| Sports |
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| Rajan,
master of horses on a mission of hope Talking to him on the first day of the Festival meet at the Nuwara Eliya race course last Sunday made me also a lover of horses. I wanted to know more about his plans and visions of improving horse racing in Sri Lanka. During the short chat I had, he convinced me that he was genuine in doing the best to uplift this sport of kings in tiny Sri Lanka. Rajan spoke
with nostalgia about the good old days when horse racing was held
in high esteem at the now defunct Race Course in Colombo and the
outstations. When he came back a few decades later he was sorry to see the state of the Nuwara Eliya race course. Then only did he get into business. On his return he had brought horses from India and he started to breed them on his own stud farm at Argyle Estate in Kotagala. Rajan's next task was to find some of his able bodied friends and to convince them about the great possibilities of horse racing in Sri Lanka. His other and most important task was lure a new breed of entrepreneur and businessmen to own horses. It was a Herculean task but a relaxed government policy on horse racing made it fairly easy to convince them. Having succeeded with the first task the next was to refurbish the ugly structure that existed at the Nuwara Eliya race course. This was nothing to this ambitious man. Today the race course looks magnificent. It was transformed and equipped with all the modern facilities to conduct horse races and a hive of activity took place every month. The beginning of the 21st century saw these new owners investing in quality blood stock, but he says it is still a far cry to measure up the exacting standards of horse racing. Another feather in his cap was when the members of the Sri Lanka Turf Club unanimously decided and requested him to take over as the chairman of the stewards which he proudly accepted. Since his taking over horse racing is improving but he is not satisfied. He has many new ideas up his sleeves which he says he will use once the festival meet in Nuwara Eliya is over. Nevertheless Rajan has shown the light on the other side of the tunnel to prospective owners and is busy bringing in new owners. He has also, slowly but surely, paved the way to a much more conducive environment which was hitherto unknown in the agenda of horse racing in Sri Lanka. Another notable feature at race meets was the live commentaries given by the famous Indian commentator S.N. Harish at the Nuwara Eliya races which caught the eye of the crowds. Harish too had been invited by Rajan to liven up the proceedings. This man has brought about accountability and transparency and has given a real fillip to the sport. When a man is working with perseverance and dedication it automatically turns to realty. In short Rajan has the quality and quantity and is confident that he will reach his goal in time to come.
Australia played to their potential and even exceeded expectations. Their victories over England and New Zealand were snatched from the jaws of defeat. They erred with the bat against Sri Lanka, but struck with precision with the ball. They were mentally prepared and tough on the big occasion and were rewarded with a comfortable win in the final. India arrived rocked and shell shocked after their test and one day series defeats in New-Zealand. They re-grouped bravely after a heavy loss to the Aussies in the opening game. This was thanks largely to the superb form of Sachin Tendulkar. The slim chance they had in the final, after conceding 359 runs, melted with the early exit of the master. The pace trio of Srinath, Zaheer Khan and Nehra also made a significant contribution. However, on the day when it mattered they went to pieces. Twenty overs into the game the Australians had got a strangle hold of the game and never let loose. India can hold their heads high with the ultimate outcome. South Africa was the biggest disappointment. The host nation were second favourites but failed to enter the second stage of the tournament. If Australia were mentally prepared and tough South Africa were the opposite. When the going got tough they caved in. They squandered a golden opportunity. Pakistan, West Indies and New Zealand were both hot and cold. England never looked threatening enough to force a challenge. These four teams were definitely capable of far better performances. Teams are expected to reach a peak at this tournament. Individuals are expected to be consistent and team performance at peak level. Neither of these teams were in that frame of performance. England and New Zealand suffered further by forfeiting a game to Zimbabwe and Kenya respectively. They suffered as a result as did the competition. It is an issue the ICC must view seriously. In my opinion fining is inadequate. Any team refusing to play at a venue must be scrapped from that particular World Cup tournament. Here at home much harsh criticism was levelled at the team and the management. Constructive and objective criticism is always welcome, but being unsupportive and ridiculing our own is just not cricket !! Sure they failed by losing to Kenya. No excuses in this most prestigious tournament which comes around every four years, must win games, have to be won. Failure of some of the batsman should have been addressed earlier. Any player can run into a patch of bad form. Often, it is necessary to get away, even for a short period, iron out defects and come back. Taking remedial action when players are out of form or when a technical fault becomes evident is a lesson Sri Lanka has to learn from the international cricket played in the past six months. Such will not just go away. They have to be addressed, worked at for results to be achieved. Will
