Crysbro to feed grassroot ruggerites
Upcountry Lions Sports Club (ULSC), sponsored by Crysbro, produced a remarkable performance in the Sri Lanka A-Division Rugby Tournament 2012. As neophytes to the highly regarded A-Division, the performance of Upcountry Lions is sensational, considering the formidable opposition they had overwhelmed, including the highly accomplished Navy team.
Rugby, which has hitherto been the game of the ‘elite’ schools in the country, has hardly made its impact in the rural hinterland, where many po- tential star players are waiting to be found. With a view to promoting the game among the rural youth, Crysbro have initiated a series of programmes in the hill country, which is regarded as the heartland of rugby in Sri Lanka. Crysbro, who have a history of over 40 years, have their farms and processing plants in the salubrious climes of the central highlands. Crysbro regards their sponsorship of ‘Upcountry Lions’ as the first step in taking rugby right down to the grassroots level throughout the country. The company is currently engaged in promoting rugby among a number of schools in the central region. The choice of rugby is noteworthy, as it is a sport which combines the best of team- work, discipline, strategy and strenuous training, while also instilling self-confidence in the players.
It should be remembered that Sri Lanka, with more than 103,000 rugby players, is the second largest rugby-playing nation in Asia, behind Japan. Hence achieving a higher ranking among rugby playing nations in the Asian region is well within the reach of Sri Lanka, if sufficient attention is given to developing and harnessing the talents of potential players across the country.