The Island sports

Sangakkara (200 n.o.),Hewage (100 n.o.) put NCC in command

By Althaf Nawaz
A swashbuckling double century and an unbetaen century by Kumar Sangakkara and Pradeep Hewage enabled NCC to post a mammoth first innings score of 402 for three wickets declared against Kurunegala Youth Cricket Club in their inter-club under-23 cricket encounter which began at Maitland Crescent yesterday.

Taking first lease of the wicket, NCC batsmen went on slaughtering the KYCC bowling. Both Sangakkara and skipper Hewage scored thier runs at ease . Sangakkara was the more aggressive of the two clobbering seventeen boundaries while his partner had four hits to the ropes. These two had a 192-run allaiance for the fourth wicket. Asela Pathirana another batsman in form chipped in with a brisk 56.

KYCC in reply were 20 for three wickets at close.

Colts on first innings
Colts Cricket Club gained first inning points over Bloomfield in their match at Ried Avenue yesteraday.

After bowling out Bloomfield for 127 runs, Colts managed to pass the opponents total while overcoming an initial setback. Allrounders Trevin Matthews and Bathiya Perera contributed immensely towards victory.

Priyankara Wickremasinghe claimed five wickets for 61 for Bloomfield.

BRC restrict Tamil Union to 173/8
BRC did well to restrict the strong Tamil Union outfit to just 173 for eight wickets at close in their match at Sara Stadium yesterday.

Batting first, Tamil's lost wickets at regular intervals before I.Ariyaratne (54) and R.Tissera (44) injected life to the innings. R.Hashim captured three wickets for 31 runs.

Galle CC 233/9
Galle CC were 233 for the loss of nine wickets against CCC in their match at Maitland Crescent yesterday.

Taking first lease of the wicket, Galle CC seemed to have things their way before losing some quick wickets. P.Ratnayake top scored with 49 runs.

Samarasinghe and Joseph rescue Antonians.

A beligarant 65-run partnership for the ninth wicket between Chandana Samarasinghe (57) and Fleming Joseph (60 n.o.) hauled Antonians SC out of a complete rut in their match against Moors SC yesterday.After being 27 for seven wickets one stage, Antonians were finally bowled out for 182 runs.

Samarasinghe had ten fours in his innings while Joseph hit nine boundaries.

Right arm seamers P.Pushpakumara (5 for 26) and Rasika Priyadarshana (3 for 51) were the main wicket takers for Moors.

•SCORES:

•At Maitland Place

NCC 402 for 3 dec. in 73.3 overs.
(K.Sangakkara 200 n.o., A.Pathirana 56, A.Ridegammanagedara 23, P.Hewage 100 n.o.)

KYCC 20 for 3 in 17 overs at close.
(A.Ridegammanagedara 2/4)

•At Ried Avenue

Bloomfield C and AC 127 all out in 43 overs.
(T.Gunaratne 26, R.Weerasinghe 28, A.Bandaratilake 23, T.Matthews 2/32, D.Hettiarachchi 2/13, B.Perera 2/14)

Colts CC 168 all out.
(D.Vitharana 26, S.Janaka 25, B.Perera 24, T.Matthews 27, P.Wickremasinghe 5/61, S.Silva 3/19)

•At Sara Stadium

Tamil Union C and AC 173 for 8 wkts. in 90 overs at close.
(I.Ariyaratne 54, R.Tissera 44, N.Weeraman 22 n.o., H.Hasim 3/31) vs BRC

•At Maitland Cresent

Galle CC 233 for 9 wkts. in 90 overs at close.
(R.Karunasena 30, P.Ratnayake 49, D.Sudarshana 27, C.Vithanage 28, H.Dharshana 32, V.Perera 23, R.Fernando 2/34, N.Rajan 2/64, A.Junaid 2/35) vs CCC

•At Braybrooke Place

Antonians SC 184 all out in 60.5 overs
(C.U.Kumara 27, C.Samarasinghe 57, F.Joseph 60 n.o., R.Priyadharshana 3/54, P.Pushpakumara 5/26)

Moors SC 90 for 2 wkts. in 26.2 overs at close.
(M.Z.M. Shiyam 35, H.Tillekeratne 36, P.Seneviratne 14 n.o.)

