Antonians determined to perform well this season

S M Jiffrey ABDEEN- Kandy Sports Corr

Despite the loss of three of their key players who could have turned out for them this season St Anthony's College Kandy are determined to perform well this year as the season progresses.

St Anthony's College, was the third school to play rugby from Kandy when this game was introduced in 1955 with former All Ceylon and Trinity College prop Maurice Perera as its first coach when Rev Fr Rosatie was the Principal.

Since then it has made giant progress and it was in the year 1972 that they were able to beat their traditional rivals Trinity College under the captaincy of Tuan Dole.

Since then they have beaten the Lions many times with a golden streak in the late nineties which went on for seven years till mid next decade. (1999 to 2005)

Some of the top ruggerites produced by this school by the Mahaweli River are legendary Priyantha Ekanayake, Lakshman Ekanayake, Leroy Fonseka, Sameera Silva, A Kudoos, D H Rajaguru, Tikiri Dissanayake, Sanjay Amunugama, Nimal Malagamuwa, Waidyaratne, Pradeep Liyanage, Eranga Swaranatilleke, Chang Faa Ching, Dr. D. Makuloluwa, Jude Pillai and Imran Bisthamin.

Leading the Antonians this year is third year player and No 8 Pandula Angamanna an excellent player in the loose and he has the height and build for this. His father too played for the Police and St Anthony's College.

The vice captain of the side is Mohammed Yakoob Ali also playing in his third year. He performed very well last season striking the ball fast in the scrums and also scoring tries with his fine runs.

His father Mohammed Ali also played as a forward in the seventies and also for Kandy Sports.

Both Pandula Angamanna and Yakoob Ali are just 18 years old and could play for another year.

Besides this duo there are six others who did service for them.

They are Koninath Rajinder (flanker), Tharaka Premalal (flanker), Fazlur Rahman (fly half), Charles Praveen (centre), Johash Francis (prop), and Mohammed Shabith (prop). They will form the nucleus of the side. Fresher Dhanushka Madhusanka is a player to watch as in the matches played todate has made some sizzling runs and could make the grade with more exposure.

The team is coached by former St Anthony's College rugby captain and CH and FC scrum half Sanjay Amunugama who has taken over the side this year. Sanjay Amunugama a good thinker of the game with nearly 25 years experience was very bitter about what took place quite recently.

He said that they had three brilliant players who was to play a key role this season. But all three made an attempt to cross over to another school and the end result was that two of them's school careers were virtually blasted and landed themselves in 'No mans land'.

While one of them managed to get admission to another school but the other two failed. One could not get in as there was no medium of instruction for him in that school. The other had sat for the GCE Advanced Level once which technically puts him out from getting himself to another school.

This is a lesson to others as well who try to change schools at the end of their school careers forgetting what the school has done for them.

But Sanjay Amunugama said that he will not allow this to destabilise the Antonian rugby team and he will endeavour his best to keep the Antonian flag flying and cannot produce instant results. They should perform better as the season progresses.

The rugby team has the support of the Old Antonians Rugby Club headed by N Weerakoon and the overall support of Rohan Daulagala, M Junaid and many others and they are all behind the school and its rugby. Former Police SC, Kandy SC and Sri Lanka centre Saman Kotalawela is the Assistant coach with Mohammed Ousman as the Master In Charge.

The rugby pool:

Props: Johash Francis, Mohammed Shabith. Naveen Sahabandu.

Hooker: Mohamed Yakoob Ali

Looks: Gehan Wanigasekera, Chinthaka Viraj, Mohammed Arumesh.

Flankers: Kobinath Rajinder, Tharaka Premalal,

No 8: Pandula Angamanna (Captain).

Scrum half: Eranga Rambukwella, Thilan Jagoda.

Fly half: Fazlur Rahman, Kobinath Dushanth.

Centres: Charles Praveen, Dhanushka Madhusanka.

Wingers: Ravinath Shiroshan, Lakshan Rambukwella.

Full back: Shashika Wijeratne.

Others trying for places are: Narada Tennakoon (prop), R Luthershan (winger).

The spot kicks will be taken by Fazlur Rahman,

The physical training of the team is handled by former weightlifting champion and national coach Athula Wijewickrema.