Hassan - a great sportsman in his day

GREAT SPORTSMAN: The name M. S. A. Hassan has been inter-twined between snooker, billiards, the YMCA and many other sports. He won the inaugural All-Ceylon Amateur Snooker Championship in 1935 organised by the Central YMCA and success came his way thereafter. He was also good in billiards and his record since 1933 has been unsurpassed.

He won many titles, one after the other and was the National Champion of Snooker for three successive years 1936 to 1938 and his champion qualities surfaced again in 1952. He also played rugger and soccer too.

He was a stalwart at the YMCA in billiards and snooker and was the Chairman of the YMCA Billiards Club from 1948 to 1953.

Hassan's love for billiards and snooker was so great that he became the co-founder of the All-Ceylon Amateur Billiards Association and Central Council of Ceylon in 1948. Earlier in 1937, he was named 'Best Allround Ceylonese Sportsman."

Hassan, who was an old boy of Zahira College, Colombo and played cricket and rugger for the school and he will never forget the year 1932 as that year, he was a member of the Zahira College rugger team that beat Trinity College for the first time. He was awarded the prize for the best player. He played cricket for Moors Sports Club in 1936 and 1937.

After leaving school, billiards and snooker caught Hassan's fancy. His enlistment with the YMCA brought out the best of his snooker and billiards and had number of successes. He captained the YMCA billiards team in 1950-51 and led the team to many successes.

In 1949 - Hassan who was a snooker champion decided to concentrate on snooker and he gave an opening to M. J. M. Lafir. From 1952, Hassan played for the Moors Sports Club. In 1966, he was appointed as a member of the Advisory Committee on Billiards by the then Minister of Sports Mr. V. A. Sugathadasa. He was enlisted by the Old Josephians Sports Club to coach the club in billiards.

After leaving school, he played soccer for Walker Sons in the Mercantile Tournaments and also coached St. Joseph's College team from 1944 and he brought out champion players in the calibre of Christopher Ranasinghe, Peter Ranasinghe, Hubert Bagot, L. Pestonjee, T. Don Allan.

He was the coach of the champion Josephian soccer teams of 1946 and 1947.

He was a soccer referee too and has officiated in many international matches.