Blue Bird Rugby Academy wins main category

8th HARFA Rugby Extravaganza

View(s):

The annual HARFA Rugby Extravaganza, organized by the Hisham Abdeen Rugby Football Academy (HARFA) was successfully held on August 5 and 6 at the Havelock Sports Club ground for the eighth consecutive year.

Under-20 winners, Blue Birds

A total of 54 teams competed from nine categories in addition to the Veterans Over-40 segment which had six teams. The main category, the Under-20, was won by Blue Bird Rugby Academy who beat Siri Piyaratane Maha Vidyalaya by 15-5 in the final. Panadura Rugby Academy clinched the Under-18 Cup championship beating Kandy Rugby Academy by 7-5 after a nail-biting final. Hosts HARFA defeated Lyceum International Schools by 10-0 to annex the Plate championship of the Under-18 category.

HARFA Greens recorded a massive 35-0 win against Mahanama College to emerge Cup champions in the Under-16 age category while the Plate championship was clinched by St. Thomas’ College Prep, who defeated Panadura Rugby Academy by 19-5. The Bowl championship of this age category went to Synergy Rugby Academy w’B’ who overcame Kandy Rugby Academy ‘A’ by 14-0.

The Under-14 Cup championship was won by St. Thomas’ College Prep who displayed a fine show top beat HARFA Greens in the final. Thurstan College clinched the Plate championship of this age group after beating HARFA Whites while Kandy Rugby Academy ‘B’ overcame Mahanama College to annex the Bowl championship.

In the Open category Business Management School (BMS) claimed the Cup title after beating Puffins Rugby Football Academy by 17-0. The Plate championship was clinched by HARFA, who beat Zahira Old Boys Rugby Academy (ZOBRA) by 12-5. After a cliffhanger which led to a 10-all finale, ZOBRA overcame Puffins RFC through penalty shootouts in the Over-40 category.
The Under-8, Under-10, Under-12 and Under-13 age categories were played as friendly games where educating the young players on the game and its rules were the main objective of the organisers.

Under-20 Runners-up, Siri Piyarathana MV

The 8th HARFA Rugby Extravaganza was sanctioned by the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association, Sri Lanka Rugby and the Ministry of Education and included many leading schools and academies from Colombo and the outstations. Some of the teams participated are Summa Navaratnam Royal College Junior Rugby Academy, St. Thomas’ Prep College, Mahanama College, Thurstan College, Lyceum International Schools, St. Aloysius College Galle and academies — Kandy RA, Synergy RA, Blue Bird RA, Panadura RA and Sri Lions RA.

Jan Vlaskamp, the Managing Director, Delta Aviation and patron of HARFA, graced the occasion as chief guest. Among other special invitees who graced the final day and the awards ceremony were Micheal Jayasekera (Chairman, National Selection Committee), Kapila Knowlton (Member of Selection Committee), Roshan Deen (Council Member of Sri Lanka Rugby) and Mahinda Jayawardena (Former President of Havelock Sports Club), who represented the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Referees Society.

Other special guests included Fowzan Anver, the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Palestine, Akram Amath of Booso, Dental Chambers and Laboratory, Adhil Kariapper, the Head of Finance of Ceylon Printers, Rukshan Wanduragala, the Director of Administration of ICL Marketing, Sanath Nanayakkara, the Marketing Manager of Harishchandra Mills, Nazeem Ghafoor of Synergy Rugby Academy and Abdul Rasheed of Kandy Rugby Academy, who also gave away some of th e awards for the winners.

- Text and pix NA