Crysbro powers Up Country Lions to magnificent season
Upcountry Lions Sports Club (ULSC), sponsored by Crysbro, have
registered an astounding performance in the Sri Lanka A-Division Rugby
Tournament 2012. As newcomers to the highly regarded A-Division, the
performance of Upcountry Lions is sensational, considering the
formidable opposition they had overwhelmed, including the highly
accomplished Naval squad.
The Up Country Lions rugby team |
Rugby, which has hitherto been the game of the 'elite' schools in the
country, has hardly made its impact in the rural hinterland, where many
potential star players are waiting to be found. With a view to promoting
the game among the rural youth, Crysbro have initiated a series of
programmes in the hill country, which is regarded as the heartland of
rugby in Sri Lanka. This hardly comes as a surprise, since Crysbro, who
have achieved nationwide renown for their 'Fresh Upcountry Chicken' over
the past 40 years, have situated their farms and state-of-the-art
processing plants in the salubrious climes of the central highlands.
Crysbro regards their sponsorship of 'Upcountry Lions' as the first
step in taking rugby right down to the grassroots level throughout the
country. The company is currently engaged in promoting rugby among a
number of schools in the central region. The choice of rugby is
noteworthy, as it is a sport which combines the best of teamwork,
discipline, strategy and strenuous training, while also instilling
self-confidence in the players.
It should be remembered that Sri Lanka, with more than 103,000 rugby
players, is the second largest rugby-playing nation in Asia, behind
Japan. Hence achieving a higher ranking among rugby playing nations in
the Asian region is well within the reach of Sri Lanka, if sufficient
attention is given to developing and harnessing the talents of potential
players across the country. |