There's a kind of hush for SL cricket

by Mahinda Wijesinghe
The prestigious monthly cricket magazine Cricketer International, published in London since 1921, is not only the oldest of its kind, but reportedly the world's best selling periodical dealing with the game. And, who but our own Muttiah Muralitharan adorns the cover of its latest - October 1998 - issue. There is Murali pictured with that endearing (certainly not to batsmen!) toothy smile, holding the Cornhill Trophy and the ball with which he captured 16/220. The publicity and the coverage given to the Sri Lankans in the rest of the magazine is nothing short of phenomenal. In the space generally reserved for editorial comment, Michael Henderson salutes our cricketers while the triumph in the Emirates Triangular and the one-off Test are superbly dealt by Simon Hughes and Vic Marks. Peter Robuck, the third of the triumvirate of players turned writers, then profiles Muralitharan in manner only he can. Elsewhere in the magazine, there is hardly any article without direct or indirect reference to the Sri Lankan cricketers lighting up the English summer and, paradoxically, dousing their pride.

Commented Peter Roebuck, possibly the nearest to Cardus amongst modern writers, on Murali:

"....At any moment one expected a black cat to fly by or a witch to start stirring a brew. This was not sorcerer's apprentice: it was the sorcerer himself, weaving spells, uttering his odes and somehow persuading the ball to drop like a shot bird and to climb from the pitch as if recently stung upon the posterior. At times he might have been working to the beat of jungle drums. From the batsman's point of view it was just as well relief could be found at the other end."

A sorcerer Murali may have been to Roebuck. But to me, Murali will always remain the smiling assassin, stalking batsman with the the zeal of serial killer.

While Michael Henderson's honest remarks included.

"What a delight it was to see Sri Lanka outplay England so thoroughly at The Oval.....it was heartening to watch spectators at The Oval respond so warmly to the high-class cricket of a charming team. This was Test match cricket as it used to be, and there is nothing wrong with the occasional reminder of that."

WAITING FOR THE HAT-TRICK NEVER CAME
This was the type of publicity Sri Lanka needed, at the home of cricket. In 1984, we certainly made an impact with our glorious batting on our first appearance at Lord's. Yet, it was only in the batting. A situation that has not really changed since. Sidath Wettimuny, Duleep Mendis and Amal Silva came up with scintillating centuriesÉ whilst Arjuna missed his by 16 runs - against an England side punch-drunk and reeling after a 5-0 nil whitewash from the juggernauting West Indies led by Clive Lloyd. The English media at that time were most kind - possibly to the extent of being patronizing - to the Sri Lankans. Was it because we did not beat them? That was the bottom line. So, their media could afford the attitude sometimes bordering on the condescending. 14 years later, today, the scenario has changed dramatically. Alec Stewart's England side was cock-a-hoop after their surprising 2-1 win against the South Africans. They were waiting to complete a hat-trick of Test wins to conclude their glorious summer. After all, if they could have beaten the highly professional South Africans, the Sri Lankans would not be that much of a bother. Only, they did not contend with the mercurial Sanath Jayasuriya, the magical Muttiah Muralitharan and maestro Aravinda de Silva, whilst not forgetting the masterly on-field strategy of skipper Arjuna Ranatunga.

