Lionel takes up another challenge

CHALLENGE: Lionel Almeida loves taking up challenges. His latest is being the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tamil Union (a post he is to take up soon) in the club's attempts to make the Saravanamuttu Stadium a fully fledged Test cricket venue and re-develop it to world standards.

Almeida was earlier attached to the Royal Colombo Golf Club (RCGC) from 2000 to 2004 when the Rs. 80 million transformation took place, including an enlarged club house and the re-laying of the 18 Greens.

He then took over as CEO of the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) and was responsible for raising funds for the Wheelchair Tennis programme, construction of six hard courts and numerous other development activities with the full support of former SLTA President Suresh Subramaniam and his committee.

Almeida was the President of the Dickoya and Maskeliya CC, KV Club, Central Province Rugby Football Union (CPRFU), Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU), President of the Rugby Referees Society and Chairman of the National Selectors for Rugby. He was also Managing Director of Milco, and President of the Nuwara-Eliya Golf Club (NEGC) too.

Almeida is an old Royalist who captained the first hockey side in his school and also at rugby. He also shone at Basketball, Athletics and Cricket (Second XI). He represented many clubs at Rugby during his 37 years as a tea planter from which he retired in 1995. He turned out for Sri Lanka with distinction too at Rugby.

(L.G.)