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schools rugby fixtures 2008
- Thread starter skywalker
- Start date
he he kingswoodians n rajans r like brothers..thats sure....rash87 said:But Dharmarajians n Kingswoodian r revivals ne
They play against in the cricket encounter right?
Any how Kingswoodians beena headache for us for several years, some how they have manage to win over us
Lets stick to the point of discussion. It was who are the all time greats in Schools rugby and not about the Kingswood diet and mayokka. Let me also enlighten you that we dont have to ask our fathers and grandfathers about who won matches in the past, the records are available and are updated every year. So dont talk unless you have the proper facts. Also you may have played in 1994 I played in Champion Thora teams of 89 and 90 ....both unbeaten years. They went on to be unbeaten the following year as well which made it 3 in a row. No school has ever equaled this record during which time they WON 43 matches on the trot.No draws. Kingswood was unbeaten 2003 -2005. However 2003 they were B division. So only 2004 -05 are counted by the authorities. They also had a draw in each of those years.
Now I stated earlier that Kingswood has been the team of this decade. No question with only Petes giving them a run. But all time they are not in the top 4. We cant let our emotions blind the facts. Just because a team started playing before another does not make them better. What matters is results and achievements. Look at Pathana and Thora. They started rugby in 1960 and 1956 respectively. Yet they have won more titles in A division schools rugby than any other school.
FYI THESE ARE THE FACTS SINCE 1950'S WHEN MORE THAN 5 - 10 SCHOOLS STARTED PLAYING RUGBY.
UNBEATEN TEAMS : TCK 11 STC 10 IMV 9 ROYAL 9 KINGSWOOD 2 SACK 2 SPC 1.
(NOTE TRINITY, PETERS AND ZAHIRA HAD SOME UNBEATEN YEARS IN THE 1930'S WHEN ONLY 4 SCHOOLS PLAYED RUGBY)
A DIVISION LEAGUE CHAMPIONS ( OFFICIAL AND UN OFFICIAL):
STC 13 IMV 10 TCK 9 ROYAL 9 SPC 5 KINGSWOOD 2 SACK 1.
PRESIDENTS TROPY KO: IMV 7 STC 5 KINGSWOOD 4 SPC 3 ROYAL 2 TCK 2 THURSTAN 1.
There those are the facts.Trinity Thora Royal Peters and IMV have always kept these records in their archives. Also just to let you know Kingswood started playing first in 1897. However they gave up in 1909. They came back in 1964.
I will post the actual school Rugby History doc on ela in stages as it is too big for 1 post.
Now I stated earlier that Kingswood has been the team of this decade. No question with only Petes giving them a run. But all time they are not in the top 4. We cant let our emotions blind the facts. Just because a team started playing before another does not make them better. What matters is results and achievements. Look at Pathana and Thora. They started rugby in 1960 and 1956 respectively. Yet they have won more titles in A division schools rugby than any other school.
FYI THESE ARE THE FACTS SINCE 1950'S WHEN MORE THAN 5 - 10 SCHOOLS STARTED PLAYING RUGBY.
UNBEATEN TEAMS : TCK 11 STC 10 IMV 9 ROYAL 9 KINGSWOOD 2 SACK 2 SPC 1.
(NOTE TRINITY, PETERS AND ZAHIRA HAD SOME UNBEATEN YEARS IN THE 1930'S WHEN ONLY 4 SCHOOLS PLAYED RUGBY)
A DIVISION LEAGUE CHAMPIONS ( OFFICIAL AND UN OFFICIAL):
STC 13 IMV 10 TCK 9 ROYAL 9 SPC 5 KINGSWOOD 2 SACK 1.
PRESIDENTS TROPY KO: IMV 7 STC 5 KINGSWOOD 4 SPC 3 ROYAL 2 TCK 2 THURSTAN 1.
There those are the facts.Trinity Thora Royal Peters and IMV have always kept these records in their archives. Also just to let you know Kingswood started playing first in 1897. However they gave up in 1909. They came back in 1964.
I will post the actual school Rugby History doc on ela in stages as it is too big for 1 post.
Fully agree Mr. History.....
What matters now is the sustainability of a quality team....
This is one thing Kingswood realized this decade.. and yes they are proving it strong and steady......
