When Bens proved the better team

We leave the cricket field for a while and move on to the soccer scene and the inter-school soccer match between St. Benedict's College and Zahira College played at the Sugathadasa Stadium on Sunday.

Initially we must congratulate the organizers for a job well done. It was organized by the Group of 80's of Hameed Al Husseine. Throughout the tournament the committee worked like beavers and left no stone unturned to see to the success of this much-looked forward to tournament.

All teams that took part played their part well and all matches were conducted with great precision and it was the consensus that the organization was top class. The schools that participated went back yearning and promising to play better in the tournament next year.

In the past and especially in the 1960s inter-school soccer matches were eagerly looked forward to events and big crowds used to flock to the venues and every one lapped up the top class soccer that was displayed.

In those days schools such as St. Benedict's, Zahira, De. Mazenod, St. Joseph's, St. Anthony's Wattala, St. Mary's Negombo and St. Anne's Kurunegala had some wonderful soccer players who produced top class soccer.

The interest in the inter-school matches were so keenly contested that even fights broke out between the supporters of teams, all in good fun and at the end of the game the winning side was cheered for the good soccer displayed.

When these inter-school matches were played, be it in Kotahena, Maradana, Kandana, Darley Road, Wattala or Negombo, schoolboy supporters used to throng the venue to cheer their sides into playing well and winning.

To the St. Benedict's - Zahira final and it was the consensus of past soccerites present that the standard displayed by both teams was excellent and that SBC played the better soccer at crucial moments that brought them victory by one-goal to nil.

SBC and Zahira had reached the final brushing aside some strong teams and when the teams took the field, Zahira were fancied considering that they had carried away this trophy for two years and were determined to make it a hat trick of wins.

I took in the action in the company of Tony Amit, a former Zahira ruggerite who went on to sport national colours and who as a coach could hold his own with any international coach and former Bens and national soccer players D. Chandrasiri and Adrian Vindurampulle. Chandrasiri was impregnable between the posts and Vindurampulle was a sharp shooting left extreme.

In the VIP enclosure lapping up every moment of this exciting game was former Zahirian who never misses watching his school play and Presidential advisor S.A. Azwer who is also a competent cricket commentator.

Both teams had planned their style of play on attack and it was great to see the strikers going for goals and not resorting to defensive play which takes away the excitement of the game.

Coaches Sharman Caldera and T.F. Samath had trained their charges to a nicety and some lovely ball play was witnessed. Both custodians were equal to the task and it was their brilliant keeping that stalled the strikers from hitting the net more often.

While the game was in progress, Amith, Chandrasiri, Vindurampulle and the writer began discussing games of the past between these two schools and the brilliant soccerites that they produced.

Azwer helped in and names that came to mind were that of Judy Preena, Subani Hashimdeen, M.A. Ameer, Saban, Dickie Seedin who had flown in from Melbourne to take part in the action, Upali, T.F. Samath, Nauffer, M.A. Ameen, Coomaraswamy, Abdulsalim from Nigeria, Yogarajah, Balasubramiam and Mushin Ariff to name a few.

Bens who were schooled in the Brazilian style of play by that once in a life time coach who was trained in Brazil and in the company of the great Pele - Albert Fernando produced magicians with the ball.

Names that readily come to mind are that of goalkeepers Nugera, Issac Wenaden, Lawrence Fernando, Vijaya Silva. They were brilliant custodians. Then there was Navaratnam and his brothers 'Bana' Rajaratnam, Arasaratnam and Wanigaratnam, the Rayens - Lovellyn and Benson, Edward Jayawardena, Denzil Walles, Rex Sebastian, Lionel Dabera, Bertiepala Perera, Shelton Ganegoda, Solomons, Neville Casiechetty, Arambewella, Melvin Dabera, Godson Perera, Joe Karunaratne, Nithi, Errol Anthony, Leslie Figarado and Sampoornam Nicholas and Russel Raymond.

At the end it was the Bens who carried away the 'Best Deal Trophy' with a one-nil victory to stall the Zahira dominance. Director of SBC Bro. Granville Perera who is also the President of the Schools Football Association was a happy man and was all smiles when the Bens skipper was awarded the trophy.

All in all it was a grand soccer final and the Kotahena school had that luck that is required to win,and succeeded at the third time of asking.

SL under-19 team unlucky

The Sri Lanka under-19 team did extremely well to enter the semi-finals of the World Cup in New Zealand, but did not have that extra bit to get past Australia and figure in the final.

After making 205, they allowed the kangaroos to get the target for the loss of eight wickets. The over 200 the Lankans made was a formidable score, but did not have the fire power to bundle the Aussies for below that score.

However to the credit of the players and the coaches - Aravinda de Silva, Upul Chandana and Naveed Nawaz it must be said that they acquitted themselves well and it was one of those things that they could not bring the trophy home.

It was under the present chairman of Sri Lanka cricket D.S. de Silva that Sri Lanka first entered the finals of this tournament in 2000. It was 10 years after that the Lankans entered the semi-finals.

Sri Lanka Cricket provided the youngsters with everything required to go places. The players received an allowance of Rs. 15 thousand monthly for travelling and extra nourishment.

In preparation for this tourney in New Zealand, the youngsters were taken on a 5-match one day series in Australia. They were also allowed a tri-series at home involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The team also went on a tour of South Africa to play in a tri-nation one day series involving the home team and defending champions India. The team has a lot of promising cricketers and it would not be fair to name them, but to say that Sri Lanka Cricket must take charge of them and give them continuity for further progress and development.