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Rugby problems must be settled within Union - ANCL Chairman
RUGBY FOOTBALL: Problems faced within the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) must be settled amicably among the persons concerned instead of resorting to legal action against the controlling body and teams pulling out of major tournaments. Spectators must also be restrained from manhandling players and officials. These were some of the opinions expressed by the Chairman of Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (ANCL), Anil Obeyesekere, at the Caltex-Sunday Observer Touchdown Rugby Awards night at the Taj Samudra Hotel last Wednesday. Obeyesekere went on to say that this type of contest organised and conducted by Caltex Lubricants and Sunday Observer acknowledges the outstanding performances of players during the season with the standard of rugby in the country too improving in both versions (7's and 15-a-side) this year. Sri Lanka also fared pretty well in the Rugby World Cup (RWC) Asian qualifiers. However, he expressed disappointment over the postponement of the Asiad which was scheduled to have been played in Colombo last month (November) and hoped that it could materialise next year (2007). He also said that he was happy to see the SLRFU promoting the game in the provinces. He further requested the SLRFU to revive the 'Capper Cup' game between Up-Country and Low-Country which was a very popular event several years and also to conduct these games in places like Radella, Galle, KV, Badulla etc instead of restricting it to Colombo and Kandy. Caltex - SLRFU works well Obeysekere thanked Caltex Lubricants of which he was a director sometime back, for their sponsorship and promotion of sports and said that ANCL too will continue to promote sports through their newspapers. He also congratulated all the award winners. Meanwhile the President of the SLRFU, Priyantha Ekanayake, speaking the occasion, thanked Caltex Lubricants for their contribution to Sri Lanka rugby and personally thanked its CEO/Managing Director, Kishu Gomes, for taking a genuine interest in the game. He also thanked Shehan Perera (Group Brand Manager of Caltex) who worked closely with the SLRFU. Ekanayake said that the partnership between the SLRFU and Caltex has worked fruitfully which saw them clinch a further five-year sponsorship. He gave reasons for the postponement of the Asiad and the discussions he had with the South Korean RFU in trying to switch the Asiad. He said: "The ARFU will take a final decision in March regarding the Asiad that was postponed. We are ready to host it in Colombo in either April or October. I have also held personal discussions with the rugby authorities of Japan and Hong Kong who are prepared to paly in Colombo if the security situation improves." Ekanayake also thanked all the award winners and said that it was a privilege to be associated with Caltex Lubricants and with Kishu Gomes and his team in particular and hoped that they will continue their association with the SLRFU in future too. Imal Fonseka (General Manager - Marketing, Clatex Lubricants) and Shehan Perera (Group Brand Manager of Caltex) too addressed the gathering. Award winners Best Three-Quarter - Mohamed Sheriff (CR & FC), Best Forward - Danushka Boteju (CR & FC), Best Captain - Pavithra Fernando (CR & FC), Best Player - Chamara Vithanage (Kandy Sports Club), Most Promising Young Player - Madeesha Silva (CH & FC), Best Team - Kandy Sports Club, Most Popular Ruggerite of the Year - Dushan Lewke (Kandy Sports Club), Most Popular Team of the Year - Kandy Sports Club.
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