Sports

A study in mismangement, SLRFU 

By. T.M.K. Samat 

SRI LANKA rugby can't get any worse than this: a grade on par with the minnows of Asian rugby. For a nation that finished second to Japan in 1974, fourth in 1990, behind Japan, Korea and Hong Kong and fifth-sixth most other times, there can be little honour competing for the minor rankings in the 19th edition of the Asian Rugby Championship in Hong Kong this month.

At best, Sri Lanka can finish ninth, out of 13 nations - remotely distant from the officially proclaimed ambitions of not long ago: to be Asia's third best. Ironically, present officials are now boasting of bringing home the Bowl, as if that's the most precious piece of silverware on the prize table. For them, Asia is suddenly a shrunken continent, made up of India, Pakistan, Macao, Malaysia and China; Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong Thailand and Singapore are, well, in a different continent. Self-pacification is a misleading game - it can even change the map of Asia.

Apologists of course will argue that our demotion to the lowest level of Asian rugby is the way of sport; its' glorious uncertainties, its very excitement. And cite the many intriguing rise and fall of nations chronicled in the sport's history. But surprises don't just happen - there are reasons for them. So with Sri Lanka rugby's slide down the slippery slope, too, and much of it has to do with poor administration of the game.

To expect the SLRFU to be the pristine administration it once was, notably during the 1950s and 60s admittedly is difficult. Times have changed, so have the people and so, values. Practices that were once considered sacrilegious are now acceptable, which, explains why the union was historically dragged into the courthouse and a premier tournament, by legal implications, had to be suspended this season. Litigation and sport isn't a new phenomenon - more commonplace really -, but legal recourse was always considered a no-no in rugby - until a few months ago, that is.

This is not to say that rugby always resided in a world of amicable calm. Its inter-club rivalry is fiercely intense, be it in the quest for superiority on the field or for office in the SLRFU. It has been so even before the Clifford Cup inter-club tournament was born in the early 1950s. The genesis of the CR&FC, it is claimed, is in a dispute in the Havelocks; the dissenting members walked out of the door and went about setting up base at Longden Place. The deep rivalry between the CR and CH was born of racial and political difference: the colonizers' white-only club versus the dark-skinned locals. Inter-club rivalry so became quite an infectious thing. And as the game won greater public affection, the rivalry spread to all clubs, initially, as said before, in the quest for on-field superiority and then, inevitably, the power of office.

Given such history, yes, the rivalry did at times get quite acrimonious. But, where other sport would not think twice about abandoning valued principles of old to win petty, personal gains, rugby somehow lived by its traditional values, in other words, by the gentlemen's code. That is, on the field, you gave it your all and walked away as friends, to an evening of bonhomie over beer and banter; victor and vanquished one family. These days, however, losing players break the jaws of referees, coaches head-butt each other and clubs shut the gate on their guest team's coach.

Things aren't any better in the administration, too. No longer is it true that officials, in the privacy of the conference room, would exchange angry words, then shake hands and re-talk the hotly debated issue with calmer minds over rugby's lovely leveller, a tankard of beer. These days it's not unusual to rush a lost debate to the desk of the Sport Ministry - for redress by gazette, virtually.

So, why has the long-unspoilt administration now gone bad? The popular reason that is advanced is club rivalry, which is a load of nonsense. For the simple reason that inter-club rivalry is as old as the game, but it never caused the good game the sort of shame it does these days. On the contrary, club rivalry had a marvellous influence on the game, as reflected by the multitudes that packed all four sides of the ground. If a quarter of that old crowd assembled at a match these days that would earn the superlative ''large". It is true, unlike in the halcyon days, rugby has to compete with other forms of entertainment, but then it's the job of administrators to adopt ways and means of preserving the game's public popularity. It is an admission of a bankruptcy of ideas that the union opened the doors to foreign players three seasons ago - after packing them off some eight years ago because the scheme was not beneficial to the country's rugby, in both finance and technical terms. After all, pray tell me the wisdom of allowing foreigners to play for the clubs when the law forbids their inclusion in the national team? If, as argued by some, the foreigners help raise standards, then, why have we descended to the level of minnows in Asia. And neither has their presence put more bums on seats at matches, which was the real reason for letting foreigners back to our fields. The crowd of the 1960s through to the 80s is proof enough that the locals are a better attraction - and why the numbers have dwindled is due to unimaginative management of the game.

