by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor

Home for the tournament was the St. Thomas College Sports Complex in Mount Lavinia; proceedings commenced at 9.30 am and concluded at 4.00 pm.

“Four tables were used with umpires, the referee team and tournament organisers coming from those who participated in the three courses”, explained Cyril Sen. “It was the first time that they experienced the use of a Call Area and some aspects of the system of play, as well as Field of Play procedures.”

It was a new experience but one that was well received.

“At the end of the day, all the course participants, who were involved in this competition, expressed their thanks and appreciation for having had the opportunity to put into actual practice what they had learned over the past week”, added Cyril Sen. “They were convinced that it was an essential part of the programme.”

Furthermore, the tournament was very much an innovative move; for Cyril Sen who has conducted many such courses it was the first time that he had known an actual tournament conclude matters.

“I was greatly impressed in the steep learning curve exhibited by many as the competition day progressed, I am strongly of the opinion that this should become a standard part of the programme”, continued Cyril Sen who was also grateful for the efforts made by the biggest beneficiary of all, the Table Tennis Association of Sri Lanka.

“My congratulations to the Table Tennis Association of Sri Lanka for having brought this programme to Sri Lanka for the benefit of its match officials and tournament organisers”, concluded Cyril Sen. “Also, my thanks to the ITTF Development Programme for its strong support in making it all possible.”

Thanks and thanks to Cyril Sen; his efforts made the course a success. A successful course reflects positively on the quality of the teaching, the quality of the course conductor; the visit to Sri Lanka was clearly most beneficial.