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13th June 1999

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55th Bradby Shield encounter

Big guns boom at Bogambara

Ravi Nagahawatte

Sparks are sure to fly when 'big guns' Royal and Trinity clash in their traditional Bradby Shield encounter which begins with the first leg which is scheduled for June 19 Saturday at the Bogambara Stadium.

Both teams have made a tremendous impact during their last encounters and once again the coveted Bradby Shield seems like falling into the hands of the school which comes out on top in both encounters.

But if there is one team which did not realise their true potential till two weeks ago , it should be Trinity.

Probably the lads are living up to the old saying which goes, "Little things are little things. But having faith in small things is a big thing".

The team which has completed most of their matches without their regular skipper, Ravi Wickramasiri , had faith in their acting skipper and together proved a point in the fixture against Isipatana.The 'Lions' lost 22-25 but not without giving a scare to their fancied opponents.

Playing on their home territory would definitely give an edge to the hosting team who have won four matches out of the seven played upto date.

They beat Vidyartha 15-8,St.Sylvester's 16-0,St.Joseph's 28-12 and Wesley 28-0 but tasted defeat against S.Thomas' (5-15), Isipatana (22-25) and home town rivals St.Anthony's Katugastota (0-3).

The forwards are capable of knocking the stuffing out of any opposition 'eight' and be it a scrum line-out, ruck or maul the lads would go to the extent of doing even the impossible.

The power of the pack lies in the hands of players like R.Ganapathi, K.Halpe,R.Rajapakse and D.Luchow who have excelled in both attack and defence this season.

Their halves combination of D.Selvam and Shanaka Kumara have functioned smoothly this season and any move by the two , should send down a shock wave or two in the Royal camp. Zamil Mohamed and Kelum Silva should add punch to the line as centres while D.Peiris and M.Aseef will play on the sides as wing three quarters. The reliable T. Jayawardana will man the last line of defence.

Royal led by hooker and Sri Lanka youth player Dinesh Rahim go into this encounter with a slightly better record .

The team has won all their matches except with Isipatana to whom they went down fighting 5-10 at the Sugathadasa Stadium.

The lads from Reid Avenue have one of the most talented sides this season and came back from their defeat against Isipatana with an inspiring 26-14 victory against arch -rivals S.Thomas'.

The team commenced the season with a bang downing Ananda 22-13 and later created a piece of sensation by scoring a runaway victory against Royal College Panadura whom they vanquished 171-0.

They also registered wins over St.Anthony's 43-5, Lumbini 24-3, St.Peter's 28-12, and Carey 34-0.

Their strength lies in a bunch of fast moving three quarters who are capable of penetrating any defence. Possessing talent are many . But the one to watch will be wing three quarter Viraj de Silva who is potentially the fastest runner in the team.

Also in the line-up are players in the calibre of Samith Pilapitiya,Harin Kaluarachchi , Pandula Jayasundara and Rasika Wijeratne who are capable runners.

Third row forwards Pavithra Fernando and Sajive Fernando have always shown the will and firepower to drive their way through in tight situations.

Lanky second row forward , Suranjan Perera , who has continued to play a prominent role in the lineouts ,is expected to lay the platform to the threes by winning plenty of possession from the throw-ins.

The Royal front row is propped up by stockily built prop forwards Malik Induruwana and Inchira Koralagama with skipper Dinesh Rahim binding in as hooker.

Royal won last year's encounter when they shrugged off a 18-20 first leg defeat to annex the Shield with a relatively easy 42-10 win in the second leg.

Trinity lead the tally with 30 wins against Royal's 23 while one match has ended in no decision.

The teams-

Royal pool from -M.Induruwana, D.Rahim , I.Koralagama, S.Perera, V.Ratnayake, P.Fernando, C.Ranasinghe, S.Fernando, C.Perera,R.Fernando, R.Wijewardana, H.Kaluarachchci, V.deSilva, S.Pilapitiya, P.Jayasundara, D.Wijewardana

Trinity pool from -C.Jayakody, K.Halpe,C.Amarasinghe, R.Ganapathi, K.Jayasena, R.Rajapakse, D.Luchow, L.Bogahawate, D.Selvam,S.Kumara, K.Weeraratne, K.Silva, Z.Mohammed, M.Aseef, D.Peiris, T.Jayawardana


All Blacks coach here for a new try

By Bernie Wijesekera

Kelvin Farrington, the highly accomplished Level III All Blacks coach, now helping the Sri Lanka Army rugby to reach stardom, is here on a sponsorship package.