Rugby's problems have less to do with club rivalry and more to do with the quality of men that holds the controls of administration. It would be wishful thinking to find among the younger men assuming office the likes of Colin MacFarquson, John Collins, John Banks, Noel Gratien, Drs Rogo Austin and Willie Ratnavale. They were honourable gentlemen whose administration was based on ethics, fair play and honesty. Even to hint self-interest on their part would've been as grave as committing treason. They set the standards that became traditions.

These traditions, born and nurtured by colonial values, somehow endured even though independence brought different sets of values, not always with happy consequences. In the case of rugby, its entrenched principles began to loosen at the roots with the advent of professionalism. And rugby management, of merely working off gate receipts, which weren't small, lost its simplicity. Big money became the name of the game, and what money breeds need no elaboration here. This is not to cast suspicions of financial jiggery-pokery, but financial indiscipline, yes. In the situation where money decides all things - and it does in rugby - then, inevitably, the old values by which the game was governed, in its pristine times I might add, gets ''corrupted". That word in quotes might be harsh, given that professionalism's crutch is money.

The question is whether the men taking office are capable of handling all the complexities of managing a professional sport. If they were, then, rugby wouldn't be in the shambles it is in. Clearly, the game is in need of matured, experienced hands to get it out of this hole, to teach the younger officials of the old values they grew up with and set new standards. Rugby has those mature men who can serve on something of a Board of Governors, the sort of model that one-time Cricket Board secretary S Skandakumar suggested to end cricket's factionalism. Rugby has the men to sit on such a board - men like, Y C Chang, Lionel Almeida, Malik Samarawickream, Gamini Fernando, Dr Maiya Gunasekera, Anton Benedict, all union presidents of better times. There are other eminent elders too. The inclusion of representatives of the game's sponsors might be useful, given that the body would sit in judgement over policy.

If such a body had been in place, the hiring of an expensive CEO and the buying of television time to air premier division matches - hardly a wise thing to do when clubs are striving to enhance gate collections - might never have seen the light of day. It didn't take too long to discover that the CEO and the television deal were unaffordable - and both were flung out of the window. As well, long serving staff members were fired. And the expatriate technical director has been placed on half-salary. It's all an unholy mess.

So, hard as it is to absorb our descent to the status of minnows of Asia, it isn't surprising, really. 

Piperno takes charge of Davis Cup squad again

IN A show of faith and trust, the SLTA has again placed Sri Lanka's Davis Cup fortunes in the hands of coach, Enrico Piperno.

The Bombay-based Indian professional coach was the guiding hand behind Sri Lanka's Davis Cup promotion to Group Three last February, after languishing three years in Group 4. The four-man team - of Renouk Wijemanne, Rajiv Rajapakse, Franklyn Emmanuel and Rohan de Silva - performed exceptionally to finish unbeaten in the nine-nation Asia Zone tie held in Jordan.

Under Piperno's influence the country's junior squad too performed impressively in Asia/Oceania Junior Davis Cup tie, finishing fifth out of 15 countries, including big guns Australia, India and Japan.

"Obviously, the challenge is going to be tougher at the Group 3 level, but then the preparation this time round is far more comprehensive. There's a lot you can do in five months, so I am hopeful the boys will do well," said Piperno, of Italian descent, whose list of prot‚g‚s include Grand Slam winners, Mahesh Bhupathy and Leander Paes.

Piperno had his first session with the local squad last week. ''I'll be holding three 10-day sessions in Colombo, three sessions of 10-12 days in my training academy in Bombay and will accompany the players on a tour of three-four Asian Satellite tournaments," said Piperno. "They would have been through a pretty busy program before the Davis Cup competition."

The job of the juniors will be more testing. With Franklyn Emmanuel and Nishenderan Sivendran having outgrown the junior ranks, Piperno's task will be to raise a competitive unit out of relatively inexperienced youngsters.