WHEN ARAVINDA TURNED TABLES IN AUSTRALIA
Which reminds me of another instance when the Sri Lankans turned tables on their erstwhile opponents - this time it was Australia - when the latter was hoping to make a killing at our expense. It was during Sri Lanka's tour of Australia in 1989-90, the venue was the Woolloongabba grounds in Brisbane. The high-riding Australians, up until that Test, had had a sequence of a hitherto unprecedented nine successive first innings scores of over 400 runs. This was going to be their tenth, and what they opined, would be the easiest. The local press had almost taken it for granted that the strong Aussie batting line-up would make mincemeat, of what they described, off our "peashooter attack". What turned out, eventually, was a case of the bitter bit. Australia were dismissed for 367 (Grahame Labrooy 5/133 - how Sri Lanka misses players of his calibre), and it was Sri Lanka who made the elusive 400-plus score by totalling 418, thanks mainly to a magnificent 167 by Aravinda de Silva! So it was in England this time. Thanks to this performance by Arjuna Ranatunga and the boys, England's hand was twisted in granting a 3-Test Series in 2003, 21 years after Sri Lanka became a Full Member of the I.C.C.

HOW TO LOSE A TEST MATCH
Today, England's own media are highly critical of their team, so soon after praising them for their win over South Africa. Goes a line: "How do you lose a Test after scoring 445?" Answer: "Ask England." Yet, Sri Lanka has done worse. Remember, we lost a Test (to Australia, at the S.S.C. grounds in 1992-93) after declaring our innings closed at 547/8!

Of course, having lost, the England media was most gracious and - exception being the likes of coach, David Lloyd - were supportive of the Sri Lankans. The staid England cricket establishment, used to their batsmen scoring a Test hundred in a day and a half, and certainly not used to seeing an opening batsman hitting the new ball - with both feet in the air as well - over cover point for six, were shocked. This was almost surrealistic. And, certainly not palatable after the invigorating, successive Test wins against Hansie Cronje's men.

FRANCIS'S OPINION MIRRORS COMMON VIEW ON SL CRICKET
A new kind of respect has dawned for Sri Lanka cricket. As Tony Francis, a leading English commentator observed in the same issue of the Cricketer:

''.......(Sri Lanka) turning One-day cricket on its head by demolishing the bowling in the first 15 overs and then consolidating, Sri Lanka carried the One-day philosophy into the cathedral of Test cricket and re-invented the game - just in time, though - and only if our minds accept what our eyes have witnessed which, alas, I doubt...A component of arrogance is fearlessness, which is a cousin of positive thinking and flows out of every Sri Lankan pore. This is where they have the advantage over us......"

At the same time, Sri Lanka, whilst enjoying the well-deserved praise should not lose sight of any slips that show even in this euphoria. As Francis himself comments in the same article.

"Of course, Sri Lanka won't always win. That they have achieved what they did with 10 batsmen and one bowler is almost beyond belief until you watch the way they did it."

Francis's contention that Sri Lanka had 10 batsmen is, no doubt, a bit much, but having 'one bowler' is not too far from the truth. As Roebuck himself mentioned, " relief could be found at the other end", And obvious reference to the lack of a good bowler to support Muralitharan. It will not be always when one bowler will capture 16 of the 19 wickets to fall to bowlers. There have been, and will in the future, be situations when Murali will not have it, his way. That is not all, Sanath Jayasuriya, cannot score a lot of runs that fast that consistently. Though, it will not be always that Atapattu, Jayasuriya, Aravinda, Arjuna, Roshan (if he gets back) and Kaluwitharana, fail collectively in the batting.

IT WAS NOT PRAISE ALL THE WAY, THOUGH
Whilst lauding the Sri Lankans for the refreshing style of play, their media was not entirely sycophantic. They showered credit when it was due but not more. For instance, chronicled Simon Hughes in the Test match report:

"It's a bit overcast, we think it might do a bit this morning, Arjuna Ranatunga said at the toss as one solitary cloud passed across the sun."

Vic Marks, the former Somerset and England off-spinner, now a much respected writer however gushed in his report on the Emirates Triangular:

"The Sri Lankans were superbly marshalled by Ranatunga, who chopped and changed his bowlers and fielders so skillfully...."

Overall, Arjuna Ranatunga and the boys did a wonderful job (as they say) to King and country. Well done, Sri Lanka! The prestige and honour earned for Sri Lanka is immeasurable. It must also now be remembered that the expectations from the team, in the future, will be higher. Not that we have to win every match, but that we should acquit ourselves creditably at each outing. Save for batting and fielding can we sustain such levels with our limited bowling attack?

