Rugby was first introduced by Englishmen

Hafiz Marikar

Rugby Football was first introduced to Sri Lanka by the Englishmen in 1879, 56 years after the game was first played in England.

Today the game of rugby is vastly different from what was played over 130 years ago. With the introduction of the Asian Rugby Football Union a few decades ago there are now over 23 Nations playing in the Asian region registered with the ARFU Union.

In the early days rugby in the planting sector in Ceylon was of a very high standard with most of the Britishers in the teams and then gradually introduced to the other districts with the competition being the main criteria of spectator interest.

Club matches

Once rugby went public club matches are a sell-out and the crowds up to 40.000 have been recorded for the Cup finals a few decades ago.

Kandy Sports Club is a major “Player” in today’s game and this game thrives on the fierce competition and its foremost opponents the club sector.

From 1972, after the take over of the tea estates, plantation rugby dropped some what except for the Kandy Sports Club, the one and only club playing the game outside Colombo. Rugby in the Up-Country was played well over 130- years.

On September 22, 2011 it will celebrate 132 years, but sadly none of the clubs in the Up Country are engaged in the game for reasons best known to the clubs themselves. On this day as records reveal was the first ever rugby game played in 1879, where an Up-Country XV played a Low Country XV at the Kandy Parade Square, now known as the Police Grounds.

Thereafter the first ever club game played was on September 7, in 1880, Dickoya MCC Vs Dimbulla ACC, with Dickoya being winners by 9 points to 3.

This game took place at the Darawella grounds Dickoya. The return game was played on September 14 one week after the first, at the Radella grounds and Dimbulla beat Dickoya by 6 points to 3. During this period of time, the three planting district clubs were Dimbulla ACC, Dickoya MCC and Uva Gymkhana Club, where the three leading clubs.

Established

Dimbulla ACC was established in 1850’s and was a major force in rugby until early 1970’s. They were the first Up Country Club to win the coveted Clifford Cup in 1953 and shared it with CR & FC in 1959.

But their finest year was in 1970 under the leadership of ever green Ken Murray, where they emerged League champions and went down to the Police SC led by Abdul Majeed in Clifford Cup Semifinals.

Dickoya MCC was formed in 1874 and their sports activities were Rugger, Cricket, Lawn tennis, Squash, Badminton and Cue sports. They too were one time a major force in the ‘A’ division rugby fixtures. They entered the Clifford Cup finals twice, in 1958 went down fighting to CR & FC and in 1961 lost to Havelock SC.

Their playing field is at Darawella. Dickoya a colonial club house with all facilities like in today’s exclusive clubs stand ahead, during that decade could have been on of the best Clubs in the country.

The Club house was established in 1899 on December 28 opened by the then Governor of Ceylon. At one time Darawella was the most beautiful rugby grounds in the country picturesques with the surrounding tea eatates and the Darawella ground in the valley. Incidentally, the famous English test cricketer Sir Jack Hobbs visited Darawella ground, during an English tour of Sri Lanka and named his home Darawella after he returned back home to England.

UVA Gymkhana Club- was known as the ‘Merrie Men of Uva’, they were the first to enter the Clifford cup finals from Up-Country, in 1952 and lost to CR & FC in the cup final - 19 points to nil. They too were a major force in ‘A’ division rugby until the 1970’s.

Kandy Sports Club - rugby goes back 136 years. Little wonder then than we hear, of Kandy Sports Club’s ambitions to bring the SLRFU Headquarters to Nittawela.

That frozen picture of the Zinc-roofed club house sitting before a ground, with one half at a higher gradient than the other, and surrounded by weedy terraces.

The rustic landscape, as if by a wave of the magician’s wand, has transformed Nittawela into one of gleaming-new storied building and neat rows of stands - pretty picture of modernity amid nature’s hills accepted by the IRB to conduct International events.

Since 1992 Kandy Sports club have been a force to reconed with and have emerged rugby champions for over a decade and still continuing as the best rugby team in the Island.

Enthusiasm

Kandy Rugby Football Club - [Kandy Lake Club]- With rugby enthusiasm growing in Kandy during that era, with spectator interest riding high during the 1960’s. The Late E W Balasuriya a very keen sports promoter, cum entrepreneur with the auspices of the Rugby parent body - “Ceylon Rugby Football Union” registered the Kandy Lake Club into the ‘B’ Division tournament in 1966 and 1967.

Having performed extremely well in the two previous seasons was promoted to the “A” Division in 1969 by the CRFU. Later the club registered itself as “Kandy Rugby Football Club” being a recognized “A” division club until 1971 when objections were raised by the “A” Division clubs that KRFC was a Professional rugby club with professional rugby players in the side and demanded to ban this club.

However, in accordance with the SLRFU Constitution and the Sports Law 1975 a decision was taken to disallow KRFC to play in the “A” Division rugby tournament, hence, rugby enthusiasts in Kandy got together and later decided to amalgamate both Kandy Sports Club and Kandy Rugby Football Club and play as one team under the Kandy Sports Club Logo.

It must be recorded that during 1970 / 1971 KRFC made a huge inpact in rugby winning several key games and entering the Clifford Cup semi finals as well. Now all clubs are professional and has declined in standards, former glory, spectator interest, enthusiasm, refereeing etc.

Rugger has become a very competitive game in Sri Lanka today, specially in Kandy. As the speed and intensity of the game increases and the number of phases of play multiply, players tend to become somewhat oblivious to their basic roles in retaining and continuing the glamour sport currently witnessed by huge crowd of spectators amongst various controversies with the parent body, players and clubs.