A notable absentee from the senior squad is the talented Rajiv Rajapakse. His place is to be filled by ITF champion, Oshada Wijemanne. The SLTA has persuaded the 17-year-old to put on hold his plans to join the Vandermeer Academy in the US and be a part of Pepirno's Davis Cup training program. ''I think he'll be doing his US ambitions much good by picking up experience by playing in the Asian tournaments and the Davis Cup itself," said Piperno.

Piperno's academy is based in the Cricket Club of India, in Mumbai, catering to emerging champions. Among those attending the academy are Bhupathy and Sania Mirza, the Junior Wimbledon champion.

"Obviously it is very encouraging to have Enrico do the job for us again. He did quite some marvellous things with our players to get us to Group Three. We know it's going to be tougher at a higher level, which is why we are putting the players in his charge for five months. His experience in the job makes us hopeful," said Suresh Subramaniam, SLTA president.

The Davis Cup tie is scheduled to be held next February in Qatar.

A miracle if we can beat China - Simpkin

SRI Lanka is warned not to assume anything, even though it has to contend with the challenges of only minnows at the 19th Asian Rugby Championship, October 27-31 in Hong Kong. And the warning comes from SLRFU Technical Advisor, George Simpkin, no less.

Cast among the five minnows of Asian rugby - China, Malaysia, India and debutantes Pakistan and Macao - Sri Lanka, a seasoned Asiad competitor, has to be considered the favourities to take the Bowl. But Simpkin begs to differ: "Beating China will require a miracle." And Simpkin is something of an authority on China rugby being the man who introduced the sport to the communist country in the mid-90s and was its first coach.

Listen to why he thinks China should not be taken lightly. "What we've often seen of China in overseas competition is misleading. Because their players require visas to leave the country - and the government doesn't issue them as a matter of course - their touring teams haven't been a collection of their best players. For instance, many of their better players didn't make it for the Singer/SriLankan Airlines Sevens because they couldn't get government permission to leave," said Simpkin. ''But no requirements are required to visit Hong Kong which is now a part of China. So, the Chinese team coming out to Hong Kong is going to be quite another proposition."

Since the return of the one-time British colony to China in 1997, the dividing borders between the mainland and Hong Kong have disappeared. In fact, these days an Army team from China competes in one of Hong Kong's domestic tournaments, according to Simpkin. As well, a few of China's national players are professionals playing for Hong Kong clubs in the premier tournament.

"Apparently, the Chinese are taking full measure of home-advantage and are putting everything into their preparations. I am told they would've played three internationals against Hong Kong (who play in the top-tier Cup segment) before the Asiad," says Simpkin. ''Unfortunately, as far as preparations go, we lag behind China's efforts."

Sri Lanka's preparations proper begun only last weekend. ''Combined training was scheduled to begin the week before last, but that wasn't possible because the club knockout final was held on that Sunday," said Simpkin. ''So we'll be going into the tournament with just about three weeks of combined practices, which is a shame- it'll be miracle if we beat China."

If anything, what was required was a comprehensive residential training camp, beginning no sooner than when litigation put a freeze on the domestic tournament in late August. ''It's not funny but we'll be taking some players who haven't played competitive rugby since August 29 when the knockout tournament was suspended. More than half the players in the training squad haven't had a game in nearly six weeks," lamented Simpkin.

Given the lack of the desirable preparation, Sri Lanka's one-match path to the Bowl final is a huge relief. All it has to do is win over debutantes Pakistan in its solitary Group match - and few doubt that won't happen. China has to win two matches to confirm their place in the Bowl final, which is a polite phrase for what is really a playoff for the 9/10 slots in the Asian rankings. Consider if Sri Lanka drew the short straw and found itself in China's place, i.e. having to win two matches to qualify for the Bowl final. One of them, against India, wouldn't pose problems, but the outcome of the other, against Malaysia, would've been less certain. After all, the Malaysians aren't quite the pushovers they once were, and, I dare say, won't regard themselves as underdogs against the Chinese.