ZOYSA SHOULD BE PICKED WHEN RIPE FOR PLUCKING
The bowling cupboard is bare save for Murali and Vaas when he returns. Much is being made of Nuwan Zoysa. His disastrous recall to South Africa is too fresh in our minds to pin much hope on him at present. Nobody was hauled over the coals for this crazy selection. Zoysa seems a most promising paceman but it is imperative that he be picked only when he is ripe for plucking. Not before. Sadly, time and time again our selectors have not been able to identify potential Test-class bowlers. The number of hapless victims who has fallen by the wayside over the years are too sad to recall. As former cricketing legend C. I. Gunasekera mentioned recently in a casual conversation." If you want to identify a potential Test-class fast bowler, the first thing to do is to measure his speed. If he can clock (say) a speed of 80-90 m.p.h., well, he would be worth looking at. Otherwise, it would be a waste of time." Wise words indeed. The complementary argument would hold for spinners. After all, why are they, primarily, classified as fast bowlers and spinners?

Murali the Warrior

Hemantha Warnakulasuriya
Etched in the memory of my early childhood heroes, were the Tamil cinematic warriors, who performed magnificent feats on the silver celluloid screen Shivaji Ganeshan's magnificent acting Ranjan's skilful fencing and the all time ever green hero M. G. Ramachandran were my favourites. Though I was angry with my parents and the school for not teaching me Tamil I still managed like all other Sinhalese school boys who thronged the gallery of either the "Sapphire or Elphinstone', cinema halls to understand the story. We never considered that our favourite heroes who fought the evil villains and rescued the heroines were Tamils, speaking a different language and living in another country. Then there was no racial divide acrimony or hatred. A hero was a hero whichever country he came from, whichever religion he professed or whichever language he spoke. Their Gods were mighty like ours. They were united with our heroes in the common cause of fighting evil, and preserving righteousness and now justice.

I believe those who did not corrupt their taste by aping the West and learning English would still enjoy the simple contrived melodramatic unbelievable fantasies created by the Tamil and Hindi film moghuls in Chennai, and Mumbai. Unfortunately the pleasure the uninitiated had from these cinematic epics had less and less effect on those who subsequently became educated and corrupted by the influence of the best .For those neither Ranjan Shivaji Ganehsan, MGR or Charlton Heston have had any effect. For them it was sheer nonsensical melodrama. For them the need was for a real hero. A hero who is human with flesh and blood and for them to see with their own eyes, the heroics, not fighting with tame lions, not jumping with the aid of a stunt man, but a real hero or a warrior that they could adore, perceive and comprehend. It did not matter what race he was, but he had to be a Sri Lankan for a country devastated by war, racial acrimony, political hatred and other religious jingoism, a warrior and a hero possibly a dozen had to be born. They would relieve the hunger, the oppression and the depressive poverty from those uninitiated filmgoers still looking for celluloid heroes and the erudite, accomplished connoisseurs, who want to satisfy their petty egos, a real hero.

To find a hero one must also find an enemy. What better opponents could we find than our imperial masters. We are so eccentric, that we opposed the arrival of Prince Charles as a guest for our 50th anniversary independence. The Sinhala Commission loudly proclaimed that the British must apologize to Sri Lanka. Beneath these sentiments lies the inferiority complex from which we suffer. The whites were our rulers, we obtained our independence without a fight. All people hate their rulers whether they are foreigners or natives. And those who live in Britain on the comforts afforded to them by the British government the foreigners love to hate them, and show their superiority if they can. The opportunity eludes them. When we played the first one official test match after many years in England, we found the enemy and the venue, it was victory and the heroes we had to find.

