Sandy the unsung hero

RUGBY: Most of us knew him as Sandy, he was Tuan Rohan Hameed, Man with few words but he will be long remembered for his great rugby exploits.

Sandy was one of the finest sportsman from the (Holy land of sports the Bambalapitiya Flats) most of the Rugby fans will only know him as a rugby player, but the Sandy I knew was a crack sportsman, fantastic cricketer, superb soccer player. He had class games sense.

All sportsman from the Bamba Flats walked into any school or club side, we treated Rugby as our main sport, but all of us could play cricket and soccer equally Well, most of our friends who played with us from the by lanes too improved and excelled in their schools or clubs by playing with us.

I have been in the sports scene and the only remaining person from the old brigade of Bamba flats, that is very much inclined towards sports.

I have never seen a sportsman of his calibre. There was one thing superior in our sportsman they all had fantastic game sense, to score a try, to score a fifty or a goal was a dream with the flatters then. I remember Sandey as a TT player, you name any sport he had that extra bit of sense than the others, he was one of the most disciplined sportsman that hailed from Isipathana he attended cricket practices and was very unfortunate not to be selected for the under 16, and one day he told me BARI Iam attending cricket practises, why don't you come and see me play, I watched him bowl a few overs with unbelievable movement, after the first spell, he bowled a tantalising spell of leg spin, upto date it's a dilemma to me as to why he was not selected.

He changed his mind and took to rugby and he excelled in it, and in both versions of the game of rugby, the sevens and the fifteens, it was a herculean task to mark him, he was one player who used to swerve, side step and dummy with case, I have not seen a scrum half clearing over 75 metres in a game which Sandy used to do with ease, his short burst was a treat to watch.

He was rewarded when he was selected to represent the country at the sevens, and he played, performance wise for the best Havelocks side. which won the sevens twice in a year the league and the knock out in 1981. We were hotly pursued for the league.

A score of over fifty points against Army that saw us through to the league, Sandy spun a cob web round the soldiers with his scything runs. His contribution to Havelocks of 1981 in wining the triple will live long in the hearts of many rugby fans. Watching so much of rugby I have yet to see A side like the Havelocks of 1981.

Jeff Ratnam our coach, said keep fit that is all what he told B side. We almost beat the A side comprising five Sri Lanka players in the final. We fought tooth and nail in that game.

Hubert Rayan made some fine runs, Sandy coming in as sweeper and defending on that day saw the A side through, we were a better side and I believe the A side was very lucky to beat us, I will never forget two of my dear friends Sandy and Rayan who figured in that game, they were loyal to the game gave off their best at all times. They both are no more, but will be long remembered by the rugby fans.

The players who figured in that history making final

Havelocks A - Andrew Vanhoff, Kolitha Goonatilaka, Angelo Wickramaratne, Sandy Hamid, Len Silva, Michael Jayasekera, V.P. Sepala.

B Side - Marco de Silva, M. Sallay, Hubert Rayan, Nihal Boteju, Peter Seneviratna, Rienzie de Silva, Baratha Mendis.

Baratha Mendis.