Rugby resurgence at Havelocks Sports Club

A club which is recapturing its past glory is Havelocks Sports Club. They were in the doldrums for over a decade and last year their rugby standard reached rock bottom ending up last in the Caltex 'A' division league with a solitary 20-5 win over CH and FC in ten matches.

Early this year the hierarchy of the park club headed by president Tyronne Coonghe decided to make the park club a force to be reckoned with once again by forming a rugby committee headed by former Havelocks fly half and ex-Sri Lanka coach Ana Saranapala and comprising three former captains and national players Angelo Wickramaratne (1981), Kolitha Gunatilleke (1987) and Chaminda Rupasinghe (1989). They were entrusted with the task of finding a sponsor and recruitment of talented youngsters.

They sought the assistance of former Thomian, CR and Sri Lanka fly half Asanga Seneviratne who was able to convince his company Nation Lanka Finance PLC to sponsor the club and also meet the expenses involved in recruiting three top foreign players Samoa's Angsta Sae and the Tongan duo of Atella Uaisele and Paula Talaka.

With three outstanding schoolboys of last year Science College's Pushpukumara Perera and Thomians Anuruddha Wilwara and Sundarshan Muthutantri joining the club the Park Club once again emerged as a force to be reckoned with going down fighting against mighty Kandy SC (13-18) and CR and FC (10-15) and notching up five impressive wins over Army (36-13) Air Force (22-13), CH and FC (31-16), Police (18-7) and the Formidable Navy (23-20). Last week they broke a five year hoodoo by edging out traditional rivals CR and FC (25-24) which propelled them to the top of the points table with the latest additions to the club former Kandy SC and Sri Lanka Scrum half Amjad Buksh and ex-Kandy SC and Sri Lanka centre Chamara Vithanage playing a key role in their victory.

Coach Thusitha Peiris is taking great pains to harness their talent and mould them into a champion outfit with the maximum support of president Tyronne Coonghe and other officials.