FA Cup success spurs Police to reach new heights in sports
Police Sports Club are looking forward to attract talented young players following their success at the Vantage FA Cup where they defeated Saunders after a penalty shootout in the final.
Although recruitment to the permanent cadre of Police has been difficult in recent years because of the educational requirements, the club has managed to hire young stars for sports such as boxing, rugby and football which have enjoyed success of late.
Rukmal Prasanna, a product of Gamini Central, Ingiriya brought glory to Police when he was adjudged the most scientific boxer at the 94th National Boxing Championships.
Police coached by Asanga Rodrigo and Lalith Leelaratne have been a revelation in the ongoing Dialog Rugby Club League Championship being among the Top Four teams. “We have got some young players. They are performing well as a team,” said former Police star SP Neranjan Abeywardena.
Police also produced medal winners at the 13th South Asian Games in Archery and Shooting. They are Anuradha Wijesinghe Karunaratne who won two silver medals, individual and team, while sharpshooter B.N. Priyantha claimed a bronze medal in a team event.
Their triumph in football has propelled interest in sports at Police which has a rich tradition, having attracted the cream of school talent in the past.
This is the fourth time that Police have clinched the blue riband of football in the country, albeit after 11 years having last won in 2008 defeating Civil Defence team also on penalties after a 1-1 draw. The team was led by Sanjaya Pradeep Kumara and coached by CI Hashimdeen.
They won the FA Cup for the first time in 1953 led by CI Somapala and three decades later in 1973 captained by Azeez. They emerged runners-up twice in 1991 led by CI Jayantha Silva and 1997 captain by CI Susantha Jayawardena losing to top teams Renown and Saunders respectively.
The infusion of youth players two-time Golden Glove winner Mahendran Dinesh, midfielder Ishara Dunsha Perera, former youth international striker Rifkan Mohamed, M.S.M. Sufaik and I.M.M. Imran, heralded a sea change in their fortunes, according to Police football team manager IP Rukmal Silva. “We were unbeaten Premier League champions. We lost in the FA Cup in the semifinals to Army because of an own goal. We trained for six months for the FA Cup,” said Silva giving credit to head coach IP Mahinda Galagedera for his meticulous planning and analysis of studying the opposition before each game for their successful campaign. Galagedera was assisted by IP Harsha Prasad and SI Udaya Kumara
“We are looking for new talent probably from the national youth pool because we will be up against foreign players in the Champions League,” said Silva lauding the encouragement given by chairman Police football Senior DIG Pathmasiri Munasinghe, secretary Ashoka Naugalage, a former Sri Lanka captain, ex-chairman Senior DIG Nandana Munasinghe and former Police Director of Sports SP Kamal Pushpakumara for their continuous support.
The new Director of Sports of Police SP Lucian Sooriyabandara, a former Sri Lanka basketball player, has also got down to the task of raising the profile of the sports division enthusiastically.
A stalwart of Police basketball which he represented from 1987 to 1994 during which period they emerged national champions for four consecutive years, Sooriyabandara follows a long list of players who have been appointed as Director of Sports, the last one being former Sri Lanka rugby star DIG Norman Silva.
The former Royal basketball star who represented Sri Lanka Schools at the Youth Championships in Philippines in 1995 and the senior national team at the Asian Championships in Kobe, Japan in 1991, Sooriyabandara expressed his gratitude to the Acting IGP Chandana Wickramaratne and Senior DIG Western Province Deshabandu Tennakoon for their encouragement and support to regain their past glory in the sporting arena.