SLRFU make elaborate plans to celebrate centenary

By Lal Gunesekera

RUGBY: The Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) are making preparations to celebrate its Centenary this year on a grand scale with even a banquet which to be held on August 10 at Cinnamon Grand Hotel. The CRFU (which the SLRFU was earlier known) was formed in 1908.

The President of the SLRFU, DIG Nimal Lewke, told the Sunday Observer that an organising committee under Arjun Dharmadasa has been appointed to go into every detail for the Centenary banquet where all past national players and Presidents of SLRFU will be invited. The chief guests on this occasion will be two ex British Lions greats in J.P.R. Williams and J.J. Williams.

The first President of the CRFU was M.B.T. Boucher with J.G. Cruiekshack as Secretary, while the first Sri Lankan President was S.F. de Saram in 1942-43 with R.M. McIntyre as Secretary.

Among the other top local administrators (Presidents) over the years were. Noel Gratiaen, V.C. Kelaart, A.L. Loos, Willie Serasinghe, Dr. Willie Ratnavale, Dr. K.B. Sangakkara, Cmdr Eustace Mathysz, Capt William Molegoda, Elsworth Van Langenberg, Summa Navaratnam, S.B. Pilapitiya, Kavan Rambukwella, Malik Samarawickreme, Dr. Maiya Gunasekera, Y.C. Chang, Gamini Fernando, Lionel Almeida, Mohan Balasuriya, Anton Benedict, Hadji Omar, Rudra Rajasingham, Mahinda Ratwatte, Brigadier Jupana Jayawardena and Priyantha Ekanayake to name a few.

DIG Lewke also said that the opening ceremony for the forthcoming Caltex League Rugby Championship will be held on May 2 at Police Park before the start of the Police vs CH & FC game. The Managing Director/CEO of Caltex Lubricants. Kishu Gomes and representatives of other sponsors and clubs will be in attendance.

He also confirmed that the SLRFU had held discussions with all Presidents and Secretaries of club sides competing this year and certain problems that “cropped” up last season (2007) has been “ironed out” to conduct a trouble free season this year (2008), but the President’s Trophy knock-out Championship is “yet in doubt”

“Kandy Sports Club fielded a development outfit last year and the entire tournament was affected. Unless they give a committement to us, we will have to cancel it this year” said DIG Lewke.

He said that the first-round of the Caltex League will be from May 2 to June 16 and the second-round with the top six is from July 4 to 20.

The quarter-finals of the Clifford Cup Knock-Out Championship will be from July 25 to 27, semi-finals on July 29 and 30 and final scheduled for August 2. Rs. one million is to be awarded to the winners of the Clifford Cup.

Lewke further said that the Asian Division 1 tournament of the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) has now been fixed to be staged in Taiwan from November 4 to 9 with the teams taking part being Taiwan, Sri Lanka, China and Singapore, while the Lankans are to play the Arabian Gulf in preparation for this event in Dubai.

He also confirmed that the Singer-Sri Lankan Airways International 7’s of the Kandy Sports Club will be held on September 5, 6 and 7, but the venue has yet to be decided.

The SLRFU hierarchy also held discussions with club captains, coaches and referees last week. The SLRFU officials will meet the referees again separately.