Farrington, hails from Kiwiland, but now serving with the West Harbour R.F.U., in Sydney, for its development and promotion.

Kelvin, a high quality disciplinarian by example has set the Army rugby wheels in motion among the less affluent soldiers, who have taken to the sport after joining the Army.

An excellent job

During his short stint Kelvin has done an excellent job, says chairman of rugby Brig. Jupana Jayawardana.

We have been given the squad to train, with the assistance of Maj. Sunil Ranasinghe.

There is no outside influence. He picks the team on merit and performance plus fitness. There are no seniors and juniors - all are treated alike.

Quite a number of heads rolled after the defeat against the Police. The soldiers produced high quality rugby against the CH and FC last Sunday in the mud and ploughed their way to a record 52-5 win. For them accolades allround. Seeing is believing.

Farrington research

The Army's new find coach Farrington during his short stay has done some research regarding the game and its development. He has made a meaningful report with his findings for a better tomorrow.

Herewith we publish his highly educative observations for the Rugby Union and to the Referees Society for a study and to overcome its shortcomings:-

I was surprised when I looked up Sri Lanka's recent International results to find that the side had been beaten by such large scores by other Asian countries such as Japan and Hong Kong. There are a lot of very good players in this country, many of whom would play 1st Grade in Sydney or Auckland. (One only needs to see how well Priyantha Ekanayake did in Otago to know that Sri Lankan players can "make it" on the International scene).

After been in Sri Lanka and seeing all the club sides play a number of times I feel that there are a number of areas which we must improve to raise the standard of play at club level and to help your national side be successful.

On Saturday the two unbeaten top sides played at C.R. ground. I did statistics on the game which are similar to the results of other statistics from earlier games watched.

The problem with Sri Lankan rugby is obvious from these statistics. There is no continuity of play. A senior referee timed one half of a recent A Division game to see how long the ball was actually in play. The result - an embarrassing 11 minutes. This is not good enough and needs to be fixed if the game is to further develop in Sri Lanka.

To address these shortcomings the followmg areas need addressing:

Firstly the players.

o Fitness levels are poor both aerobic and anaerobic. Because the game is so static (1 or 2 phase ) players can get away with poor levels of fitness at Club Level. However they will be exposed when going to the next playing level.

o Strength Training - players need to incorporate muscle building programmes not just strength programmes into their off season training. This will offset the lack of size in some of your players.

o Skill levels need to improve - contact skills in the ruck / maul, passing skills in the backs, unit skills in the lineouts and scrums etc.

o Attitudes need to change, William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it so creating the game of "Rugby Union". It should still be a "running game" However there is far too much aimless kicking by players at club level.

Secondly the Coach

o Long term strategies need to be employed to develop your team and club. While the pressure to win is with us all,. to be successful over a long period you need a sound coaching philosophy. To reduce the external pressure from expectant committees involve them in this long term planning. There are no magic wands in coaching. If an All Black coach or Wallaby coach was to come in and take over coaching your side he would not have instant success. Success is a by-product of doing things well. A more positive approach needs to be taken. Don't play players who break the rules and "spirit of the game". Alternatively replace them if they continue to infringe. Teach your players the principles of the game i.e. Go Forward....Create Pressure....Gain Possession....Through Support....Maintain Continuity....Apply Pressure .... Score Points.

o Once players understand how simple the game really is then they will treat the ball with more respect.

Thirdly the Referees

o Take a positive approach to refereeing - try to blow negative play not positive.

o Take a commonsense approach to refereeing - if you used the rule book verbatim then every lineout, every scrum and every ruck / maul would be blown up for an infringement. It wouldn't take long for the game to die completely if we took this attitude. Of the 32 lineouts and 28 scrums on Saturday only 1 was called for an incorrect "feed". This was positive refereeing - letting the game flow.

