Sportsmen of yesteryear:

Gamini 'Lay Assistant' in an Anglican church?

by A.C De Silva

This gentleman is none other than former Trinity College rugby star Gamini Weerasinghe. He comes from very religious family. His father Bertie was on the staff of Trinity College, his great Grand Father Rev. Henry Bartholomeusz Weerasinghe and the religion went down the line.

Right now Gamini is the 'Lay Assistant Preacher' of St. Francis of Assisi at Mount Lavinia and a very knowledgeable figure in his religious field and he was quite a capable rugby player in his day.

When the going gets tough, the tough gets going and that can be said of Gamini Weerasinghe, a rugby player of real guts, whose stamps of class was established in the late 50's and through the 60's and the 70's finally ending in match in 1989, when he and his son Manik played together in the Dimbula team (under the captaincy of Sunil Jayakody). It was rare achievement of a father and son playing in the same team, as second-row, for Dimbula against Dickoya - the 'Spirit of Trinity' was certainly with them all the way.

Before coming on to inter-club rugby, schools rugby took pride of places and Gamini Weerasinghe was in the thick of the game in his early years. The golden years of Rugby at Trinity were the 1950's when the Bradly was won on six consecutive years. During these years, except for one 'tie' in 1955, all the Royal matches were won from 1952 to 1957 by Trinity. This period also coincides with that master builder Principal Mr. Norman Walter's tenure of office. How he enlisted all the masters in college who could take practice is a wonder and no payment were made to any. As for boys, it was compulsory for all of them to be at rugger the following day. It happened to Gamini Weerasinghe in 1954 and that warning up, made Weerasinghe a rugger player of quality.

Trinity started off Rugby

Rugby is called the game of the school at Trinity and the school had a Welshman as class master - Mr. Smith who was 'mad on Rugby'. He was at Trinity in the formative years 1953 or 1954.

When Norman Walters' tenure of office as Principal at Trinity, he listed all the masters in college who could take practice was a wonder and no payments were made to any. As for boys, it was compulsory for all of them to be at rugger the following day. This happened to Gamini Weerasinghe in 1954 and he is very grateful as that made him a rugger player.

During the six years the best team at Trinity was produced in 1956. The goal-line was never crossed. At the end of that season, a challenge went to all schools combined to meet Trinity, which was not accepted and it was followed by a team from CRFU (Ceylon Rugby Football Union) probably the All-Ceylon which again was not accepted.

The result was the first-ever Combined Schools XV being formed. It was captained by Royalist Lional Almeida and little wonder that there were nine Trinitian in that team which met the CRFU XV. This team consisted of eight foreigners and was captained by Malcolm Wright and also included that famous Royalist No. 8 Ashey Cader. The CRFU team barely managed to win and it was thought that if the Trinity team was sent, Trinity would have won for the team work. Then came the Bradby Shield match, the 'first leg' was at CH and FC grounds at Racecourse. Trinity won by 3 tries, two penalties to nil. The 'Second leg' was at Bogambara and Trinity won again by a goal and a try. Having won both matches.