sister Sherin Mithara 5 & 4 in the second semi-final. Taniya was crowned the Junior Girls Champion in 2017. Vinod Weerasinghe the runner-up last year, comfortably secured his berth in the final defeating S. Dhuwarshan from NEGC 4 & 3. Sathsara Dilshan an experienced junior beat Dilshan Malinda seeded number 1 after the qualifying round for the match-play segment, to meet Vinod in what should be a closely fought final. However, Vinod Weerasinghe is the favourite to clinch the Junior Boys Golf Championship title and the Rukmini Kodagoda Challenge Trophy for boys.

The Silver Division for Boys saw Nirekh Tejwani defeating Yannik Kumara 1up, reversing the result of 2017 when Yannik beat Nirekh in the final of the Bronze Division. Nirekh will meet K. Danushan in the final after Danushan brushed aside S D M Hirushan comfortably 4 & 3.

In the Bronze Division, NWG Shanal Binuksha beat Reshan Algama 2 up. M S Sanjay had a close call to overcome Pranav Muralidaran who fought valiantly to the end before going down in the 19th hole in a sudden-death play-off. Shanal Binuksha meets Sanjay and is tipped to be the Bronze Division Champion.

Kaya Daluwatte played consistent golf to beat Khvan Tejwani 4 & 3 to enter the final of the Copper Division and defend the title she won last year. Thejas Rathis Kanth continued his giant killing run defeating C. Dharaniyan from the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club, seeded #3, with a convincing 2 & 1 victory to meet the top seeded Kaya Daluwatte, the defending champion of the Copper Division. Thejas Rathis Kanth has defeated the #2 and 3 seeds in the match-play format and now meets the top seed in the final. Nonetheless, Kaya Daluwatte is tipped to defend her title she won in 2017.

The ‘Five’ finals will be worked off at the RCGC from 8.00 a.m. in the following order:

Boys Gold Division final will be followed by the Girls Gold & Silver Division final at 8.10 a.m. The Silver Division boys’ final will play at 8.20 a.m. and the Bronze Division final is at 8.30 a.m. The Copper Division final over 9 holes will tee-off at 8.40 a.m. The morning play will be followed by a solemn prize giving hosted by the proud Sponsors Perera & Sons Bakers and the Rukmini Kodagoda Challenge Trophy for the Junior Golf Champion Boys and Girls respectively will be presented.

These tournaments are conducted by the Sri Lanka Golf Junior Sub Committee.

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