Petes getting closer to the plum

The week provided the thrill for those who savvy school rugby. Good news was that Issipathana is expected to be back on the field. Meanwhile spectators thronged to Longden Place to watch the match between S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia and Royal College. There was a huge spectator turnout despite some having to weather the wait in long traffic jams.

The rugby was enjoyable and played at a pace to keep the heart pounding. One may have thought after the performance against Trinity the Royalists would have a filed day. This was not to be. S. Thomas’ did challenge and take the game to the Royalists. The action made fans scream a little louder than usual. The game had a lot of ball in play, especially in the first half. The number of scrums being five and the line outs being around eleven there was a lot of movement on the park. This definitely had an effect on the young players who did a few more mistakes in the second half with around 14 scrums and 12 lineouts. Still the continuity of the game was such there were tries scored off some good movements down the park. What possibly could be classed as unforced errors being minimized the game had a lot of action. It is the action that was enjoyed which also makes the supporters feel bad when the teams they fancy are at the losing end. This was evident as the match finished. Most were still satisfied that they watched a game that provided action.

St Peter’s with an emphatic win over Kingswood are getting closer to the cup and have only Issipatana, with one game down, as possible challengers. That is also if St Peter’s were to drop a game or may be two while the Patana side continues to win all their matches. The flip side is the bad losers who have brought a new dimension to the game. The distribution of spurious literature by facsimile has encroached the game. ‘Kela Pattara’, though new to the game of rugby is nothing new in Sri Lanka. The game is more enjoyable when played and enjoyed in the correct spirit. It certainly does not need value addition in forms that have not been part of the game. It is common for performers as well as their supporters to go overboard because of the inability to handle the pressure of success. This leads to action and verbal assault thus being a bad example to the young
St Peter’s it is reported are giving a new meaning and hope through their success. This is good news when in some quarters the game is riddled with indiscipline. The members of a winning team have always an influence on others at school. Winning also makes supporters blind and accuses others right or wrong. Mostly elders, set a bad example. Winning is not everything. Games need to mould character and payers have to be role models to the younger student. The older students who are battling it out give the crowd a lot to think about. The importance is to give something to society from your success; The Pete’s are in the process of implementing a code of conduct while the spectators continue to cheer their school. The expectation is that the example set by the older supporter wills a lesson to the young who come to the ground to watch matches. It is indeed laudable step in the right direction. It is good thinking, to make use of the game that is popular to be used to set a standard. Hopefully there will be other schools that will follow the example set than to support and hide the guilty.

On the club scene there were scares all around for the table leaders the Kandy Sports Club as well as for the CR & FC. Army ended their dry run with a victory over the Air Force side. At the top it is Kandy, CR and CH battling out while at the middle there is the Havelock’s, Police, Army and Air Force matching each other and trying to do better than the other. A familiar story that has been in the cards during the last few years. The gap between the top and the middle is wide while here is also a yawning gap between the middle and the lower. This is nothing new and has been continuing with hope at the start of each year that there will be a new challenge. A redeeming factor is that the services teams are no longer those that make mistakes and give away penalties while using their brawn. The mistakes and silly ones are less; the number of penalties thrown is reducing. However the kicking is an area that needs to be looked into. There are lots of kicks that seem not to serve a purpose. It is because they do not have a purpose but being more speculative. Hope fully somebody on the other side will make a mistake