Preserving old traditions
View(s):On the heels of the suspension of three schoolboy cricketers comes the hooligan spectators that stood against the cricketing spirit at the big match between St. Joseph’s College and St. Peter’s College played over the weekend. Truly this big match turned to be a bog match at the end of the day. It was reported that a genuinely concerned rector of St. Joseph’s College, Rev Fr. Travis Gabriel awarded the win to St. Peter’s College. It is interesting to check the cricket regulations and guidelines as to whether the Rector or whoever the administrators are, can award a match. On Monday talking to a Radio Network, Avishka Gunawardena, the match adjudicator justified the decision while placing the blame on the security.
On the other hand assuming Peters scored 500 runs on day one and Joes were out for 100 runs and there is rain the next day: could the rector say on performance the match is awarded to St. Peter’s. This is not an issue for cricket only but can happen in any sports such as rugby, soccer, basketball or hockey where a match is deliberately disrupted by mobster spectators and the match is awarded. If you want to deny the other side of bonus points which are vital then can you stop the match and award it and deny another school of points.The issue is whether the problem rests here or whether there a need to dig deeper to find the underlying causes for the unacceptable behaviour.
The schools cricket season may be over and has seen the production of many incidences of unacceptable behaviour. The education ministry and schools sports administrators have now to take note to avoid the situations that may arise in other sports where there is more emotion built. Concerned old boys of the respected school with a 120 year history lay the reasons for such unruly behaviour at the feet of the Rector and his crony sports administration who have brought into play an atmosphere of going for a win. They cite the instances of many being imported to cricket as well as other games with the win mentality being advised to the Rector.
The old boys and parents claim that the win mentality has resulted in boys who have been playing from junior days being denied opportunity because imports take their place. They cite the instance of a Sheehan Fernando who was at the Darley Road School and switched to St. Benedicts as he was being sidelined due to interference. This boy figured prominently scoring 61 runs for Bens in the fiasco match where Bens beat Joes by an innings. Another need is to recognize the prominent persons who invaded the ground. Includes a former captain whose extended family by association with the school are still on the field.
Another interesting point was to whom the players were pointing and asking to come in at the fall of the first wicket. Who were the persons who were directing operation from the players enclosure even before Peters came into bat and what was there role to be in the enclosure. Parents claim that these two were not only the directors in the tragedy but gathered the players and castigated the decision of the Rector to award the match. There any rules in the education system that prohibits the presence of outsiders in the dressing room or player’s enclosure? It is also interesting to find whether these culprits are responsible to the negative wide bowling time wasting syndrome the players were directed to perform.
While many actors are part of the drama the attempt to make the coach the scapegoat is being hatched according to informed sources. The plot thickens as there is news that at a stage of the run chase and crowd invasion the chief grounds man advised the umpires to stop the match as there was a lot of water emptied close to the batting crease. It appears that the watering could have been part of the plot during the dying stages as it seemed to have been poured at a place to effect and has been done by a person with knowledge and captaincy background. The issue therefore goes deeper and cannot be compensated by awarding a match which is akin to shedding crocodile tears.
There may be not two but many who have to be rehabilitated. Last year the schools section for rugby banned a parent and another of the Sports Council in attending two matches played by St. Joseph’s. In a consequent action filed in the Appeal Court case number CA306/2015 Brian Obeysekera claims that he is the Chairman of the Sports Council and has filed action against the Schools Rugby section and also named Rector St. Joseph’s as the second respondent against the ban that has been carried out. The schools section in its answer to the case has given reasons as to why they can stop a spectator and or others who display abusive behaviour and stated that St. Joseph’s College has agreed in writing to abide by the code of the schools section as well as the World Rugby Code of conduct.
This leads to ask whether the school is leaving a trail of unacceptable behaviour at sports events. To direct the society is a responsibility of a leading school who should remember the scriptures “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it”. It is the rocks that need to be solid and if they are weak the whole society will suffer is the advice that Rector Gabrielle should turn to. An aggrieved old Joe