STC Warden makes strong protest
View(s):Reverend Marc Billimoria, the Warden of S. Thomas’ College and one of the Vice Presidents of the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) has sent a strongly-worded letter to the President of the SLSRFA, B. A. Abeyratne, Principal of Royal College, protesting its decision to change the venue and date of the Milo Schools Presidents Cup final, at the same time tendering his resignation from his position at SLSRFA with immediate effect.
Rev. Billimoria has stated that S. Thomas’ too made a similar protest as finalist Isipathana College to hold the Presidents Cup at a neutral venue when they played Royal College as the Royal College Sports Complex, was the home ground of the other finalist, Royal College. He states in the letter that S. Thomas’ “were compelled to bow the decision of the SLSRFA but Isipathana is not being so compelled and the fact that our request for a change in the venue was denied by intentionally misleading us by citing incorrect reasons, for what I’m forced to assume was in order to give an unfair advantage to one team, I find my future involvement as a Vice President of the SLSRFA untenable”.
He starts off the letter by saying he is writing the letter addressed to the President of the SLSRFA and not as Principal of Royal College, Colombo. He ends the letter by making two demands; to introduce a regulation or tournament rule that any match in the knockout tournament from 2017 onwards be played at a neutral venue and to tender a written apology from SLSRFA to S. Thomas’ College for denying their request for a venue change by citing incorrect and/or misleading reasons.
Rev. Billimoria states that the SLSRFA should not be biased nor give it to threats and boycotts.
“Please note that in the event this kind of blatant unfair treatment is meted out in the future, S. Thomas College Mt. Lavinia will refrain from taking part in future knockout tournaments organised by the SLSRFA,” he states.