Spared of the uncertainty that Malaysia might've caused, it is a reasonable assumption that Sri Lanka will figure in the Minnows' final on October 31. And on that day Simpkin's "miracle" better come true. Because, if, with a rugby history of over a century, we still aren't good enough to be no.1 among even the lowest of Asia, then, it is justifiable to question our continuance in international rugby. At least, a moratorium on overseas competition would have to be considered until improvements are made at home, on and off the field.

I WAS WRONG: The president of the SLRFU in 1974, the year Colombo hosted the Fourth Rugby Asiad, was SUMMA NAVARATNAM, not Kavan Rambukwella as stated in the story: This isn't a Bowl of Cherries. But the chairmanship of the ARFU, traditionally given to the host Union, was handed to Eustace Matthysz; the SLRFU president at the time Sri Lanka was awarded the venue in 1972. I was also wrong with the SLRU president of 1990, when Colombo next hosted the Asiad. LIONEL ALMEIDA was then president, not Y C CHANG, who was, however, the chairman of the ARFU in 1990.

It takes all sorts to make the world 

By Peter Roebuck 

Captain Psychology's friends include a boy whose father is a politician, another whose brother is the leading Human Rights lawyer in his country and a third whose dad works for the United Nations. Not a bad bunch. Typical youngsters, high spirited and forever pranging cars and leaving the kitchen untidy. Only one weakness has been detected. In every spare moment they sit glued to the television watching wrestling.

Admittedly it takes all sorts to make the world. After a struggle it is just possible to grasp the attractions of kidneys, Big Brother, lifestyle magazines, ironing, beetroot and Celine Dion. An open mind is required or else life becomes a bore. Apart from reservations about humourless Germans, loud Australians, diving Italians, condescending Englishmen, arrogant Frenchmen, loud North Americans, murky South Americans, Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and any male apart from Federer sporting a pony tail and anyone at all wearing tattoos, I am quite without prejudice. But smack down wrestling?

Forty years ago I was taken to the wrestling. A gentleman with a dark countenance called Mick McManus was fighting an angelic soul wholly incapable of indulging in the sort of malpractice pursued by his unscrupulous opponent. Mr McManus thought nothing of grasping his victim in holds that would raise eyebrows in an Iraqi prison. As far as he was concerned there was no better time to hit a man than when he was down.

Before long the crowd was roaring its disapproval. Old ladies waving umbrellas stormed towards the ring to berate and if possible pummel the villain of the piece. Do not imagine that this boy maintained the ironic outlook that had created such a favourable impression amongst contemporaries in the previous season. Something in the air prevented calm consideration of matters in hand. Presently the entire crowd was in what poets describe as a tumult of emotion.

At first McManus had an edge . How the crowd yearned for our saintly champion to turn the tables. How we gasped as he was thrown around the ring and subjected to batterings of a sort only seen nowadays in the best private schools. Defeat seemed to have him by the short and curlies as, indeed, did his tormentor. McManus revelled in his discomfort and generally appeared about as genial as a driver after a fifth consecutive red light.

And, then, quite suddenly a change came over the bout. Our man rallied valiantly.. McManus looked successively surprised, alarmed and appalled. On another day the thought might have occurred that the turnaround was the most remarkable turn of events since the parting of the Red Sea but judgement had long since been suspended.

Much to the delight of the noisy crowd the baddie was suppressed whereupon he left the ring far from gruntled... In the next bout Mr Jackie Pallo, a thoroughly bad egg, also came a cropper after a promising start. And then we wended our way home satisfied that all was well with the world. Did we grasp the theatrical content of the evening? Perhaps but it hardly seemed to matter.It was an entertaining evening and a pleasant break from mathematics.

If the bouts shown on television are anything to go by, wrestling hasn't changed all that much.. Admittedly the fighters nowadays resemble The Incredible Hulk , which might explain their popularity on the Indian subcontinent where muscles are admired. Otherwise the tussles seem to contain about the same amount of grunting, cheating, breast-beating, scowling, suffering and pitfalls as before.

