James the dazzling hockey coach of Kingswood

Herbie JAYASURIYA

COACH: Leonidas James was educated at Christian College, Madras, where he obtained the Bachelor of Science degree in Biology.

On the invitation of P.H. Nonis, the revered principal of Kingswood at that time, he joined the tutorial staff of kingswood on 1st January, 1945. Leonidas James, who is commonly known as Leo, will be referred to by this name, hereafter.

Leo was the first master of Kingswood who set up the Biology laboratory in this school, in consequence of which, in 1946 we had two students who went to the Ceylon University College and qualified as doctors.

It is not my intention in this article to refer to the academic achievements of Leo, at Kingswood, but to refer to the sporting activities he was involved in at this school.

Leo had the unique distinction of coaching the Kingswood students in Athletics, Football and hockey. Leo was the master who planned the College Athletic Meets for over two decades.

Due to his untiring efforts in coaching Kingswood athletes, Kingswood succeeded in winning the Sir Donatious Victoria Challenge Shield at the Amateur Athletic Association meet for school relays.

Further, due to his efforts, there were several athletes including his brother-in-law, Brian Peiris, who won events at the Central Province Athletic Meets and the Public School's Athletic Meets.

As a football player Leo played for the Kandy Muslim Sports Club and also trained the Kingswood football teams which won the Kandy district football Association Trophy for several years.

Leo was an excellent Table Tennis player, who won the Kandy District Table Tennis title for three consecutive years. He was also the college Table Tennis coach. Leo did not specifically coach me, but I learnt from Leo that to play Table Tennis successfully, you have to use your feet correctly.

I used to carefully watch Leo using his feet, at Table Tennis, and I was able to model my play according to the manner in which Leo used his feet, and this enabled me to win the Kandy Junior Championship in 1955, and to come upto the semi-final stage in the Men's Singles.

Leo's greatest forte and his contribution to Kingswood Sports, was as the hockey coach. In 1945 at the request of P.H. Nonis he took over as the hockey coach from V.D. Paulraj who subsequently became the most lovable Vice-Principal of Kingswood. Leo put the hockey players through a course of rigorous training.

He spent long hours in training Freddie White, the Kingswood goalie. This training benefitted the Kingswood hockey players immensely and in the late 1940's and early 1950's Kingswood became the unbeaten school hockey champions.

Due entirely to Leo's training Freddie White subsequently became the best hockey goalie in South East Asia. Freddie White also captained the national team, and subsequently he was emulated by my team mate Derrick Harvey, who also captained the Sri Lanka national team. Further, because of Leo's training, twelve Kingswoodians represented the national side.

I recall, I played for Kingswood as a goalie in 1956 and ' 57, when Leo was in charge of hockey and three of my team mates, Derrick Harvey, Mohamed Jumar, and his brother Iqbal Jumar, represented the Sri Lanka national hockey side.

Leo also had the distinction of captaining the Kandy hockey association sides against two foreign teams and also at the Ceylon hockey Nationals. In fact, three of the players he coached at Kingswood viz. Freddie White, Derrick Harvey and Roy de Silva captained the Armed Services, the Mercantile Services and the Kandy Hockey Association teams respectively, at the hockey nationals in one year. This is a unique achievement.

Apart from this, my team mate J.W. Jayasooriya did extremely well by captaining the Sri Lanka Police side for serval years.

Leo married Thekla, the lovely daughter of our beloved Matron, Mrs. Peiris. His wife has been greatly interested in all the activities of her husband, especially when he was a boarding master at Kingswood. Presently, Leo lives in retirement on Peradeniya Road, Kandy.

He and his wife have turned to the Lord and Leo is the co-ordinator of the 'Hope Prayer Tower' Fellowship of King's Revival Church (International) located on Peradeniya Road.

In his present work he glorifies the Lord and bears witness to the wonders the Lord has done for him in his life. We pray that the good Lord will bless Leo and his wife for many years in their work in the Lord's vineyard.