Lets see the table as at 22nd June.....I hope Royal Beats Trinity.... so that,.. Nothing leaves Kingswood than winning the game (Or a Draw) would get them the A Divsion Title for 2008....(No hearts taken away from the game against DRCK next week in Kandy) where Rajans tails are so high after their performance against Trinity...
But Trinity as I said has been fading away in their last 4 games... as I know the Father of the Trinity captain (Ex-Kingswoodian) has already incated his concerns.......
Interesting 2 weeks ahead mate.. Lets... see how the chances are for Thora, Royal, Peters & Trinity - IF Royal....Beats Trinity at Bradby 1st leg......
Then leaves.. a few teams left with 2 games lost...thinking...out loud who will have the most chances....??? But yet Kingswood needs to loose their final game against TRINITY which may not be the case,...at the rate they are going......
What matters now is the sustainability of a quality team....
This is one thing Kingswood realized this decade.. and yes they are proving it strong and steady......
Lets see the table as at 22nd June.....I hope Royal Beats Trinity.... so that,.. Nothing leaves Kingswood than winning the game (Or a Draw) would get them the A Divsion Title for 2008....(No hearts taken away from the game against DRCK next week in Kandy) where Rajans tails are so high after their performance against Trinity...
But Trinity as I said has been fading away in their last 4 games... as I know the Father of the Trinity captain (Ex-Kingswoodian) has already incated his concerns.......
Interesting 2 weeks ahead mate.. Lets... see how the chances are for Thora, Royal, Peters & Trinity - IF Royal....Beats Trinity at Bradby 1st leg......
Then leaves.. a few teams left with 2 games lost...thinking...out loud who will have the most chances....??? But yet Kingswood needs to loose their final game against TRINITY which may not be the case,...at the rate they are going......
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Peterites on the wrong foot
Royal College gave St. Peter’s College a lesson of a different kind in rugby when they took the new-look champs by total surprise to pull off a stunning 17-12 win in their inter-school match at Reid Avenue on Saturday.
The Royalists from their style of play came out with a plan that worked and the Peterites banking on their trademark run-and pass game were caught on the wrong foot unable to come to grips with soggy underfoot conditions.
Royal played to a set plan by gaining territorial advantage with kicks to touch and winning the line-outs to ensure they not only remained in the hunt but also made the Peterites lose out on valuable time while focussing on defence.
While Royal kept the ball in play the Peterites appeared to squander almost everything they raked in by kicking possession into their opponents, spilling the ball or slinging out blind passes which clearly showed they may have underestimated their opponents on the big occasion.
What was visible in the Peterite style of play was that their young forwards took time to rally as a team while play-maker Ishan Noor lacked back-up support. But by then Royal had taken a commanding 10-0 lead midway in the first half.
Peterite coach Sanath Martis, who knows every player any which way he can, contends that they prepared for the game with a plan but wet underfoot conditions altered the course.
“I am not looking for excuses. We had a plan (to open out the game). But you cannot implement a plan when the ground conditions change”, said Martis who has guided the Peterites to two successive League titles.
He congratulated Royal for their win.
Royal College gave St. Peter’s College a lesson of a different kind in rugby when they took the new-look champs by total surprise to pull off a stunning 17-12 win in their inter-school match at Reid Avenue on Saturday.
The Royalists from their style of play came out with a plan that worked and the Peterites banking on their trademark run-and pass game were caught on the wrong foot unable to come to grips with soggy underfoot conditions.
Royal played to a set plan by gaining territorial advantage with kicks to touch and winning the line-outs to ensure they not only remained in the hunt but also made the Peterites lose out on valuable time while focussing on defence.
While Royal kept the ball in play the Peterites appeared to squander almost everything they raked in by kicking possession into their opponents, spilling the ball or slinging out blind passes which clearly showed they may have underestimated their opponents on the big occasion.
What was visible in the Peterite style of play was that their young forwards took time to rally as a team while play-maker Ishan Noor lacked back-up support. But by then Royal had taken a commanding 10-0 lead midway in the first half.
Peterite coach Sanath Martis, who knows every player any which way he can, contends that they prepared for the game with a plan but wet underfoot conditions altered the course.
“I am not looking for excuses. We had a plan (to open out the game). But you cannot implement a plan when the ground conditions change”, said Martis who has guided the Peterites to two successive League titles.
He congratulated Royal for their win.
