Right Royal Summa still sprightly at 87
The name Summa Navaratnam echoes reverentially not just down the hallowed halls of Royal College but also across legions of Sri Lanka’s most distinguished ruggerites. This deference is born of staggering sporting accomplishment accumulated throughout one of local rugby’s most storied careers, an endless highlight reel teeming with plays that epitomised determination, skill and tenacity.
The Royal 1941 rugby team: Back row: C.Q. Perera, H.C. Aldons, B. Mendis, L.I.W. de Alwis, T. Wickremesinghe, J.H.M. Bartholomeusz, D.B. Seneviratne, S. Navaratnam. Seated: A.R. Demmer, E.M. Aldons, L.Mc D. Robinson, M.N. Billa (Capt), E.L. Bradby, S.G. Salgado, B.C. Anghie, H.M. Christoffelsz, S.E. Strange. On ground: A.L. Amerasinghe, A.M. Caldera, E.V. Peiris.
I meet Summa, rather fittingly, a little over a week before the second leg of the Bradby. At 87, Summa still carries the confidence which made him such a superlative player on the rugby field. He reflects on many things: the recent opening act of the Bradby, past incidents on and off the field, his deep love for the country and the history and growth of Sri Lankan rugby.
Indeed he has seen and done much, not only in rugby but also within the larger Lankan sporting picture. Renowned for an uncompromising and grueling training regimen, Summa possessed extraordinary levels of fitness. He demonstrated this by becoming a double international in rugby and athletics after making significant strides in both these sporting avenues.
In the latter, he exhibited tremendous potential, once dethroning Asia’s fastest man on grass, the Indian Levy Pinto. He could have even made it to the 1948 Olympics in Wembley but opted not to for reasons still unknown.
The quintessential jack of all trades, Summa did much for his alma mater. Besides leading Royal out onto the field in the inaugural Bradby encounter, he also guided the Reid Avenue lads’ march to supremacy at the Tarbet and Jefferson Shields in the Public Schools Championships.
His exemplary leadership continued when he assumed the duties of coach of the Royal rugby team, a role he would shoulder with distinction and success for 14 years. He continued to enjoy success as a coach when he took over the reins of a then struggling Police unit. Not only did he eventually shepherd them toward a B Division title but, after booking a place in the top flight of the Clifford Cup, Summa took Police team to the tournament’s final where they lost to a supremely-gifted Havies side.
His razor-sharp rugby aptitude and unblemished character later won him numerous other eminent roles such as the presidencies of the Sri Lanka Rugby Union, the Referees Society and the Coaching Society.
His efforts toward uplifting the emblem of Royal College on the rugby field were also recognized in 2010, when the school’s principal Upali Gunasekera, on the recommendation of the Royal Rugby Committee, inaugurated the Summa Navaratnam Junior Rugby Academy, which continually unearths and promotes young hopefuls.Although Royal rugby boasts of a multitude of bright stars, arguably none was as astute a student of the game or as determined an athlete as Summa Navaratnam. Watching him effortlessly glide across the field was poetry personified, his carefully measured combination of grace and power an intimidating concoction to his opponents but a magical mixture for his many fans, who still swoon to its effects all these years later.
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