Muttiah Muralitharan was the hero and the indefatigable warrior of that match. Ever -one even the myopic rabid Sinhalese racist who has dreams of ethnic cleansing like the ranks of Tuscany could scarce forbear to cheer, when Murali described in England as a Tamil confectioner's son salvaged the English batsmen. The lead that appeared in the "Sun' "Savaged by a Mutt' drew rebuke from the local media fraternity. They were right to be offended, not only by the word "Mutt', which meant an idiot, but by the word "savage'. The English thought that it was their imperial duty to civilize the native savages in their colonies. The reference to Muttiah Muralitharan as a Mutt offended our deep seated resentment to these overtures. But what the fraternity forgets or overlooked was what the body text said about Murali Spin King Muttiah Muralitharan produced one of the great bowling performances in Test history. Simple as that.As for Murali's action this is the situation. He was born with a 11 degree kink at his right elbow - his brothers have the same defect-and cannot straighten his arms. Which suggests that he is physically incapable of chucking, because a delivery is only illegal if a bent arm is straightened on release ...So for David Lloyd to insinuate anything different reeks of sour grapes. He has made ill-judged comments before and will receive a reprimand from Lord's I believe those who vehemently oppose the remarks of John Etheridge in the "Sun' would not mind when he describes Murali in the same article as "The Spin King'

This is how the British media became ecstatic and went on to the verge of being bonkers about Muralis feat. Alan Lee Cricket Correspondent The Times of London states "All too soon the froth and fizz of England cricketing summer went flat.Three weeks after the dizzy joys of Headingly they were overwhelmed yesterday by Muttiah Muralitharan a phenomenon to whom cricket's bowling records are now open house. Muralitharan the confectioner's son from Kandy completed match figures of 16 for 220 the fifth best in test cricket as Englands variable resistance was ended with half an hour in hand. The uniquely wristy off-spinner took nine for 65 in the second innings and only a run out deprived him of the chance to join Jim Laker as the one man with all ten. Bewitched bothered and bewildered, England tottered into Muralitharan web with alarming compliance until complete indignation was averted by a stubborn stand of 53 between the ninth wicket pair they twisted and turned, Muralitharan was there, switching ends, changing angles waiting in ambush... England batted as poorly against Muralitharan as ever they have done against the similarly freakish gifts of Shane Warne... . "After the Emirates match this is what Michael Henderson in The Times London wrote before the test match "In 41 tests he has a brantub full of wickets, l87 in 41 matches,, 52 of them this year. For a man so young it is an astonishing achievement which defies the time honoured view that fine spinners require steady maturing, like fine wine. It takes some believing that if he takes seven wickets in this test Murali will become the second highest wicket taker among the tribe of finger spinners, Lance Gibbs the West Indian, is way out head, with 309 from 79 tests".

Allan Fraser, writing to "Daily Mail' "Cricket may be a game of mind numbing statistics but it also a game of tremendous human endeavour and stirring emotion. The astounding bowling figures of Muttiah Muralitharan told one story but the sight of the Sri Lankan genius - doubted and maligned as a "chucker' for much of his career - asking ever so politely from Umpire David Shepherd as a small boy would seek a sweetie, related a more warming tale... This was not only his greatest day but a day which produced one of the finest bowling exhibitions ever seen in the history of the sport.

Those present - and a sunny holiday tempted a crowd bigger than the usual scattering - will have relished his achievement much more than they lamented another England fiasco... His nine for 65 from 54.2 overs which reduced the England second innings to rubble and prompted an embarrassing 10-wicket defeat, was also the seventh best in a single Test innings".

A middle aged Englishman who was transfixed by the bowling of "Murali' asked me whether the civil war was still on. When I nodded, he asked me how then was Murali playing in the team being a Tamil. I said there are more Tamils living outside the Jaffna Peninsula. He could not understand why there should be a war at all. I told him about Prabhakaran's demand for a Tamil State. He said, "if Muralitharan played for eelam he would not take so many wickets. Why Sir, can't you see because he is a Tamil he is getting preferential treatment from your captain Arjuna. He is over bowling him. If he was playing under a Tamil captain, he would not use him as often as Arjuna he laughed wildly and said again. No sir This man is a genius, a wizard and has hypnotized the batsmen they are not moving their feet at all Look at his action, look at the way he spins, Shane Warne My Hat! This bloke is the greatest bowler the world has ever produced, your captain knows it." He laughed ecstatically when Murali bowled Gough round his legs, by a leg break.

