Mercantile Rugby 7's on October 16,17 and 18

Achala RAMANAYEKA

The Mercantile Rugby Sevens is an important event in the local sports calendar as it is the battlefield where the best of corporate teams fight for supremacy in the true spirit of sportsmanship.

The 39th Mercantile rugby sevens will be held on October 16, 17 and 18 at CR and FC ground.

As in the previous years the Mercantile Rugby Football Association is expect over 40 teams with around 480 players to participate in this year's tournament and it is bound to capture the spirit of enthralling and exciting rugby as it always does.

The Mercantile Rugby Sevens has gone from strength to strength, since its inception in 1966.

Many corporate teams have had the great opportunity to gain the trophy throughout the years. Apart from the John Keells Ltd., nine time winners of the prestigious cup most of the time teams from the Banking sector have done well in the mercantile rugby sevens in the past. Hatton National Bank leads the way as the winners of the trophy for nine years while both Sampath Bank and Seylan Bank have won it twice each consecutively.

Apart from the two dominant performances by HNB & John Keells who has won the trophy on nine occasions, it had been interesting to see that some of the other leading teams such as Asia Capital, Ceylon Tobacco, Butani Buckneers, Commercial Bank, Dialog 'A' and last year Cup winners Emjay International has also performed exceptionally well in the recent past.

The other significant factor about the mercantile rugby sevens is that many of the local rugby stars will take the field every year and which presents competitive rugby.

Last year winners of the tournament Emjay International was led by former Sri Lanka Sevens captain Pradeep Liyanage and the tournament had players in the caliber of Fazil Marija, Saliya Kumara, Mohamed Hilmy, Dilanka Wijesekara, Mohamed Sheriff, Eranda Weerakkody and Nalaka Weerakkody all sevens veterans to add more colour to this event.

For the sixth consecutive year, Dialog Telekom will once again be the proud sponsor of this glamorous and much awaited event. Firms are willing to participate could collect entry forms from MRFA officials: Prasanna Silva.

Sampath Bank, Nawam Mawatha, Roshan Tissera, Metropolitan Communication, Bray Brooke Place, Romesh de Livera, HNB, Rajagiriya, Christopher Ferdinands, Ceylinco House, Colombo 01.

The entries close on the October 7 and the groupings will be announced on the October 12.