the weather Gods be kind........ If one went by past records most touring teams who arrive here for international contests on this part of the year confine themselves sitting on the pavilion due to wet conditions. Matches were abandoned as a result. Will it be a repeat. Hope the weather Gods be kind with favourable weather to help Sri Lanka team, to erase from their memory, the miserable performances in the recent International tournaments which have put the game to shame. The monsoons have already started humid conditions in the mornings followed by rain. Did the organising committee of the Cricket Board studied the weather pattern or get the advice of the Meteorological Department before inviting foreign teams. One could understand a sport like rugby where they revel come rain or sunshine. At present times everything has turned topsy turvy (uncertain) barring death. Otherwise it's going to be a financial disaster. The visiting teams may enjoy a paid holiday staying indoors. Even the sponsors will be in two mind to support after Sri Lanka's lukewarm performances. The Lankan team, despite being at full strength barring out-of-arm Mahela Jayawardena, failed miserably in the Sharjah tournament losing to a new-look (youth) team Pakistan and to Zimbabwe despite craving for more money. They lacked total commitment and failed to play for the right reasons. Excuses are not the panacea for the prevailing ills. But it requires a strong management on and off the field. What's the remedy - a complete overhaul to revive the game which has hit rock bottom. Even the man on the street has lost interest and hardly watch the game even on T.V. Hope the weather Gods will provide bright sunshine rather than covering the square with a black blanket. Moratuwa
Scrabble Association Plan
ahead for the 2006 Rugby Asiad - Dr. Maiya Dr. Gunasekera with other members of the panel were watching the squad training for the forthcoming quadrangular between Sri Lanka, Arabian Gulf, Japan and Hong Kong, organised by the Asian Rugby Football Union. There are quite a number of youth players with potential in the present squad.They could be earmarked for the 2006 Asiad. The quadrangular
will be an ideal barometer to test them with a mixture of youth
and experience. We will be faced with tough opposition, said Dr.
Gunasekera. Yeoman
Service Technical Director George Simpkin is dissecting the shortcomings and improving their skills. Fitness is a 'must'. The players have to train themselves. The final workout will be handled by the trainers before selection. George Simpkin, a man of few words said, don't expect miracles overnight. The players must have a base to work on. A long-term plan. They must be physically and mentally fit on and off the field. There should be total commitment and self belief, to reach higher levels. They must be supported with men and material like in other countries and should be contracted. Yes, these areas must be looked into. Internationally most sports have gone professional. What are your observations about the first game against Arabian Gulf on April 18, at Longdan Place? They are a strong team mostly expatriates. Some of them Kiwi All Blacks - Drawn from Dubai, Sharjah, Kuwait, Baharain etc. Over 200 foreigners are playing rugby in W. Asia. With several hands joining the scrum nothing is impossible. George had a big hand in moulding the Chinese rugby to be a force to be reckoned with in a short time. He means business - no nonesense from whatever quarter. Simpkin was seen at Havelock Park as an observer watching the Havies training under Ana Saranapala. Later he made his observations to Ana. George said, the game should be more competitive at club level. In turn it will help at national level. (B.W.) Dr.
'JC' Fernando heads ORAC Dr. J.C. Fernando, captain of the victorious 1958 team was elected Chairman for this year. Dr. Fernando, well known as 'JC' has contributed immensely to Royal College in athletics, cricket and rugby football with his coaching, physical fitness and sports medicine. Rajiva Wijetunge and Mahen Perera were elected as Deputy Chairmen, Rajiva, the former shot-putt champion, has been the architect of many ORAC successes in the past while Mahen's captaincy in 1974 was the beginning of Royal's Golden era in athletics. Ravi Widyalankara was re-elected as Secretary and S.Sutharshan, the youngest member of the Club as his deputy. Niraj de Mel was unanimously appointed as the Treasurer. Niraj and Ravi captained the College teams in 1976 and 1977 when they won all major All-Island Championships including the Tarbatt Cup, Jefferson Trophy and the Relay Carnival. ORAC, consisting of former college captains, coloursmen and athletes who have represented the school at any track and field meet have invited all eligible past athletes to join them. The following
were elected as office bearers of the ORAC for the ensuing year: Moreton
juniors arrive tomorrow The team consists of junior cricketers from leading schools in Brisbane between the ages of 13-16. According to information coming from 'down under' the team consists of all-rounders who are future prospects to play in the senior team. The tour to Sri Lanka is made possible due to the hard work put in two Sri Lankans, former Royalists Baba Sourjah who is the coach of the team and Trinitian Athula Unantenne who are both domiciled in Australia now.- MSA |
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