Trinity, St. Joseph’s maintain top slots
By M. Shamil Amit
The completion of the seventh week of matches in the Singer inter-schools rugby league tournament saw long time leaders Trinity and St. Joseph’s maintain the lead for the seventh week in the Division 1A and 1B categories. It also saw a change take place in the minor placing with Kingswood going up to the second slot replacing St. Peter’s.
The completion of the matches during the weekend also saw Royal stun the defending champions St. Peter’s in a close encounter while in another cliff hanger Kingswood overcame Isipathana. In the process the Peterites crashed to their second defeat and Isipathana their third.
With two more weeks for the completion of the league encounters now the battle has turned into a two sided affair between Trinity and Kingswood. But even then it could end in an interesting finish as the two Kandy sides have two more games to end their league games. Trinity have two tough games remaining to be played first will be with traditional rivals Royal and then against hometown rivals Kingswood while Kingswoods next game will be against Dharmarajah.
Meanwhile in the Division 1B category St Joseph’s are way ahead from the rest having secured seven wins from seven and their final game will be against Mahanama which they will no doubt go flat out to maintain a hundred percent record. Nevertheless the final two weeks of the competition is going to be crucial for the top two teams in the Division 1A category.
Royal vs St Peter’s
This was one of the best ever results from all the matches that have been played so far. Royal coming in as underdogs stunned the favourites and defending champs St Peter’s to chalk up a close 17-12 victory.
Royal succeeded in keeping the fancied Petes at bay after maintaining a slender 10-5 lead at lemons. Having stunned the Petes with a try in the eighth minute they continued to keep them under pressure and to increase their lead with another try 12 minutes later.
The Peterites were nowhere near their true form and hats off to the Royalists for having put up a top display. By the time the Petes came into the reckoning it was too late as time was running against them. The loss also has almost put the Petes out of contention for the league title.
Anyway the Royalists have sent a warning to their arch rivals Trinity what’s in store for them and they could pull out another surprise this weekend.
Trinity vs Dharmarajah
This game as expected saw the Trinitians gaining a 25-14 victory against the lowly placed Dharmarajah who crashed to their fifth defeat of the season. But the ugly incident that took place after the match marred the otherwise troubled free tournament that had been maintained by all the schools.
Who ever is responsible should understand that it’s the game that is the ultimate loser. The losing side should also accept defeat as embracing victory. Matches are played not to end up in Police stations or courts and also to tarnish the image of the school concerned. This being the first such incident reported this season hopefully all interested in this sport will also be expecting to be the last.
Isipathana vs Kingswood
The Isipathanians had to blame themselves for having lost this game in a close finish. Though the final score read 6-3 the game was theirs for the asking. It’s just that they threw away and offered the game to their opponents.
The match having ended in penalties they failed to make use of the penalties that were offered and opted for the touch and go system which ultimately saw Kinsgwood prevailing.
S. Thomas’ vs Vidyartha
It was the massacre of the innocents as the Thomians ran riot to demolish Vidyartha 64-0 thus sliding to their sixth successive defeat.
St Joseph’s vs Lumbini
St Joseph’s in securing their seventh successive win had the honour of recording the highest score of the season with an 82-0 win over the hapless Lumbini side. So their last game against Mahanama is going to be a decisive one for the Joes and a win would see them end the season with a clean record.
Mahanama vs Wesley
This game was crucial for both the teams as one of them would join leaders St Joseph’s for promotion to the top division next season. In the end Mahanama came out successfully with a 14-5 win.
By M. Shamil Amit
The completion of the seventh week of matches in the Singer inter-schools rugby league tournament saw long time leaders Trinity and St. Joseph’s maintain the lead for the seventh week in the Division 1A and 1B categories. It also saw a change take place in the minor placing with Kingswood going up to the second slot replacing St. Peter’s.
The completion of the matches during the weekend also saw Royal stun the defending champions St. Peter’s in a close encounter while in another cliff hanger Kingswood overcame Isipathana. In the process the Peterites crashed to their second defeat and Isipathana their third.
With two more weeks for the completion of the league encounters now the battle has turned into a two sided affair between Trinity and Kingswood. But even then it could end in an interesting finish as the two Kandy sides have two more games to end their league games. Trinity have two tough games remaining to be played first will be with traditional rivals Royal and then against hometown rivals Kingswood while Kingswoods next game will be against Dharmarajah.
