Siri Piyaratne Vidyalaya, Padukka U. 14 overall Sin-Bin rugby champs

The SIN BIN Under 14 10 - A - Side Rugby Tournament organised by the Rugby Promotional Foundation was concluded at the Supremo Sports Web Grounds in Padukka recently with Siri Piyaratne Vidyalaya Padukka emerging the overall champions while Dudley Senanayake Vidyalaya Colombo 5 being the runner’s – Up.

The core objective of the Rugby Promotional Association made up of Rugby coaches, professionals in the filed including all those who have a passion for the sport of rugby, is to create an opportunity for students from underdeveloped schools in the country to showcase their talents.

Accordingly, this year’s tournament, which was on an invitation basis, saw the participation of teams from Imbulana Maha Vidyalaya Ruwanwella, Siri Piyaratne Vidyalaya Padukka, Kawantissa Maha Vidyalaya Aparai, (Both A and B Teams), Sadatissa Vidyalaya Amparai (A& B Teams), Dudley Senanayake Vidyalaya Colombo 5, Kotalawela Vidyalaya Kaduwela, Mahinda Rajapaksa Vidyalaya Homagama, ( A& B Teams) and St. Mary’s College Avissawella.

K.B. Yohan Wathsala of Saddathissa Maha Vidyalaya Amparai was the tournament’s Best Player.

According to the Secretary of the Tournament’s Organising Committee, Ajith Fernando who is also the Rugby Coach of Dudley Senanayake Colombo 5, Rugby Promotional Foundation has been organising events of similar nature in the past with a view to promote the sport among rural students by giving them a chance to celebrate their love for the sport and display their talents to the public.

“What the school coaches constantly inform us is that students from these rural schools possess great talent, but sadly they hardly get any chance to take part in any tournament. Having such opportunities will encourage them con- tinue in this field. So the Rugby Promotional Foundation undertook to organising this Tournament by inviting the teams from small schools across the country. We organised similar tournaments in the years 2006, 2007 and 2008,” he said adding that the recent one is significant for the reason that it was organised after a long break of several years, since the last one in 2008.

Elaborating on the need to give these school rugby players more opportunities, Ajith Fernando says that it was for the first time that Imbulana Maha Vidyalaya Ruwanwella took part in a game outside their district and as such there was a great degree of enthusiasm in the players as much as their parents who came to cheer their children.

“We are planning to organise more tournaments and training sessions for rural schools this year,” he added.