When the match was over he looked at me and told me, "Tell your charming President to treat the Tamils the way that Arjuna treats Murali, there would be no war", and laughed again.

Dr. Daya Athukorale's services in keeping ruggerites fit

By Jatila Karawita
When we talk of rugby the services rendered by the doctor is invariably forgotten much sooner than the actual heat and the tension settles down among the multitude of spectators who throng the rugby grounds. As everyone would know, the players who take part in this rib-bruising, body-contact sport are under a tremendous, strenuous degree of stress. So will be the doctor as he has to take care of no less than thirty big-made boys. Dr. Daya Athukorale, now dedicated lover of rugby-football, spends much of his professional time in the evenings on the playing fields to help alleviate players injured on the field.

He started his social career under the tutelage of Dr. A. T. Ariyarathne, the Sarvodaya leader at Nalanda College, Colombo. Athukorale when interviewed by the "Sunday Island' said that he was a pupil of Sarvodaya leader Ariyarathne who was also his class teacher. The affable and amiable doctor had a word of praise for his guru. "He not only taught me lessons to go places in life, but also helped those who are suffering in silence in those remote areas-the underprivileged. It was they who really benefited from the Sarvodaya leader who has left an indelible mark in the annals of social service here. I was lucky to be in the scrum with him in their hour of need," he said adding, "One must be prepared to sacrifice, be it with men or material for the upliftment of the less affluent. I am a practical Buddhist sans caste, race or colour. Buddhism belongs to the whole world and it's not confined to a particular country or race. Those who serve the sick serve Buddha".

Q: What are the local rugby tournaments which you officiated in 1998?

A: During this year I officiated at over 12 tournaments. Among them are five leading Colombo clubs, Sri Lanka Rugby Union, Western Province Rugby Union, Hatton National Bank, Schools Rugby Union, Wesley College, and the recently concluded Singer Cup matches to name a few. The next on line is the John Keells sponsored Mercantile tournament. I must say that I am indeed happy with the confidence placed in me by these clubs, unions and mercantile establishments.

Q: Who introduced you to rugby? What made you to make it a full time job helping schools and clubs?

A: It all happened at Havelock Sports Club by sheer accident. I owe a token of gratitude to former Havies and Sri Lanka prop forward Royce Samarathunga. It was in 1993 when he coaxed me into be the doctor in attendance in the Wesley-Kingswood Blaze Trophy schools rugby match. I gladly undertook to discharge the job assigned to me. Fernando the Vice Principal of Wesley College a die-hard sports promoter had a hand in my initial job. Todate I am helping Wesley.

It did not stop there. The Havies hierarchy made me a honorary member. Messrs. Y. C. Chang, Anthony, and M. Yoosoof and others were a source of inspiration to me. I took up the job to serve not only the Havies, but also clubs like CH & FC (through Tony Amit), CR & FC, Petersons, and the schools in general. Doctors must serve with dignity, even making financial sacrifices. It's a noble profession sans animosity. Kind words and soothing hands could help overcome pain and suffering. An ice-cube and a few encouraging words on the field to an injured player will no doubt inspire him to play with gusto and zest.

Q: You mentioned some ex-Sri Lanka rugby stalwarts who had encouraged you to run in the rugby field who would they be?

A: Well there are a whole host of names to be mentioned. But I would prefer to convey my heartfelt gratitude to the following. If not for their steadfast encouragement I would not be in the position that I am today. Among them are Bernard Joseph and Shane Dullewa (CH & FC), Jagath Fernando, Tilak and Kenneth of (CR & FC), Major Amarasinghe of the Army, Kishin Butani, Fazal Illiyaz, Visva of Petersons, Dr. Maiya Gunesekere, Zainudeen and Mana of the Rugby Union. M. J. Mudannayake of (Schools Rugby Association) and last but certainly not least Tony Amit, all of whom will always have a special place in my heart.

