NEWS early last week of the withdrawal of
Kandy SC's players from the national rugby
pool, preparing for the March 28-30 Hong
Kong Sevens, raised the prospect of a repeat
of the farce that accompanied last year's
selection.
One well remembers the touring squad last
year being officially announced only a day
before they were due to take flight to Hong
Kong. Some quite ridiculous events preceded
the final selections, including the
appointment of a new selection committee
(when the previous selectors had already
named the team and awaited approval), as
well as staging an unscheduled trial 24
hours before departure, ostensibly to check
some players' fitness - none of who were
found unfit.
What ever the reasons be for that
ham-fisted handling of the selections, it
all came to be exposed rather embarrassingly
before a world audience: we lost all our
matches in Hong Kong last year. Compare
that with our 2006 performance in Hong Kong:
a first-ever historic win over the mighty
USA
and semifinal qualification in the Bowl
competition.
The disparity in the two performances might
suggest that the 2007 team had been hit by a
mass exodus of talent from the successful
2006 outfit. Nothing of the sort happened.
Rather, the difference was in the different
administrations: the 2005/06 administration
of Priyantha Ekanayake was orderly and the
succeeding administration of DIG Nimal Lewke
was. well, the farcical handling of the
Hong Kong selections last year won't show it in good light.
Willy-nilly ways
The lesson, then, to learn was: never again
the willy-nilly ways of the 2007 Hong Kong
selections. So when the champion side
declared, Monday, that it was pulling out
its players from the national pool, it
seemed Sri Lanka rugby was heading for a
daylight-fall into the same hole that it had
stumbled into at night. By Wednesday,
though, Kandy SC had reportedly revoked its
boycott, admitting satisfaction over the
selection of players for the national pool.
All this, as you might realise, is a tad too
puzzling. So, for a better understanding of
the issue, it's best to tell the story from
its beginning.
The two Dialog inter-club Pro. Sevens
tournaments, on February 16-17 in Kandy and
March 1-2 in Colombo, were declared as
trials for selection of the 12-man national
squad for the Hong Kong International
Sevens, on March 28-30 - a sensible and
straight forward plan.
From here on, though, the reading gets
pretty complex. After the trial in Kandy the
selection committee, if you can call a
twosome a committee, went public with names
of 23 chosen players - which, the Union
claimed, was irregular, saying it undermines
and pre-empts the value of the
yet-to-be-played Colombo trials. "The
decision to name the national pool after the
second trial was clearly made known to the
selectors," said a Union spokesman. "Why it
was rushed is difficult to comprehend,
except that it's suggestive of vested
interest."
Selectors' independence
But selectors are Sport Ministry appointees
and so need necessarily not work to dictates
of the
Union. Sure, selectors' independence has after all to be preserved so as to
provide for an environment that allows them
to make decisions that are in the best
interests of the game. Whether naming a
23-man national pool before the second
scheduled trial is in the interest of the
game or not depends on who you speak to. The
selectors, of course, will claim that
selections after the
Kandy trial weren't final, but a provisional
one that makes for convenient guidance when
they sit down to choosing the final pool.
The
Union, as aforesaid, claims that the premature selections
virtually render the second trial obsolete.
If that installment of the issue sounds
complex, the next is even more. After the
Colombo trial last week, the Union made
public a list of 22 players for the national
pool - chosen not by the selectors, but two
hired New Zealanders serving on the training
staff. Kandy SC, not surprisingly, went
into a rage and declared their players were
withdrawing from the national pool. Their
grouse: the list of 22 omitted some of
players who had been included in the
selectors' list, including their Gayan
Weeraratne, adjudged Player of the Kandy
tournament. As well, the champion club
rightly pointed out that any selections done
by anyone other than the Ministry-appointed
selectors has to be considered illegal.
The Union's counter: one of the two
selectors attended the two-day Colombo
tournament for only a few hours and the
other, not at all. In that situation, and
the Hong Kong Sevens barely three weeks
away, the controlling body had no choice but
to ask the specialist trainers to do the job
of the selectors - an explanation that Kandy
SC isn't prepared to buy. The Union, a day
after issuing the trainers' selections,
pointed out that their list is to be added
to the selectors' list - adding that
Kandy SC had rushed to conclusions before having "checked
with the
Union and obtained the correct list."
