Bens prove their superiority in soccer

Primarily a poor man's sport:

Bernard PERERA

St. Benedict's College Kotahena has a proud record behind them for nearly five decades in school football arena. Not only they kept their superiority in this game but also produced top class soccerites for the national team.

This year too they came to the lime light winning the Peace Dream Cup seven-a-side soccer tournament in Trincomalee which concluded at the McHeyzer stadium recently. The tournament which also marked the opening of a new era in Eastern Province through sports. The tourney was a concept initiated by the Peace Dream Foundation, the local branch of the Universal Peace Foundation which received the fullest co-operation of the Sri Lanka School Football Association.

Minister of Co-operatives M.N. Abdul Majeed along with his co-ordinating Secretary got the Trincomalee Football League to join hands with the organisers to make the event a success. The hard work done by these personalities saw 38 school teams from all parts of the country travel all the way to Trincomalee to make the event a success not only by playing soccer but also showing the whole country that the Eastern Province is a safe place for sporting activities.

Three days of soccer displayed by these schoolboys in an area where no major events of sports took place came back on track. With many talented youngsters showing themselves what they can do with the opportunity given to them. St. Benedict's College and Hameed Al Husseini College entered the fray entering two teams. The Colombo schools had a tough time in countering the teams from Kinniya, Central and Mannar's St Xavier's College. In fact these two schools made their way to the semis beating Isipatana College and Thurstan College, Colombo, but lost to St. Benedict's and Hameed Al Husseini College. Though the outstation schools could not make it to the final they played the game at its best. Bens in the final put all the pressure on Hameed Al Husseini to maintain their past glory and to prove that they continue to play the best soccer during the forthcoming season. Bens led by Asela Tharanga gets the fullest co-operation and encouragement from the Principal and the President of the SLSFA Rev. Bro Granville Perera who was physically present to witness the tourney which also serves as an example to the top officials to be present on special occasions of this nature.