Meanwhile in the Division 1B category St Joseph’s are way ahead from the rest having secured seven wins from seven and their final game will be against Mahanama which they will no doubt go flat out to maintain a hundred percent record. Nevertheless the final two weeks of the competition is going to be crucial for the top two teams in the Division 1A category.
Royal vs St Peter’s
This was one of the best ever results from all the matches that have been played so far. Royal coming in as underdogs stunned the favourites and defending champs St Peter’s to chalk up a close 17-12 victory.
Royal succeeded in keeping the fancied Petes at bay after maintaining a slender 10-5 lead at lemons. Having stunned the Petes with a try in the eighth minute they continued to keep them under pressure and to increase their lead with another try 12 minutes later.
The Peterites were nowhere near their true form and hats off to the Royalists for having put up a top display. By the time the Petes came into the reckoning it was too late as time was running against them. The loss also has almost put the Petes out of contention for the league title.
Anyway the Royalists have sent a warning to their arch rivals Trinity what’s in store for them and they could pull out another surprise this weekend.
Trinity vs Dharmarajah
This game as expected saw the Trinitians gaining a 25-14 victory against the lowly placed Dharmarajah who crashed to their fifth defeat of the season. But the ugly incident that took place after the match marred the otherwise troubled free tournament that had been maintained by all the schools.
Who ever is responsible should understand that it’s the game that is the ultimate loser. The losing side should also accept defeat as embracing victory. Matches are played not to end up in Police stations or courts and also to tarnish the image of the school concerned. This being the first such incident reported this season hopefully all interested in this sport will also be expecting to be the last.
Isipathana vs Kingswood
The Isipathanians had to blame themselves for having lost this game in a close finish. Though the final score read 6-3 the game was theirs for the asking. It’s just that they threw away and offered the game to their opponents.
The match having ended in penalties they failed to make use of the penalties that were offered and opted for the touch and go system which ultimately saw Kinsgwood prevailing.
S. Thomas’ vs Vidyartha
It was the massacre of the innocents as the Thomians ran riot to demolish Vidyartha 64-0 thus sliding to their sixth successive defeat.
St Joseph’s vs Lumbini
St Joseph’s in securing their seventh successive win had the honour of recording the highest score of the season with an 82-0 win over the hapless Lumbini side. So their last game against Mahanama is going to be a decisive one for the Joes and a win would see them end the season with a clean record.
Mahanama vs Wesley
This game was crucial for both the teams as one of them would join leaders St Joseph’s for promotion to the top division next season. In the end Mahanama came out successfully with a 14-5 win.
Royal all the way
by Fazal Mohomed
It was Royal all the way. They shoved, pushed and defended like their lives were on the line and it indeed it paid off. In one of the biggest surprises this season in the inter schools rugby tournament, Royal College stunned many by overcoming their much fancied opponents, St. Peter’s College. The Peterites walked into the match as the favourites after a superb season and they met their waterloo at the hands of the Reid Avenue boys. This is only the second defeat for the Peterites. They lost their first match against the Thomians 22-18. The score line at the long whistle read 17-10 in favour of the Royalists.
The scoreline doesn’t reflect Royal’s dominance as many a sitter of a penalty was missed by their centre Duminda Attygalle and full back Muhsin Faleel. Royal opened scoring in the fifth minute of the match through a move initiated by winger Nabeel Faizer and executed by flanker Ashik Bari. The Royalists dominated the entire first half and the forwards got into action when they touched down through a maul in the right corner. Wasim Fajudeen was the try scorer. It was total dominance by the Royal forwards with the Peterite eight always been kept at bay. Ten minutes before the short whistle, Peterite number eight Ihshan Noor touched down. The score read 10-5 at half time.
In the second half, the Peterites made some daring moves but try as they might the Royal defense stood firm. They were not given any space to score. The Royalists tackled as hard as they could and the Peterites were always kept at bay. It was one of the most fascinating halves in the entire schools season with the game moving at a superb pace with no quarter asked and none given. Royal scored again, twenty minutes into the second half courtesy of a superb move by the line through fly half Naren Dahson who popped the ball to Shamil Mohomed who made no mistake with the ball and scored under the post. The conversion was successful .The Peterites threatened to take the game away from the Royalists with centre Gerad Caniyot touching down in the left corner. The conversion was not successful. The Peterites kept hitting the Royal 22 at this time of the game but the Royal 3rd row were their to pounce on the ball, and get the odd turnover. Referee Dilroy Fernando decided to blow the long whistle as the stadium erupted with the words, R-O-Y-A-L.
by Fazal Mohomed
It was Royal all the way. They shoved, pushed and defended like their lives were on the line and it indeed it paid off. In one of the biggest surprises this season in the inter schools rugby tournament, Royal College stunned many by overcoming their much fancied opponents, St. Peter’s College. The Peterites walked into the match as the favourites after a superb season and they met their waterloo at the hands of the Reid Avenue boys. This is only the second defeat for the Peterites. They lost their first match against the Thomians 22-18. The score line at the long whistle read 17-10 in favour of the Royalists.
