Nimal Lewke in the ring soon

Nimal Lewke, the former President of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union and double international in boxing and rugby is a much maligned man these days.

An Old Sylvestrian national boxer and Police and Sri Lanka Ruggerite, Lewke has in recent times come under attack for no reason at all and for reasons known only to his detractors.

An officer and a gentleman Lewke after his playing days were over took to administration and later on as coach and what a wonderful and efficient job he did. He was an example.

As a pugilist he was stylish and many an opponent hit the canvass unable to take the devastating punches thrown by him. He dominated his weight class boxing for the country until he hung up his gloves and took to his second pet sport rugby.

Playing as a flanker in the Police rugby team he was like a panther and there was no mercy when he crash tackled his opponents to bring them down.

Lewke played in the police rugby team when they were still teething and took them to great heights and much feared opponents by the clubs which were then dominating the game the CR and FC, Havelocks and CH and FC. He played for the blue shirts and then led them to many a championship.

Lewke later took his rightful place as President of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union and scored many a goal for them cleverly manoeuvring for the game, the player and the administration.

Then DIG Lewke’s problems began with the appointment of his son Dhusanth as captain of the national rugby team. Lewke junior richly deserved the captaincy because he won that honour for his intelligent and robust play and because he had that added advantage of a born leader. He led the Kandy SC and CR and FC pack with great distinction.

Lewke junior played for Kandy Sports Club for a long time and steered them to many a victory. Then owing to unavoidable circumstance he had to, with the greatest reluctance quit Kandy and play for the Red Shirts.

Lewke won his spurs purely on merit and no other criterion. It was then that the green eyed monsters emerged. Not only did they go for the junior but also spread their tentacles on Lewke senior and many were the unfounded allegations levelled at the father and son.

The wild allegations levelled at the father and son would have been traumatic considering that Nimal as DIG and head of the Special Task Force did a magnificent job pleasing to all.

As head of the Special Task Force Nimal countered many terrorist attacks and in the process saved the lives of many a politician.

Now the frustrated are throwing punches most foul at Nimal. But having the advantage of having been a clever and champion boxer, he knows how to weave and duck and go the rounds and wait for his opponents to drop their guard and then deliver the knockout punch. And very soon his opponents will hit the canvass, because Nimal like in the words of the former World Boxing Champion Muhammed Ali would ‘float like a butterfly and sting like a bee’.

Nimal at the moment is not dropping his guard, nor will he throw in the towel however formidable his opponents. He has still not stepped into the ring to face his opponents because he feels sorry for them.

He is doing the Ali Shuffle. Once he steps in to the ring God save his detractors. He will start throwing lethal rights and lefts, upper cuts and body punches and have them groggy before delivering the punch that will have them flat on their backs never more to take on the Lewkes.Knowing Lewke as we do, we will be on the ringside watching Nimal Lewke knock his opponents out cold.

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Angelo Perera promising

Angelo Perera the St. Peter’s cricket captain is promising material and has what it takes to make it to the national team. He is a stylish right hand batsman and a tantalising left are spin bowler.

As a batsman he showed his prowess notching up 63 in the big match against St. Joseph’s and then in the one-day encounter against the Joes massacred the bowlers to run up 128 which is the highest score in this form of the game between the two Catholic schools.

Angelo bettered the 126 made by Sri Lanka opener and former Peterite Malinda Warnapura (126) and had the honour of receiving the Best Batsman’s Trophy from Malinda during the awards ceremony.

Unfortunately Angelo had his bowling spell in the big match stalled by an umpire who thought his action was suspect. This came as a surprise because Angelo had from the time he was knee high to a bat been bowling with the same action.

None of his coaches saw anything wrong with his action until he came into the big match. Angelo is not one who will give up. He is determined to go on bowling with the action his creator gave him, confident that there is nothing wrong because all his coaches did not notice anything wrong with his action.