There was something about his stance that commanded respect. The flowing robe and the long beard could not camouflage the determination on his face as he stood and prayed at the Al Ghaffooria Mosque in Maharagama.
After prayers I approached him and my fears were allayed. This is Zubair Doray, former Wesley, CR and Sri Lanka rugby full back now maintaining a low profile. He said that he was recovering from a painful kidney operation and now his whole life centered on prayers.
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| Zubair Doray |
He was surprised that I had recognized him. I have watched him train dedicatedly at Campbell Park whilst still a schoolboy at Wesley. Nothing would deter him. His one ambition was to chase the oval ball, collect it and kick it to safety. He would tackle his opponents to a standstill. He was absolutely fit and would train for long periods… long after his colleagues had left the picturesque venue.
“My coach was Reggie Bartholomuesz. He is now domiciled in Australia and is the President of the Melbourne Branch of the Wesley OBA. He taught me the basics. Reggie knew that I was good material and under his guidance I joined the CR&FC and played for the Red Shirts in the last line of defense from 1981 to 1986 and later I was picked for the National team.”
He manned the last line of defense for CR when Malik Samarawickrema captained the side. Malik is now the king pin at Kandy SC, the side which has been dominating the rugby scene for several years.
Reggie Bartholomeusz was a blazing winger, one of the few produced by Wesley. He was a regular member of the CR&FC when stalwarts such as Sari de Sylva, Hadji Omar, Tony de Sylva, Thiruchitthampalam, Eric Roles and Dushantha Samarasekera donned the Red jersey.
Later Reggie turned out for the National team where his determined and blazing down the line made him an outstanding winger. Reggie’s exploits on the rugby field are still spoken in awe at rugby gatherings.
Zubair spoke haltingly during an interview held at his residence in Maharagama. “I devote a lot of time to prayers now. But I do take the chance to witness a good game especially when my old club CR plays,” said Zubair.
Zubair has rugby in his blood. His father Lt. Abdus Kuthus Doray of the Sri Lanka Navy was a former secretary of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union and was President of the CR&FC in 1974. His mother Zahra Hanoon (nee Musafer) was also a keen rugby fan and would follow her husband’s passion for the game with interest and was often seen at the Longdon Place Club encouraging rugby players.
Zubair turned out for Sri Lanka and was a permanent member of the National team from 1981 to 1986. He played in the national side at the Singapore and Japan Asiads during this time under the captaincy of scrum half and former Royal coach CPP Abeygunawardena and roving forward Saman Jayasinghe.
Speaking about his experience at the 1981 Singapore Asiad Zubair said that Sri Lanka lost a hard fought battle against Korea at 22-6. He regrets that the standard of club rugby has not improved in the island.
This has however not deterred him from encouraging his sons Muzni and Mushid from playing rugby. “Both of them play at the under 12 and under 14 levels at Wesley. Their coach is the former Army winger MP Gunadasa.”
He speaks proudly of his maternal ancestors who have done well at Wesley. “The Musafers - Dr. Sandy has been a hockey star. My great, great grand uncle Z.D. Musafer captained Wesley at cricket and A.W. Musafer captained Wesley with great distinction in 1935 and ’36, he said,
In rugby Shani Musafer captained Wesley in 1966, Iqbal Musafer led the double blues in 1974 and Hisham Musafer led Wesley in 1988. |
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