Wishing all parties the best for the remainder of the year.

Regards.

Kelvin Farrington.


Jayamanne try give Joes win over Royal

By Saif Izzadeen

A suspenseful encounter saw St.Joseph's College Colombo produce a major upset in the Inter-School rugby season when they overwhelmed Royal 23-22 at Police Park yesterday. At the breather Royal led 12-10.

The Darley Road school collected their points through two goals and three penalties while the losers responded with three tries, and one goal.

The game produced excitement from word go. Both teams entertained the spectators with spectacular rugby. The game was in the balance until the final whistle..

However Royal's last throw in the dice during the last few moments of the game was spoiled when Dannel Diaz of St. Joseph's stopped Royal winger Viraj de Silva with a breathtaking tackle.

St.Joseph's opened scoring in the third minute through scrum half Dinuk Wijeratne who put over a penalty which enabled them lead 3-0.

Five minutes later the blue and gold jerseyed ruggerites hit back through a try by flanker Pavithra Fernando. Pavithra broke away from a scrum and touch down at the right corner flag. The conversion was fluffed by Chandrain Ranasinghe. This gave Royal a 5-3 lead.

The ball came Royal's way after a scrum and in a beautifully executed three quarter move winger Viraj de Silva put the finishing touches with a try by the left corner flag. The conversion was put over by Chandarin Ranasinghe. The score read Royal 12. St.Joseph's 3. at this stage.

The game was played at a furious pace and St.Joseph's reduced the lead to 10-12 with only a few minutes to the short whistle.

The Joes three quarters went into motion next and when challenged, a second phase move ensued out of which they scored through prop forward Gihan Munasinghe.

The conversion was put over by scrum half Dinuk Wijeratne and the score read: Royal 12. St.Joseph's 10. This was the score at lemons.

The second half got off to a fascinating start when St.Joseph's took a 13-12 lead through a penalty by fly half Dinuk Wijeratne.

Royal retained the lead when they scored a try through prop forward Haren Kaluarachchi who collected the loose ball and fell over for a try. The conversion was fluffed by Chandrin Ranasinghe and Royal led 17-13.

The Josephians reduced the lead to 16-17 when fly half Dinuk Wijeratne put over a penalty. Royal increased the lead once again when they scored a try through Pavithara Fernando but the conversion was again fluffed by Chandrin Ranasinghe. This gave Royal a 22-16 lead.

With the game heading for an exciting finish St.Joseph's produced the all important knock-out punch when they scored a try inside the final five minutes through flanker Kasun Jayamanna and the conversion was put over by Dinuk Wijeratne which gave St.Joseph's an exciting 23-22 win.

Referee - Asanka Abeykoon

Isipatana win

Meanwhile, at Londgen Place, Isipatana maintained their unbeaten record when they scored a 23 points (a goal, two tries and two penalties) to 5 ( one try) win over St.Peter's. The green shirts led 13-0 at the breather.


Thurstan Rugby Football Club celebrates their first anniversary

Thurstan's poor form forces coach to return

By Saif Izzadeen

Thurstan rugby football club celebrated their first anniversary with a small gathering of their club members and well=wishers at a leading hotel in Colombo lastweek.

It was a well attended function. Thurstan supporters must thank the year-old Thurstan Rugby Football Club, which has encouraged the school to take up rugby in a dedicated manner which ultimately helped them to beat their traditional rivals Isipatana last year for the first time in the President's Trophy semi finals.

Thurstan were led by winger Nuwan Kumara who is now turning out for the CH and FC. He did well to rally the players around which enabled them to win the President's Trophy as well as beat Isipatana.

Speaking at the gathering the brainchild behind this club Suren Abeyagoonasekera said, "Due to the fact that I played rugby for Thurstan, I thought of giving something back to my 'alma mater' and I am very happy that this project has turned out like this."

Speaking further he said, "When we formed this club I made two pledges. One is that Thurstan will beat Isipatana and some people thought I was talking about a thing which will never happen. However we were able do that which even surprised me.