The scoreline doesn’t reflect Royal’s dominance as many a sitter of a penalty was missed by their centre Duminda Attygalle and full back Muhsin Faleel. Royal opened scoring in the fifth minute of the match through a move initiated by winger Nabeel Faizer and executed by flanker Ashik Bari. The Royalists dominated the entire first half and the forwards got into action when they touched down through a maul in the right corner. Wasim Fajudeen was the try scorer. It was total dominance by the Royal forwards with the Peterite eight always been kept at bay. Ten minutes before the short whistle, Peterite number eight Ihshan Noor touched down. The score read 10-5 at half time.
In the second half, the Peterites made some daring moves but try as they might the Royal defense stood firm. They were not given any space to score. The Royalists tackled as hard as they could and the Peterites were always kept at bay. It was one of the most fascinating halves in the entire schools season with the game moving at a superb pace with no quarter asked and none given. Royal scored again, twenty minutes into the second half courtesy of a superb move by the line through fly half Naren Dahson who popped the ball to Shamil Mohomed who made no mistake with the ball and scored under the post. The conversion was successful .The Peterites threatened to take the game away from the Royalists with centre Gerad Caniyot touching down in the left corner. The conversion was not successful. The Peterites kept hitting the Royal 22 at this time of the game but the Royal 3rd row were their to pounce on the ball, and get the odd turnover. Referee Dilroy Fernando decided to blow the long whistle as the stadium erupted with the words, R-O-Y-A-L.
St. Peter's vs Isipathana match rescheduled
According to Hassan Sinhawansa, chairman of rugby management & development committee of Isipathana College, the Singer League Division One - Group “A” match between St. Peter's and Isipathana which was scheduled to be played on the 14th of June is now shifted to 13th June at Havelock Park.
According to Hassan Sinhawansa, chairman of rugby management & development committee of Isipathana College, the Singer League Division One - Group “A” match between St. Peter's and Isipathana which was scheduled to be played on the 14th of June is now shifted to 13th June at Havelock Park.
Priyantha to referee Bradby Shield match
S.M. Jiffrey Abdeen, Kandy Sports correspondent
Old Vidyarthian Priyantha Gunaratne - a top rugby coach and referee from the hill capital has been assigned to officiate in the first leg of the 64th Bradby Shield encounter between Royal College and Trinity College which will be played in Colombo on Saturday (June 14).
Priyantha Gunaratne becomes the second Vidyarthian after Anil Jayasinghe to officiate in the prestigious rugby clash between these two leading schools which is one of the biggest sporting events in the sporting calendar in the country.
The selection of Priyantha Gunaratne for this big event comes as no surprise as he is now one of the top referees in the country and honesty and dedication has been the hallmark of his career.
Priyantha Gunaratne played as a brilliant scrum half for Vidyartha College from 1989 to 1992 and was the deputy skipper in his final year.
S.M. Jiffrey Abdeen, Kandy Sports correspondent
Old Vidyarthian Priyantha Gunaratne - a top rugby coach and referee from the hill capital has been assigned to officiate in the first leg of the 64th Bradby Shield encounter between Royal College and Trinity College which will be played in Colombo on Saturday (June 14).
Priyantha Gunaratne becomes the second Vidyarthian after Anil Jayasinghe to officiate in the prestigious rugby clash between these two leading schools which is one of the biggest sporting events in the sporting calendar in the country.
The selection of Priyantha Gunaratne for this big event comes as no surprise as he is now one of the top referees in the country and honesty and dedication has been the hallmark of his career.
Priyantha Gunaratne played as a brilliant scrum half for Vidyartha College from 1989 to 1992 and was the deputy skipper in his final year.
