Sports

Dimbulla Athletic and Cricket Club, is the oldest club in Sri Lanka. It served the planting fraternity for 150 years and they will be celebrating their anniversary in December 2006. Though the name suggests otherwise Rugby football has been its main stay over the years.

Up country teams like Dimbulla, Dickoya, Uva, Kandy and Kelani valley were virtually inhibited by foreigners in the years gone by. Besides rugby cricket was also very popular among the club members of yesteryear.

To my memory, the likes of Chris Bean, Barry Cameron, Mike Warring, John Burrows, Mike Davis, South African John Arenhold (a daring centre three quarter and a gangling fast bowler who represented Sri Lanka in both sports) were some of the Europeans who took the centre stage in that era. Among the locals there are a quite a number of versatile sportsmen. The likes of Mike de Alwis, Keith Paul, Roger De Silva, Saliya Atapattu, Ken Murray, Gamini Tennekoon, Gamini Salgado, Jayantha Jayawardena “Kalu” Perera, Mohan and late Baila Samarsinghe, Lionel Almeida, Mohan Samarakoon, Lalin Tennekoon, Arjun Tennekoon, Harin de Costa, Harry Solomons are some of them. Dim – dicks are being led by former Kandy SC, scrumhalf, Pushpakumara who leads a young and experienced team. They had the Old Zahirians on the hop during the dying stages of the game but lost on a cliff-hanger at 30-31.

Devaka Wickremasuriya, chairman of rugby was interviewed after the game. He said they are striving to develop all sports in the up-country in its wake to harness the hitherto untapped potential among the plantation population.

He said that K.P. Navaratnam is the Technical Advisor the Kandy SC coach – Tulagise Lavita (Laga) also helps with their coaching. Ex-planter former rugby stalwart, Izwan Omar is also giving them assistance while evergreen Tommy Kelaart, is the consultant. - BW