Vidyartha has come a long way in improving Rugby Football at school
By Hafiz Marikar
Vidyartha College, Kandy is a school which earned a name in the field
of rugby. Rugby was introduced to the school chiefly due to the
initiative of Old Trinitians like S.G. Mediwake, K.A. Perera and T.
Muttiah who were on the staff and the guidance and advice of Principal
A. Athauda. It was Kandy Sports Club who helped them to find their feet
at rugby by permitting the use of their grounds at Nittawella, and also
channelling their knowledgeable players to coach Vidyartha boys.
Vidyartha were coached by host of Trinitians, first was Boby
Jayaweera. Then there was Nihal Halangoda, Jayantha Jayawardene, Noel
Paranagama, A.R.A. Mohamed, Maj. Asean Fernando. There were also some
Trinitians like Lt. Col. Bertie Dias, Lt.Gen. Denzil Kobbekaduwa,
Maurice Perera, Royalist Dr. V.C. de Silva. Later the old boys of
Vidyartha - George Jayasena, H.G. Ariyartne, Sunil Munasinghe, Charles
Wijawardene, D.N.Kumar Meriyagolla, Anil Jayasinghe gave their hand in
coaching the Vidyartha team.
This school has not only produced top teams, several top-notch
players and also some of the finest national players were produced by
Vidyartha.
One of the famous and first to hit the top in the rugby was T.B.
Wijesinghe, who after his school career polished his rugby at Kandy Lake
Club and later he played for CR and FC and the country.
After Wijesinghe, there was George Jayasena who also joined Kandy
Lake Club and polish his rugby, later played for UVA and Kandy Sports
Club and became the second to play for the country. Then there were
others like Sunil Serasinghe - a fine fullback, played for Ceylon Air
Force, Kandy Lake Club, Kandy Sports Club, UVA,
Upcounty and Sri Lanka Presidents XV.
Then there was the famous guy called "King Charles" who started his
rugby with Sri Lanka Air Force and later played for Sri Lanka Police, CR
and FC and the Country and was the best place-kicker at that time.
There were a whole lot a players who took to the game and went on to
play for the country.
There were the talented ruggerites who played top club rugby and went
on to play for Sri Lanka Presidents XV and they were Z.M. Zarook who
started with Kandy Lake Club, later played for Kandy Sprots Club,
Up-Country, Fly-half R.M. Lafir-played for Kandy Sports Club first and
later for Police Sports Club, H.G. Ariyaratne _ Kandy Sports Club and
Kandy RFC, Lakshman Samaraswijeya-Kandy Sports Club, D.G.
Dayarthne-Kandy Sports Club and Sri Lanka Police, G.Chandra _ Sri Lanka
Army, Anil Jayaisnghe _ Kandy Sports Club and was also national poolist.
Vidyartha College, like other schools, get a lot of support form
their Old Boys Rugby wing. In recent times there was Wasantha
Dissanayake who has been giving his best with the fine support of the
committee members.
Vidyartha's main game is the William Gopallawa shield game, which is
played annually against Ananda College. The encounter consisted of two
'legs', one being played in Colombo and the other in Kandy. Now it is
only one game, and for a few years, the game was not played.
The first encounter between the two schools was started in 1962 and
the Shield Game came to be played from 1968. This year the side is
coached by one of their old boys _ Saliya Kumara who started his rugby
at this School and played for the Combined Schools and later crossed
over to Trinity College.
He then began his club career with Havelock Sports Club and later
came over to his home town where he learnt the game of rugby at Kandy
Sports Club and led the side. He is now coaching Vidyartha.
Vidyartha's team will be: Props:- (from) Hashan Fernando, Deelepa
Madushnaka, Samadi Tissa, Kalpa Rankothge, Dinesh Tharaka, Hooker:
(from) Dinesh Abeyasinghe, Sajithna Niroshan, Second Row: (from)
Hasintha Sandaruwan, Tharaka Rankothge, Mithuka Dinesh, Flankers: (from)
Sandaruwan Atulgama (Capt), Mohamed Sadeer, Heranda Ratnayake, Sanjaya
Kumara. No. 8:- Ravi Alexander, Scrum-half:(from) Niroshan Madusanka, S.
Chanka.Fly-half (from): Chaturnage Perera, Deleep Tissa, Wingers (from):
Harshan Eranga, T. Haritha, Sajith Darshana, Sashi Cooray. Full-Back:-
Lahiru Ratnayake.
Vidyartha this season, are in the Division I Segment 2 B, along with
schools like Mahanama College, D.S. Senanayake College, Zahira College,
Nalanda College and St. John's College. Their first game is against
Zahira College in the last week of March. |