Bilal Hassan fit to play in 'Bradby'
Sri Lanka Youth player and Royal's number eight Bilal Hassan who missed their key match against St. Peter's due to a groin injury will return to the Royal team in the First Leg of the 64th Bradby Shield match against Trinity College which will be worked off at the Royal College Sports Complex on June 14.
Hassan who excelled for the Sri Lanka under 19 team in the Youth Rugby Asiad in Brunei last year has played a vital role for the Reid Avenue team with his fiery loose play and his presence should be a morale-booster for Royal which scored a stunning 17-12 win over defending champions St. Peter's on Saturday. Their three quarters too gave a much better display with the return of regular fly half Naren Dhason after missing the last four matches due to injury.
But the biggest worry for Royal in the 'Bradby' will be the lack of a dependable place kicker with centre Duminda Attygalle missing two 'sitters' of penalties and an easy conversion while full back Mushin Faleel too failed miserably with a front of the post penalty.
It is surprising that Royal is unable to produce a reliable place kicker despite having the services of Nizam Jamaldeen, one of the best place kickers produced by Sri Lanka as their assistant coach. The Trinitians who are going great guns this season having won five matches out of six will go out favourites to win the Bradby Shield this year.
Under the guidance of their dedicated coaches Anil Jayasinghe and Pradeep Basnayake the 'Trinity Lions' have fared well notching up five victories over Isipatana (29-10), Vidyartha (60-0), S. Thomas' (15-10), St. Anthony's (25-24) and Dharmaraja (25-14).
They possess a formidable pack spearheaded by No. 8 Ruzni Ramzeen and a superb three quarter line with wingers Visvajit Wijesinghe and Shannon Armstrong likely to pose the biggest threat to Royal with their powerful runs down the flank.
Sri Lanka Youth player and Royal's number eight Bilal Hassan who missed their key match against St. Peter's due to a groin injury will return to the Royal team in the First Leg of the 64th Bradby Shield match against Trinity College which will be worked off at the Royal College Sports Complex on June 14.
Hassan who excelled for the Sri Lanka under 19 team in the Youth Rugby Asiad in Brunei last year has played a vital role for the Reid Avenue team with his fiery loose play and his presence should be a morale-booster for Royal which scored a stunning 17-12 win over defending champions St. Peter's on Saturday. Their three quarters too gave a much better display with the return of regular fly half Naren Dhason after missing the last four matches due to injury.
But the biggest worry for Royal in the 'Bradby' will be the lack of a dependable place kicker with centre Duminda Attygalle missing two 'sitters' of penalties and an easy conversion while full back Mushin Faleel too failed miserably with a front of the post penalty.
It is surprising that Royal is unable to produce a reliable place kicker despite having the services of Nizam Jamaldeen, one of the best place kickers produced by Sri Lanka as their assistant coach. The Trinitians who are going great guns this season having won five matches out of six will go out favourites to win the Bradby Shield this year.
Under the guidance of their dedicated coaches Anil Jayasinghe and Pradeep Basnayake the 'Trinity Lions' have fared well notching up five victories over Isipatana (29-10), Vidyartha (60-0), S. Thomas' (15-10), St. Anthony's (25-24) and Dharmaraja (25-14).
They possess a formidable pack spearheaded by No. 8 Ruzni Ramzeen and a superb three quarter line with wingers Visvajit Wijesinghe and Shannon Armstrong likely to pose the biggest threat to Royal with their powerful runs down the flank.
Thurstan - Wesley clash for Rajaratnam Trophy
Sunil Karunanayake
Thurstan will scrum down with Wesley for the Diyanesh Rajaratnam trophy on June 11 at the CR & FC grounds, Longdon Place. Diyanesh Rajaratnam trophy was inaugurated in 1998 in memory of late Diyanesh Rajaratnam who is the only Thurstanite to have captained both cricket and rugby at Thurstan; he captained the cricket team in 1971 and rugby team in 1972.
The match is also of significance due to the fact that Rajaratnam came over to Thurstan from Wesley in 1967 and the Rajaratnam family renowned for sports had links with both these schools.
Diyanesh Rajaratnam played his first game for Thurstan in 1968 as a wing three quarter against Wesley and scored Thurstan's first try and the match was won by Thurstan 8-3. This team was captained by Upali Hewage (currently Deputy Inspector General of Police Sabaragamuwa Range) who rendered yeoman service to Thurstan for well over a decade in serving as its Rugby - Co-ordinator.
