A TRIBUTE TO SRINI LUCAS TABLE TENNIS CHAMPION – By Dr Buddy Reid (Former Sri Lankan player).
Peking International Tournament From left : Belle Wirekoon, Corinne Dharmaratne, Srini Lucas, Carol Rudolph
Source : island
On the 24th of April this year the Sri Lankan Table Tennis lost one of her most colourful characters.
Srini Lucas began her Table Tennis career at St. Bridget’s Convent and moved on to The University of Ceylon, Colombo, inspired by her brother Nimal Lucas. Her studies at the University for a Bachelor of Science degree soon gave way to her love for Table Tennis, replacing the books in her hand with a Table Tennis bat. Her enthusiasm for the game found her climbing up the ladder and arriving at the level of champions such as Belle Wirekoon, Frances Ratnayake and Nandini Daniel.
She found there was no room for many young players in the teams of the established clubs like the YMCA…, so she formed a new club, The Young Enthusiasts Table Tennis Club (YETTC) which soon won the Ceylon Inter Club Championships with a team that included Firoz Nilam and Barney Reid. Her club, the YETTC, provided a platform for young emerging players.
As a player, she had a style of her own, based on the delight in playing outrageous attacking shots. I had the privilege of being her Mixed Doubles partner in the National Championships final of 1966 against Leonie Ratnayake and my brother Barney Reid. With the score at two sets all and 21/20 in our favour, I expected her to play safe and hope that our opponents would miss. Instead, she threw caution to the winds, sprang forward and unleashed a thunderous backhand kill which won us the title. Such was the unpredictability of Srini Lucas.
With her unique brand of Table Tennis, she won the National Singles title in 1972 to add to her two National Mixed Doubles titles with Barney Reid in 1964 and with Buddy Reid in 1966. She also won the National Women’s Doubles titles twice, with partners Carol Rudolph in 1967 and Pramila Chanmugam in 1974. Srini added to her achievements by representing Sri Lanka at the Peking International Championships in China three times, with Belle Wirekoon, Corinne Dharmaratne and Carol Rudolph.
Unfortunately, illness forced her out of the game and Table Tennis was the poorer. However, to us of the era of the 1960s and 70s, her warm smile, her kindness and her inimitable playing style will never be forgotten and as for her success as a player, the record books will bear witness.
Dr Buddy Reid (Former Sri Lankan player).