The other pledge was to win the President's Trophy. Even our second pledge came through. All our members are very happy about it."

"We must also thank Ajith Fernando and Chandrishan Perera for moulding the team into a champion outfit last year.

I hope this club will grow strong in the years to come,' concluded Suren.

Meanwhile Thurstan coach Ajith Fernando who visited New Zealand for a coaching seminar conducted by the Auckland Blues completed it successfully and came back to Sri Lanka.

"It was a good tour. I was able to watch some of the super 12 games and was taken to attend some coaching sessions of some schools.

"It was a good program and I enjoyed it. I also learned some of the coaching methods," said Ajith Fernando.

Fernando has also not come back to Sri Lanka empty handed. He has brought a mauling machine which is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka.

Ajith Fernando was originally scheduled to stay in New Zealand for six weeks. However he had to come back in four weeks due to the fact that Thurstan were not doing well in on-going inter school season having suffered two defeats.


Caddies steal the limelight

Sadly the standard of amateur golf in Sri Lanka has hit absolute rock bottom and nothing worthwhile has surfaced or shows any evidence of success since Pin Fernando and Tiru Fernando left the scene. Pferoze Billimoria warmend our hearts through a short spell with tremendous promise and then quite suddenly slipped away to take the role of a teacher. Anouk Chanmugam is the other who gives us promise.

May I now look in the direction of our professionals and the history of their employment in the country. Dick Greenway is the earliest I remember and that is 40 years ago. He was followed by a host of others who came, played around and moved away leaving absolutely nothing behind. Not one of them can collect any credit for having polished a single amateur to reach any degree of recognition in our little world of golf but to their eternal credit I must observe that they systematically improved the standards of weekend 4 ballers whose running battle has been to break 100 over 18 holes.

Over the years the hierarchy of the Golf Club and the Sri Lanka Golf Union must shoulder this massive slice of blame for not pressing for ongoing coaching schemes and results. Nandasena Perera caddie turned amateur and then professional all on his own shot into meteoric success and promise with a few exceptional performances bringing much credit to the country with terrific wins in Sri Lanka, the sub-continent and in the Asian Games in China. Our faith and trust must now be placed with the caddies particularly as after Nandasena Perera we recognize Lalith Kumara the 20 year old prodigy who snapped up the Indian title just a month ago and while I write I am delighted to learn that Rohana another ex-caddie has snatched the Malaysian title. There are a few more caddies who are exceptional and the time is now ripe for our concentrations to be diverted to this basket of excellent talent.

Shirley de Silva who just relinquished the presidentship of the Sri Lanka Golf Union was brimful of progressive ideas which should be in the pipeline for implementation. Sunil Jayakody a tremendous planter, ex-Captain and President of the N'Eliya Golf Club is the new President of the Golf Union. A smart administrator and a strong competitive golfer he has plans to walk into a meticulously conceived programme of golf development. The whole programme is ready with him and it will all start with quarterly competitions at the highest level with attractive awards. Additionally he will seek to have the course available for the caddies to practice and the present restriction on their playing time removed.

These caddies must be identified, recognized and encouraged because it will only be they who will carry the Sri Lanka flag on the Golf scene in the future. The quartet of caddie golfers are delightful chaps, well-mannered, well behaved, tremendously talented and with determination to improve standards. They must be protected like national assets and brought under the wing of the Royal Colombo Golf Club with a scheme to develop them physically, mentally and socially on their way to improving skills.

Lalith Kumara the youngest and most talented must be captured and made ready for further development. The Club has an overload of funds, the Golf Union is not broke and the membership counts dozens of millionaires and I think the officials must get-togeter quickly to explore the possibilities of sending Kumara to USA.


The value of technique

By Ranil Abeynaike

Hardly ever would you see fielders crowding around the batsman in a one-day encounter. It is when there are fielders around the bat that the technical skills of a player is tested. That may sound strange. Surely does it not provide plenty of open spaces around the grounds to score runs? May be, but it also gives the bowler and fielders the opportunity to catch batsman out before the ball reaches the outfield. It also puts mental pressure on a batsman when there are fielders breathing down his throat. Therefore it is the technically sound who survive in the long games.