DIG Upali Hewage has most fittingly being invited to be the Chief Guest for the occasion. Diyanesh won fame more as a leading schoolboy cricketer and had the honour of representing Ceylon Schools team in their Indian tour of 1970 where the series was won by them.
After leaving school he continued an active cricket career and represented Nomads & Tamils in the premier division and was a Sri Lanka trialist and represented board President's xi. He also coached Thurstan cricket for a brief period.
After retiring from first class cricket Diyanesh turned out be a leading commentator and sports program presenter for the SLBC achieving great heights as a Cricket and a Rugby commentator, this is yet another outstanding feat of this great sportsman who passed away suddenly in 1997.
Thurstan & Wesley has been playing each other regularly from 1959 and the Rajaratnam Trophy was won by Thurstan from inception in 1998 up to 2001 while Wesley has been the holders since 2002.
Both Thurstan and Wesley who played in the "A" division last year were relegated to "B" division this year and have had limited success.
Sunil Karunanayake
Thurstan will scrum down with Wesley for the Diyanesh Rajaratnam trophy on June 11 at the CR & FC grounds, Longdon Place. Diyanesh Rajaratnam trophy was inaugurated in 1998 in memory of late Diyanesh Rajaratnam who is the only Thurstanite to have captained both cricket and rugby at Thurstan; he captained the cricket team in 1971 and rugby team in 1972.
The match is also of significance due to the fact that Rajaratnam came over to Thurstan from Wesley in 1967 and the Rajaratnam family renowned for sports had links with both these schools.
Diyanesh Rajaratnam played his first game for Thurstan in 1968 as a wing three quarter against Wesley and scored Thurstan's first try and the match was won by Thurstan 8-3. This team was captained by Upali Hewage (currently Deputy Inspector General of Police Sabaragamuwa Range) who rendered yeoman service to Thurstan for well over a decade in serving as its Rugby - Co-ordinator.
DIG Upali Hewage has most fittingly being invited to be the Chief Guest for the occasion. Diyanesh won fame more as a leading schoolboy cricketer and had the honour of representing Ceylon Schools team in their Indian tour of 1970 where the series was won by them.
After leaving school he continued an active cricket career and represented Nomads & Tamils in the premier division and was a Sri Lanka trialist and represented board President's xi. He also coached Thurstan cricket for a brief period.
After retiring from first class cricket Diyanesh turned out be a leading commentator and sports program presenter for the SLBC achieving great heights as a Cricket and a Rugby commentator, this is yet another outstanding feat of this great sportsman who passed away suddenly in 1997.
Thurstan & Wesley has been playing each other regularly from 1959 and the Rajaratnam Trophy was won by Thurstan from inception in 1998 up to 2001 while Wesley has been the holders since 2002.
Both Thurstan and Wesley who played in the "A" division last year were relegated to "B" division this year and have had limited success.
Finest school game for a long time
Sharm de Alwis
The car park was choked and the pavilion was packed to the rafters as if to down-grade the Bradby and we who had paid for a seat in the pavilion were often watching the spectacle standing because of the mounting excitement.
This was heady stuff even if I mix the tenses in reflective journalism. It was the finest game in inter-school rugby seen for a very long time. The game was played at a scorcher and the fact that Royal withstood the do-or-die onslaught of a Peterite attack that was rejuvenated in the death throes should be attributed to fine drilling by their coaches, C.P.P.Abeygunawardena, Nizam Jamaldeen and Viraj Prasantha.
Royal were perched on Peterite territory for much of the game and they also had the greater possession. What possession the Peterites got they squandered with aimless kicking and line kicks which returned the advantage to the foes. They never indulged in one chip kick or a kick to the box for the winger to flee with ball. Their number 8, Noor was a marked boy and received some bone crusher tackles. They lost a game that could easily have been won.
I asked for a synopsis from Ranil Prematilake who although, like me, looked askance at oval balls, has seen more rugger than any pig's bladder in the rugger ball. My first few calls were aborted. I thought of Robert Bruce and the spider and tried again.
Ranil spoke of injuries sustained by the Peterites in the game against Trinity and re-emphasised that Noor had been heavily marked. He spoke of the plus factor of the home ground advantage, that Royal were clear favourites and that Royal had peaked at the correct time with the Bradby a week away.
