Three students of Sampathnuwara National School at Welioya in Mullaitivu have been selected to the national baseball squad.
The squad left yesterday (17) for the Asia Cup in China.
To raise funds for the trio, people of Welioya held a fair, while their parents mortgaged their paddy land and other properties.
One of them, R.D. Nihal Gunaratne told BBC Sinhala Service that he obtained Rs. 100,000 by mortgaging his one-acre paddy land, while two neighbours gave a motorcycle and a chain to be pawned.
Chaminda Kumara, father of another player, said even if the team won the Asia Cup, there would be no more money to send them for tournaments, since everything had already been mortgaged.
Players from this school have excelled at national level despite having no training and other facilities.