Q: This job of being a rugby doctor is it affecting your professional career?

A: I am attached to the Hayleys Group as a full time physician. The Management at Hayleys have given me all support and encouragement to serve the game of rugby in the evenings. Hayleys too are promoting sport and giving job opportunities to budding prospects to make their future life stable. At times, no doubt it affects my private practice but my hunch is that money is not everything in life.

Q: Have you followed any course in sports medicine?

A: Well, I was medical-officer in charge (accidents) in the Nigerian Hospital for three years. It gave me all the experience and know-how plus the confidence to handle injured patients. Likewise I could do the same with the injured rugby players. Most important thing here is that one must be in a position of strength to give back something to others even making personal sacrifices.

Q: You spoke of some past rugby doctors whose names are bound to be remembered for ever for the services rendered to the game by them in the days gone by. Who are they?

A: Well, doctors of the calibre of K. B. Sangakkara, V. C. de Silva, Larry Foenander, Hubert Aloysius, C. Thurairaja, Tony De Zylva, Trevor Anghie, Makuloluwa, Harry Rasiah, S. Kapuwatte, Fred Perera H. A. W. Gunawardene and Dr. Maiya Gunesekere to name a few did a yeoman service for this beautiful body contact sport. If I could remember well some of them were outstanding ruggerites and lovable personalities off the field as well. One of them was the late Hubert Aloysius of Havelocks. But sad to say, nowadays they are an unheard of and unsung lot but they will be remembered for all time as long as rugby is played in this country.

Q: While at Nalanda, did you take part in any sport? Were there any outstanding sportsmen during your era?

A: I played soccer and I enjoyed it to the maximum, but spent much of my time to social service work to help the downtrodden. Even today, I am continuing with it with the Lions Club of Sri Jayawardenepura. As for terrific sportsmen, as you would know Nalanda had always made a name for itself in the gentlemen's game of cricket. There were cricketers aplenty in the past. Names like Anura de Silva from Ambalangoda was one of the best to my knowledge. And the likes of Lalith Kaluperuma, Anura Ranasinghe, Jayantha Seneviratne, Wasantha Senevirathne, Sena Kalpage (father of Ruwan), Mahinda Bogollagama and R. Boyagoda were all fine willow wielders.

Q: You said that you have followed a very special team physician development course, what is it all about?

A: This course was the first of its kind to be conducted outside Europe and accredited by the International Federation of Sports Medicine, and approved by the Asian Federation of Sports Medicine, and conducted by a panel of eminent sports doctors from Sri Lanka and abroad. Dr. Wahid Al Kharusi, Treasurer Asian Federation of Sports Medicine, Chief Orthopaedic surgeon and Rhumatologist, Co-Ordinator, Medical Commission of International Federation of Sports Medicine, Prof. K. M. Chan President Asian Federation of Sports Medicine, and Vice-President, International Federation of Sports Medicine, Dr. Siri Kannangara, Consultant Rheumatologist in sports medicine, Sydney Australua (a well known figure who defended Muttiah Muralitharan's bowling action by scientific means) and Rohan Jayasekere Head Department of Anatomy of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo were some of those prominent lecturers at this course.

Q: What are your observations as to the rugby field?

A: I must say that most of the injuries occur due to poor physical fitness of our ruggerities. When compared to the overseas players, I think our lads have much to study and learn about physical fitness. Building up muscle glycogen several weeks before the game should be the aim rather than swallowing large amounts of glucose during matches that will dehydrate the muscle. Also over use of glucose will lead to injuries in the field at times. Consuming alcohol 48 hours before a rugby match can impede the performance. Five to six litres of water during a match is an important point to remember.

I have also noticed most of our players have poor haemoglobin, far below the ideal level. This is an aspect that needs to be addressed forthwith. Out of the numerous which I have seen I could tell you they concern the players ankle joint, shoulder dislocation and head injuries (concussions).

Q: Finally, what advice would you like to give sportsmen?

