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| Sunday, 13 January 2002 |
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Two foreign teams at Planters Inter-District Rugby Sevens next Saturday by JIFFREY ABDEEN Rugby in Uva Province will receive a tremendous boost when the first ever 'All Island Planters Inter-District Rugby Sevens organised by the Ceylon Planters Society will get under way at the Polo Grounds, Diyatalawa next Saturday, January 19th commencing at 8.30 a.m. It was the colonial planters who gave rugby to the upcountry and it is the planters and local ones this time who are making a determined effort to review the interest in this game. In the good old days 'The Morris Men of Uva' had a formidable outfit and the game was extremely popular with the British planters dominating the game. But in the recent past, this game has lost its interest with Uva struggling to raise a side and often withdrawing from the Upcountry tournament. Their problem has been finance and players as there is very little rugby being played in the province to feed the club teams. It is here that the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union should step in and help them out by regular coaching camps like the way the Central Province Rugby Football Union is promoting the game. Former Trinity, Kandy SC, Havelocks, CH & FC and Dickoya and Sri Lanka captain Lanil Tennakoon who is handling the arrangements along with Nalin de Silva said that two foreign teams will be participating in this tournament - Pakistan and India to add flavour. The other teams will be the planters from the planting districts of Dickoya, Uva, Dimbula, Kandy, Kegalle, Galle, Nuwara Eliya, Kurunegala, Badulla, Matale and Sabaragmauwa. The team from Pakistan which will be participating will be the Lahor Rugby Football Union, and the Indian team is likely to be Bombay Gymkhana Club. Lanil Tennakoon said that this tournament will be played for the 'Ceylon Planters Society Trophy' and the tournament will be sponsored by Unileverse Limited and co-sponsored by Carlsberg and Butani Exports. Trophies will be awarded to Cup Champions, Plate Champions and the Bowl Champions. A glittering Trophy will be awarded to the 'Most Valuable Player of the Tournament, presented by Butani Exports. An Addition to the thrills will be Veterans Match between the Upcountry and the Low Country Planters. There will be an exhibition Ladies rugby match between the Army Ladies and a team drawn from Kandy. The draw for the tournament will be held at the Haldummulla Planters Club on Friday - January 18th evening. Orient Hotel, Bandarawela will be the official hoteliers and the team will be housed at that hotel. Lanil Tennakoon, who himself is closing fifty is still an active rugby player, playing for his plantation company said that the primary objective of this tournament is revive and rekindle the interest for rugby among the planters and bring it to its days of pristine glory when the planters strode the local rugby scene like the mythical close. The region of Uva needs a rekindling of interest in rugby and the shorter version of the game is the best form and thereafter efforts should be made to introduce rugby to schools in a big way. This will be the first ever Planters Inter-District Rugby Sevens to be organised by the Ceylon Planters Society. There is one in existence already at Dimbula which is the Inter-Plantation Companies Rugby Sevens organised by the Dimbula Athletic and Cricket Club. Thus the salubrious climes of Uva best known for its tea with a flavour of its own will see a Rugby Sevens tournament. |
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