Many commentators and newspaper journalists have been commenting on the batsmen lacking in technique to handle the conditions currently prevailing in England. It is the English who began publishing the coaching mamal. Quite naturally, it was they who invented the game. The MCC coaching book was a publication which was read and absorbed by many a player, coach and cricket enthusiast in the days gone by. Today, it is not even published.

A lot of learning is from watching TV. The actions of the great players are watched, then emulated. The problem arises when you try and ape what they do. Try watching the actions of a million bowlers and their action would never be identical.

Let me give you a couple of illustrations of great players being emulated. Sanath Jayasuriya is a hero to many a young cricketer in this country and why not. His performances have captured the hearts of cricket lovers around the world. His style of batting is unique to himself. He grips the bat low down on the handle. Now all the "television learners" also grip the bat right down the bottom of the handle. Jayasuriya has wrists as strong as those of a seasonsed "wood chopper". He has the eye of an "Eagle" and foot movements of a "champion boxer". He gets away with gripping the bat at the bottom of the handle. Then again, not always. Too much use of the bottom hand in stroke play has been his undoing during this World Cup. Many of those who ape him will fall by the wayside before too long.

Leg spinners in all corners of the globe look upto the wizardry of Shane Warne. Warne walks a couple of steps, then ambles a couple of steps, then lets rips all his over the wrist variations. Many try to ape his style of bowling. The Australian spinner is a strong man who is well balanced at the time of delivering the ball. His approach is obstacle free for him to deliver the goods. Once again many who try to ape him get "choked up by the thistles" before too long.

Moving on to the success stories of the World Cup so far, which falls into two categories. The bowling has been dominated by the good, accurate, quicker bowlers who possess the ability to vary their deliveries. The Sri Lankans fell short because they lacked the ability to get the ball to deviate off the surface regularly and thereby trouble the batsmen.

Many people ask the question, how do you learn to move a cricket ball. Some movement in the air can be obtained using the new ball, but a movement in the air has a lot to do with the atmospheric conditions. The more difficult, but important art is to be able to move the ball off the pitch. Then it is tougher for the batsman to play at it, as adjustments have to be made at the last moment. Again practice and match conditions have to be available to learn this trade. Playing on matting pitches, concrete with artificial surfaces or grassless turf pitches does not help.

Firm surfaces with a reasonable covering of grass and some moisture prevailing, are the ideal conditions to have, when learning the art of swing bowling.


Rover Pinpoints…

Blow hot, blow cold

A journalist from a weekly Sinhala newspaper has been on the warpath, since his predictions by way of a book titled 'Second Victory', has flopped. He is blaming other journalists for the debacle in England, after Sri Lanka failed to enter even the Super Six stage of the World Cup after winning the title in 1996.

No VIP treatment

Seven members of the Sri Lanka cricket team who arrived in the first batch, had to step out as ordinary citizens when they returned to Katunayake. They had to wait more than two hours for their baggage to arrive and very much to their surprise saw scribbling in chalk all over which said: Rata pava dunna evun palayalla.

How true?

The Head of the Sri Lanka Cricket Board has stated that their loss in the first round of the World Cup to South Africa, England and India was due to the use of cell phones and their wives being present. He also states that they did not play as professionals. Rover likes to add that in the presence of the three coaches, one for batting, one for fielding and one for bowling, the son of a cricketer was also allowed to practice with them wearing the tag: World Cup training.

Bowler humiliated

A leading Sri Lankan bowler from the Gampaha District was shocked when at a spot near the Vesak pandal near Nawaloka a few youngsters kicked his car door!

Sporting Ambassador

A leading motor racer has been named as the Sporting Ambassador of Sri Lanka by a VIP, for what reason no one knows. Meanwhile the Sri Lanka Association of Motor Sports which was dissolved recently by the Minister of Sports and an interim body appointed, has challenged it in courts, Rover was told.

Cuts in fees

The President of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka in an interview over Radio Sri Lanka has stated the cricketers' contract fees has been cut by 50% while 50% has been added to the match winning fees.

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