A: Adequate warm-up, stretching, rest, nutrition, usage of correct equipment, and equally good psychological preparation can't be overemphasised. As for psychological aspects, prior to a game over or under arousal can be quite harmful as this causes injuries because over arousal leads to losing concentration and ignoring minor injuries whilst under arousal may lead to poor warm up and stretching and may cause slow reacting time causing injuries.

As a few tips, I would like to outline the following points to our players to avoid being subjected to unwarranted injuries in the playing field.

* After a game do not wait till you are thirsty, * Check your weight routinely; * For every pound lost, take 1/2 litre of water, Following this, take a big glass of fruit juice and repeat this after one hour. This procedure helps to normalise physiology.

* In conclusion, massaging after injury must be discharged as this negates the effect of ice.

He stressed that the doctor must always be in-cooperated in the training. This will enable him to improve the performances of players as well as instill confidence among them as in other countries.

No doctors means no rugby. Be it school club or otherwise. But it's sad to note in most of the games there is hardly a doctor in attendance. But this a must before the commencement of a game. Apparently, this is not adhered to. There may be a dearth of doctors to be in attendance or for that matter even first aid. Rugby football badly needs many more of the mould of Dr. Daya Athukorale to cover this area and regularly be in attendance at rugby matches. This is a cardinal requirement. The Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union headed by Dr. Maiya Gunesekere and his rugby committee should take cognizance of this all important area.

From water boy to rugby referee

By Ravi Nagahawatte
Call it luck, destiny or best a "rags to riches' story. Twenty seven year old rugby referee. D. Nimal can look back and smile at how life has been to him. Looking into his profession which began as a water boy in the rugby field, Nimal has come a long way since that humble beginning. At present he is employed in a company which offers a delivery service and has even tied the knot with his long-standing girl friend, Gaya Manjula Silva.

His entry into the rugby arena links opportunity with desire. And going down memory lane as to how he took to the whistle, it was the absence of a referee in a junior school match which presented Nimal with an opportunity to "blow'. "When I was the water boy at CR and FC, a referee failed to turn up at an under-17 school match. At that time, I knew all the rules of the game. And when there was an invitation for me to control the game, I grabbed the chance," said Nimal recalling that memorable day in his refereeing career. The only thing he had to do was get permission from his manager, and Nimal who stepped into the field of rugby that day has never looked back since.

However, Nimal first had had ideas of playing after learning the basics by merely watching the game. He did get the chance to dabble in the sport which he did by joining the members children who made it a practice to organise a session of tap rugby after matches. But when he sought permission from his father to take up serious rugby, his request was turned down. "We don't have money. If by chance you break a foot or leg, no one will see to us," was what his cautious father had told him.

Nimal, now rarely gets "butterflies' in the stomach". There had been times when he was unsettled by mounting pressure, just prior to matches. He was not ashamed, however, to tell us the remedy he used to calm himself. "I went to the dressing room and looked up the referees rule book." However, now he makes it a point not to think about the game till the time nears to travel to the venue. "Before I got married I used to go to my girl's house and sleep till it was time for me to leave for the game. If you start thinking about the game too early you will go down mentally," reflected Nimal.

Being a Sri Lankan, Nimal longs for a meal of rice and curry wherever he is. He dismisses the practice of not consuming heavy meals before an assignment. "I have my meal of rice even if its very late in the afternoon," he said.

His stint as a waterboy is all in the past for Nimal. But spectators seem to use his humble begining as a weapon to bring disrepute on him. "I have a fear that the crowd will do something to me because I came up in life," added Nimal.

His mother and father would have been proud parents when they first saw their son performing as a referee. But today, only his father comes to see him "blow". Nimal's mother has kept away from matches ever since she heard a cruel remark which was cast against her son.

"During his leisure, he spends time with his folks at home or watches films or rugby with a video deck provided to him by a generous person.

Looking back at where he is today, Nimal took this opportunity to thank the members of CR and FC, senior referees and, last but not least, the sport of rugby for his success.