Hassan the complete sportsman par excellence
View(s):
M.S.A. Hassan won the 1st All Ceylon Amateur Snooker Championship in 1935 organized by the Central YMCA. Hassan’s record in YMCA Billiards since 1933 has been unsurpassed. He won every single event at one time or another. Sometimes several at the same time. He was the National Snooker Champion for 3 successive years from 1936-1938, and showed his remarkable mastery of the game by winning the title again in 1952. Hassan’s record at Billiards and Snooker at the YMCA remain unbroken. He was the Chairman of the YMCA Billiards Club from 1948-1953 and guided the activities of the Club with great aplomb.
Hassan was a co-founder of the All Ceylon Amateur Billiards Association and Central Council of Ceylon in 1948. In 1937 he was selected “Best All Round Ceylonese Sportsman”. Hassan, an old boy of Zahira College Colombo, played Cricket and Rugger for his College. In 1932, Hassan was a member of the Zahira College Rugger team that beat Trinity College for the first time, and Hassan was awarded the School’s Best Rugby Player Prize. The most notable feature of the YMCA Billiards Tournament in 1952 was the welcome return to form of the old Champion M.S.A. Hassan.
It is a high tribute to the YMCA that Hassan, refreshed by his success at a Club Tournament, went on to regain, after many years, the All Ceylon Snooker Championship.
The Sunday Times has decided to dedicate this column to its readers so that they can comment about contents in our sports columns and features and also write their own thoughts on various sports with letters to the editor.Their views however are not necessarily those of the newspaper.
Former Chairman of the Club and Vice President of the Billiards Association of Ceylon, M.S.A. Hassan was the Chief Guest at the finals of the YMCA Billiards & Snooker Championship in 1958 and distributed the prizes. Hassan captained the YMCA Billiards Team in 1950-51 and won the Championship. In 1949, Hassan, a former Snooker champion, decided to concentrate on Billiards and gave an opening to M.J.M. Lafir. Hassan later played for the Moors Sports Club (MSC) from 1952 onwards and was one of the leading players at the MSC.
In 1966 he was appointed a member of the Advisory Committee on Billiards, by Sports Minister V.A. Sugathadasa.
In 1966, Old Joes Sports Club President F.X.A. Pereira donated a new Billiard cloth, specially flown from England, and requested Hassan to revive Billiards and coach the Old Joes. Hassan presented the M.S.A. Hassan Challenge Shield for the Old Joes Sports Club Tournament.
In 1937, Hassan played Rugger for Islam Gymkhana Club and in 1936-1937 played Cricket for MSC. In 1937, he played Mercantile League Football for Walker & Sons who were ‘B’ Division Champions. Hassan coached St. Joseph’s College Colombo Football team from 1944 onwards and produced star players such as Christopher Ranasinghe, Peter Ranasinghe, Hurbert Bagot, L. Pestonjee and T. Don Allen who played in the 1948-1949 Team. In 1946 and 1947 Hassan was the proud coach of the Inter School Champion St. Joseph’s College Team, and in 1949 the unbeaten School Football Team. In 1939, Hassan was a Football Referee and the 1st Secretary of the Ceylon Referees’ Association, and later its Treasurer. In 1949, he was awarded the Certificate of Class I Referee by the Referees’ Association and officiated in many International matches played in Ceylon in 1949.
In 1952, Hassan refereed the CFA fixture between Saunders SC and Badulla YMMA.
M. Kamil A. Hassan is one of the sons of the late M.S.A. Hassan, who followed in his father’s footsteps and played Football for the Old Joes Sports Club in all major Football Tournaments.