Mahesh Wannigama volleyball player par excellence-by Dilwin Mendis

Source:Dailynews

Sri Lankan Youth Player, and All Island School Best Player 2019 Mahesh Wannigama has brought honour and glory to his Alma Mater Vijayaba Vidyalaya, Hungama and his motherland .

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Mahesh was admitted to his Village School in Batana North and he did not do any sport up to Grade Eight. Then his parents W. G. Piyadasa and J. W. Charlotte noticing his talents and interests in volleyball encouraged him to commence volleyball and handed over their son to the head coach Tharaka Ratnaweera and his Assistant Coach was Keerthi Pushpakumara.

His first outing was the under 15 Divisional Volleyball Tournament in 2009 and his school team won with ease and there after they won the Zonal, District and Provincial easily but in the All Island Inter School Tournament they lost to Dhammissara National School Nattandiya in the finals and in the following two years too they won the lower tournaments In 2012 and they came third in the All Island under 19 DSI Tournament and in the following year too they won the lower tournaments and with these performances under his belt Mahesh was selected to tour Bahrain with the Sri Lanka Junior National team where ten teams participated and Sri Lanka managed to earn the ninth place. But it was a fine exposure for Mahesh.

In 2016 he played for the Sri Lanka Army for the Rupavahini Tournament and Army was victorious and subsequently he was selected for the under 23 tour of Iran and 12 countries participated and Sri Lanka came 11th and in the same year he represented Sri Lanka Army in the Rupavahini Tournament and they were the Runners Up and in 2018 Army won the tournament and in the following year his school were the champions in the All Island Inter School Tournament and he was adjudged as the Best Player of the Tournament. In addition he carried away the Best Setter, Best Server in 2017 and Best Setter awards in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

He represented the Singha Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army at their Inter Unit Tournament and they were the winners in 2018 and 2019 and he was awarded Unit Volleyball Colours and in 2015, 2016 and 2017 his unit were the Runners Up. In 2017 the National Meet the Sri Lanka Army were the Runners Up and 2018 they got the third place. He participated in the Inter Services Meets against the Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Air Force.