One thing has changed. An awful lot of talking takes place before and after each bout. Mr McManus was the strong, silent type. Nor was Mr Pallo much of a conversationalist. Now the host. addresses the crowd through a microphone and the contestants harangue each other with long speeches of the type designed to boil the blood of a trout. Recently one burly chap broke into hip-hop .On another occasion, cement was poured into a coffin..

Most of these antics lacked humour. The fighting, too, lacked the insouciance brought to proceedings by Mr McManus and company. Scrapping outside the ring has become a routine. Even the tag matches lacked spark. At times it was hard to tell which fellow was the wrong'un and which was our knight in shining armour. Or perhaps that was the lesson. Heroes and villains are old hat.

What is the attraction? . Perhaps it is our version of the Roman amphitheatre, a harmless and voluntary _expression of the darkness within. Huge crowds can watch the wrestlers as they throw each other around , sharing their pain a s they land with a thump upon the canvass. They can cheer their favourite and as night falls return to the routines of another day.

Whatever the reason, professional wrestling is more popular than ever. Certainly it has come a long way since the days of Mick Mcmanus. Modern fighters are bigger and fitter and they are laughing all the way to the bank.

HSBC grand prize winner flies to UK

Sumal Perera, the grand prize winner of the HSBC Premier Golf Classic Tournament received an all expenses paid hospitality package for two, inclusive of air tickets to watch the World Match Golf Championship to be held at Wentworth United Kingdom.

This year's Championship to be held at the Wentworth Club in the UK from 14 to 17 October, will include five of the world's top eight players competing for the first prize of œ1 million - the largest in world golf.  The 16-player field for the 2004 HSBC World Match Play Championship is the most international line-up in the 41-year history of the Championship.

Perera receives two complimentary tickets to the United Kingdom, accommodation at the Penny Hill Park Hotel in London and will receive priority treatment at the Hexagon Suite during the World Match Play Championship in Wentworth. 

S. Thomas' College Sports Quadrangular

The inaugural Sports Quadrangular, involving schools at Bandarawela, Kolupitiya and Gurutalawa will be held on 15, 16 and 17 of October.

The primary objectives of this pioneering effort, which will be hosted by S. Thomas' College, Mt. Lavinia, is to encourage and develop sports at the colleges.

This is based on the concept that S. Thomas' is committed to providing an all-round education that focuses on academic as well as non-academic development and growth.

In this instance, the "Thomian Quad" will focus on providing an opportunity of the development of athletics, badmintion, basketball and Soccer amongst the talented school boys and those who are interested in those disciplines of sport.

A further primary objective is to develop the fraternal ties between the Old Boys Associations of the four schools.

This pioneering event is in fact the very first occasion where all four schools are joining together with common objectives of developing Sports and strengthening the friendship network that exists amongst Old Boys of the schools.

It is also a fact that, S. Thomas' College is the only college in Sri Lanka that has three branch schools.

The year 2004 is historic in that a new platform is being created as a result of the "Thomian Quad" to strengthen the "ties that bind!" and will see the bringing together of the Thomian family in an innovative manner that will create future benefits to all four brother schools.

The inaugural event in 2004, begins on Friday 15 October, and concludes on the morning of Sunday 17.

Outstation sports round-up

Kalutara BMV all island netball champs

by our Kurunegala sports corr. 

Kalutara Balika MahaVidyalaya won the overall championship at the all island inter-school netball tournament concluded at Kurunegala recently. Over 750 schools participated in this year's tournament that was sponsored by Nestle Lanka Ltd for the Milo trophy for the 13th year.   

Uva Development Bank win six-a-side

by our Badulla sports corr. 

In the Budulla District Inter Bank and Financial Companies Six-a-side softball cricket tournament played at the Vincent Dias stadium, Badulla recently, the Uva development Bank beat L.O.L.C by 3 wickets in the final to emerge the champions.   

Sri Pada College excel in chess

by our Buddulla corr. 

Sri Pada College, Hatton under 12 team comprising, D Nimasha, D. Wijewickrema, K. Lakmal, H Wijeratne won the open inter-club team chess championship conducted at Sri Pada College, Hatton, recently. Over 180 players participated in the championship where Hatton chess academy emerged the runner-up.