HAVELOCKS DETHRONE KANDY SC
After a prolonged drought Havelocks SC had all park aglow on August 18 when they dethroned Kandy SC from the local rugby Everest. They won by 50 pts (7 goals, a try and a penalty) to 19 (2 goals, a try) with the half time scores reading 27-12 in favour of the Havelocks.
The Park Club’s last success was in 1981 when they emerged league champions when Angelo Wickremaratne led the side. This was the worst defeat for Kandy SC since they came out of the dark tunnel in 1992 to date. Kandy SC has found it doubly difficult to play their away matches due to the lack of funds. The Colombo clubs assisted them when they were in trouble. Leslie de Silva the Secretary will testify to this effect.
Malik Samarawickreme the former CR&FC and Sri Lanka scrum half and a public school athlete moved to the white shirted club and created a rugby renaissance with his professional skills on and off the field. He had a dedicated committee to help him and in its wake brought about professionalism and helped the less privileged youth to go places in life.
Kandy won the league in 1994 and was a force to be reckoned in the years that followed. Malik was there to watch the Havelocks when they went on the rampage in the last 30 minutes on August 18. Needless to say the Kandy defence was in tatters. After the game Malik said, “The Havies deserved to win as they put in a concerted team effort.” The Park Club could have beaten any side on that day. All this is a good omen for the game. It’s not the end of the road for rugby for Kandy. If they do not know how to lose then they do not know how to win also. Malik commented that the game was played in the right spirit and was not marred by temper tantrums. “The game was played in the correct spirit and Referee Dilroy Fernando did a good job,” he commented.
The crowds came back in their numbers this season to watch the rugby dished out by the new Park Club outfit, with a grandstand of international standards, thanks to the efforts of Asanga Seneviratne the young President of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union.
The Park Club owes a lot to past players such as Brigadier Jupana Jayawardena, Gamini Fernando, Gogi Tillekeratne, Mark Sunderalingam, Glen Vanlangenberg, Ifthikar Hamid, Noel Brohier, Thajone Savanghan, the late Denzil Kobbekaduwa and a host of others for the great rugby they produced in the past which still lingers in the Park Club.
The Havelocks has had its ups and downs. The club owes a big thank you to Asanga Seneviratne who created this big upheaval Former President of the Rugby Union Nimal Lewke also complimented Asanga for giving a new face to rugby in the island.