Having shared some thoughts with someone a pitch above me and who never gets anonymous hate letters from the riff-raff, I would contend that Royal wanted to lull themselves into false pretences with the Bradby in mind a little learning is dangerous particularly when the school's motto is Learn or Depart.
I will quote from the poet: Shadwell alone of all my sons is he Who stands confirmed in dull stupidity. Others to some faint meaning make false pretence But Shadwell never deviates into sense I know that Shadwell will be multiplied by 15 come the Bradby.
Trinity may have a lone coloursman in the captain and so had Royal in 1949 when Geoff Weinman captained them. Trinity has in Ruzmi Ramzeen arguably the best number 8 in schools today. Vishvajith Wijesinghe with eight has the highest tally of tries in the season with three matches left for play.
Fiesty all-round player and captain, Milinda Gunawardena and his deputy Pulasthi Gamage have terrific support with the return of Avinda Bulanwewa, Hasindu Dassanayake, nippy Adeeb Hameed, Idris Omar, burly Ishrath Singhalakshana, Roshan Vidanagamage, Kennan and Shennan Armstrong, Ishan Mohamed, Surendra Alwis, Damith Dissanayake, Chathuranga Wijesinghe, Tuan Kitchilin, Mohamed Riyazy, Nimesh Yatawara, Ahamed Fahad and Rahal Balasuriya who has decamped from S. Thomas' and whose father, rugby Lion Ravi, virtually single-handedly won the 1977 Trinity team he captained 22-10.
Sharm de Alwis
The car park was choked and the pavilion was packed to the rafters as if to down-grade the Bradby and we who had paid for a seat in the pavilion were often watching the spectacle standing because of the mounting excitement.
This was heady stuff even if I mix the tenses in reflective journalism. It was the finest game in inter-school rugby seen for a very long time. The game was played at a scorcher and the fact that Royal withstood the do-or-die onslaught of a Peterite attack that was rejuvenated in the death throes should be attributed to fine drilling by their coaches, C.P.P.Abeygunawardena, Nizam Jamaldeen and Viraj Prasantha.
Royal were perched on Peterite territory for much of the game and they also had the greater possession. What possession the Peterites got they squandered with aimless kicking and line kicks which returned the advantage to the foes. They never indulged in one chip kick or a kick to the box for the winger to flee with ball. Their number 8, Noor was a marked boy and received some bone crusher tackles. They lost a game that could easily have been won.
I asked for a synopsis from Ranil Prematilake who although, like me, looked askance at oval balls, has seen more rugger than any pig's bladder in the rugger ball. My first few calls were aborted. I thought of Robert Bruce and the spider and tried again.
Ranil spoke of injuries sustained by the Peterites in the game against Trinity and re-emphasised that Noor had been heavily marked. He spoke of the plus factor of the home ground advantage, that Royal were clear favourites and that Royal had peaked at the correct time with the Bradby a week away.
Having shared some thoughts with someone a pitch above me and who never gets anonymous hate letters from the riff-raff, I would contend that Royal wanted to lull themselves into false pretences with the Bradby in mind a little learning is dangerous particularly when the school's motto is Learn or Depart.
I will quote from the poet: Shadwell alone of all my sons is he Who stands confirmed in dull stupidity. Others to some faint meaning make false pretence But Shadwell never deviates into sense I know that Shadwell will be multiplied by 15 come the Bradby.
Trinity may have a lone coloursman in the captain and so had Royal in 1949 when Geoff Weinman captained them. Trinity has in Ruzmi Ramzeen arguably the best number 8 in schools today. Vishvajith Wijesinghe with eight has the highest tally of tries in the season with three matches left for play.
Fiesty all-round player and captain, Milinda Gunawardena and his deputy Pulasthi Gamage have terrific support with the return of Avinda Bulanwewa, Hasindu Dassanayake, nippy Adeeb Hameed, Idris Omar, burly Ishrath Singhalakshana, Roshan Vidanagamage, Kennan and Shennan Armstrong, Ishan Mohamed, Surendra Alwis, Damith Dissanayake, Chathuranga Wijesinghe, Tuan Kitchilin, Mohamed Riyazy, Nimesh Yatawara, Ahamed Fahad and Rahal Balasuriya who has decamped from S. Thomas' and whose father, rugby Lion Ravi, virtually single-handedly won the 1977 Trinity team he captained 22-10.
