Up Country Lions out to make an impact this season

S M Jiffrey Abdeen - Kandy Sports Corr

The squad

Props: Dimal Jayasinghe, Desmond Wilson, Dunstan de Silva, Sadun Kumara, Dulanga Gunatillake, Malith Hettiarachchi.
Hookers: Uchith Jayasuriya, Sasanka Ariyaratne,
Locks: Hasitha Perera, Sharo Fernando, Ranga Perera, Rajitha Abeykoon
Flankers: Dilip Selvam, Gayan Ratnage, Sajith Saranga,
No. 8: Mathew Time (captain),
Scrum Half: Srinath Suriyabandara, Dilan Soysa, Asitha Wijesinghe,
Fly Half: Nigel Ratwatte, Kanchana Ramanayake
Centres: Tevita Taufai, Maga Hettiarachchi, Radhika Hettiarachchi, Migara Wijeratne
Wingers: Wishwamithra Jayasinghe, Mohammed Sashan, Chanaka Gunaratne, Ashen Gallage
Full Back: Rajitha Sansoni
Place kicker: Rajitha Sansoni and Magele Hayden

Up Country Lions Rugby Club from Nawalapitiya with a very large complement of national players will be making their debut at the Dialog League Rugby this season will strive hard to create an impact in the local rugby world. Though fielding a star studded side with no less than 13 players who had represented the country and three foreign players to add to the strength, they are yet to play to their true potential if one is to go by their performance this season.

They lost to Kandy Sports Club in their maiden appearance and this is understandable as Kandy had the advantage of playing on their home terrain and they had better team work as they had played together as a team for sometime.

The same could not be said of the Up Country Lions. Next they beat CH and FC down in Colombo by a very comfortable margin sending out warning signals to the other clubs.

But they disappointed in their third game playing before their home crowd at the Jayatillake Stadium in Nawalapitiya. They lost 10-12 leading 10-9 till the final moments of play when Police scored through a penalty to clinch the game.

In fact Police scored all their points through penalties which means that the Up Country Lions had infringed and gave away the game to the opponents. This makes one sad when your line had been not crossed but still you find yourself on the losing side due to your mistakes. Penalties are awarded for mistakes and infringements and this is what exactly happened.

There is no reason for the Up Country Lions to despair. They are a very good side and the only thing they need is to click as a team and the rest will fall into places.

The national players in the side are Dunstan de Silva, Malith Hettiarachchi, Hasitha Perera, Sharo Fernando, Uchitha Jayasuriya, Sasanka Ariyaratne, Dilip Selvam, Sajith Saranga, Srinath Suriyabandara, Dilan Soysa, Asitha Wijesinghe, Radhika Hettiarachchi, Niroshan Karunatillake, Wishwamith Jayasinghe. They will be strengthened by their captain Mathew Time - a Samaon born New Zealander who plays top division rugby for the Wellington Club as No. 8.

He has also represented the Province. A very strongly built player known for his robust play coupled with finesse. The other two foreign players in the side are Magele Hayden - a New Zealander who has played Provincial Rugby as centre known for his prowess in place kicking.

The third player is Tevita Taufai from New Zealand who played in the ITN Cup for Vanuatu team and could fit in as centre and flanker.

This makes them the team to watch as they have the potential and they are yet to deliver which they are certain to do as the season progresses.

The team is coached by former Trinity College, CR and FC, Kandy Sports Club and Sri Lanka winger Imthisan Marikkar known for his blazing runs or punching holes in opponents defence and finally scores with a dive to avoid last minute tackles.

He has thrilled the rugby fans with his own brand of rugby. Last year he coached the Sri Lanka Air Force and prior to that has coaching experience with other top division clubs.

He has ability to fine tune the players in his charge and also motivate them to perform better.

The Physical Trainer of the side is Amith Jayasuriya who has won a gold medal in the 100 metres and also a Silver medal in the 200 metres at the SAAF Games. He is also the trainer for Isipathana.

The team is sponsored by Crysbro Farms, a leading producer and marketeer of poultry products based in Gampola, on the approach to Nawalapitiya.

It is fitting that they should sponsor a newly formed rugby club who made history by becoming the first club from Nawalapitiya to play top division rugby.

The Minister of Sports Mahindananda Aluthgamage in his programme to develop sports in the country and provide each district with a well developed play grounds and in keeping with the dictum 'Charity begins at home' has developed the Jayatillake Park into a Stadium with gymnasium facilities and a swimming pool which will help to develop sports in the area.

This Stadium is a much needed facility at Nawalapitiya which was yearning for one.

This has also opened a new chapter for sports in Nawalapitiya which is surrounded by the plantations and will result in the tapping of hidden talents. In the past several clubs from the Kandy area took to top division rugby only to fade out a few years later and let's hope that the Lions will stay in the top division rugby firmament permanently providing the rugby fans in the hill capital with more rugby alongside Kandy Sports Club. Some of the clubs which faded out are Kandy Youths SC, Old Trinitian SC, Kurunegala RFC and in the days gone by planter clubs like Dickoya and Dimbula who are now striving hard to keep the game alive in their clubs.

The team is handled by former Kandy Sports Club and Trinity College Rugby Lion D Sivasubramaniam and Hassan Singhawansa who played key roles while serving the CH and FC, KR and FC, Kandy Sports Club and now has thrown his lot with the Up Country Lions as the Team Manager and comes all the way from Colombo to watch the team practice in the hills. Sivasubramaniam holds the post of Rugby Chairman. The President of the Club is former Sports Officer T K Samath.

Hassan Singhawansa said that all the players are contracted and their release obtained from their former clubs and where it is necessary they had made the payment for their release.

Thus they do not believe in 'lifting' players and they had done everything in a legitimate way and no one could point a finger at them.