Ditched by the trainers
If the mention of different lists leaves you
in cross-eyed confusion, it will help to
forget the selectors' and trainers' lists
and keep in mind that the final pool is 32.
Because it was the announcement of a 32-man
pool that finally averted Kandy SC's
boycott, the 32 containing as it did all of
the
Kandy SC it thought had been ditched by the trainers. Even so
the champion club wasn't willing to concede
that the selections are legal because a part
of the pool was not picked by the official
selectors. So, it seems the crisis isn't
over as yet.
Be that as it may, this much is certain: the
start of the preparations for a major
international competition such as the Hong
Kong Sevens hasn't been what it should. If
anything, the numbers in the training pool
ought to decrease as the competition
approaches. This one has only enlarged. The
process of choosing 12 from a pool as large
as 32 is time-consuming and consequently
rations the time required to fine-tune final
squad.
In defence of a 32-man pool, the
Union claims, includes prospective players for the 15-a-side
Asian Nations tournament in
Taipei.
Were the Taipei event to be held in May, as
scheduled earlier, the decision to include
prospective 15-a-side candidates into the
Hong Kong Sevens training might've made some
sense. But, perhaps, the Union isn't aware
that the Taipei tournament has been deferred
till October - which makes nonsense of the
move to invite prospects for a fifteens
competition that's a far seven months away.
It is such an addle-headed decision,
arousing suspicion of the Taipei tournament
being a Union-inspired ruse to enlarge the
pool to 32 - an enlargement that became
compulsory to fend off Kandy SC's boycott.
Controversy
To be fair by the Union it has to be said
that this controversy is not one entirely of
its own making. When you have a selection
committee of just two, as opposed to the
traditional five, crisis are inevitable.
It's elementary logic that the decisions of
two selectors have less chance of earning
popular approval than a panel of five. And
when one of the present two is a prominent
Kandy SC official, then that's inviting trouble through the
front door. One wonders if the
Union asked the Kiwi trainers to do the selectors' job at the
Colombo trials because it felt the official
selectors' choice favoured Kandy SC. That
theory though is contestable given the fact
that it is not unusual for players of the
champion side to dominate the national team,
as Kandy SC has done over the past decade
and more years.
The root of the present crisis is clearly in
having just two selectors - and not the
required five.
The Union can't be blamed for the skeletal
selection committee as appointments to the
committee is in the domain of the Sport
Ministry, which is the government. The
national rugby selection committee has been
depleted since last November, when three
members, including Chairman Anton Benedict,
resigned over differences with the Ministry.
Indiscipline
The selectors, if you remember, excluded
five Kandy SC players from the Asiad
training squad on grounds of indiscipline:
the five chose to watch in World Cup in
France than attend national practices
Minister Gamini Lokuge, however, insisted
the five be included - to which three
selectors retorted "not under our
signatures," and resigned. Eventually the
five from Kandy SC won their way into the
Asiad team that finished the tournament's
runner up.
Four months on,
Kandy SC again
finds itself embroiled in selection
controversies.
Their opponents will, of course, say the
champion side doesn't need a second
invitation to collide with the
Union. The current one is another in a long litany of previous
disputes and ought to be resisted so as to
curtail its supposed superiority, opponents
will argue. Supporters of
Kandy SC, however, will say that as a
champion side it's only logical that more of
their players will get picked to the
national side - and those who find fault
with this inevitability do so out of envy
and jealousy.
It's the old
Kandy SC v. the
rest battle, but given greater intensity by
the two-man selection committee. The Sport
Ministry is supposed to resolve
controversies - not fuel them. The final
squad of 12 is due to be named in a week or
two, and unless a five-selector panel does
the job, there'll be more eruptions of
controversies.
A repeat of the 2007 selection farce can't
be ruled out.
Sri Lanka junior Fed Cup tennis team beat
Pakistan
THE Sri Lanka team consisting of Mahesha
Seneviratna (non playing captain), Amritha
Muttiah, Sherine Wijesinghe and Kemalie
Herath won resoundingly against Pakistan at
the Asia Oceania pre-qualifying round match
played in Malaysia, last week. Amritha
Muttiah playing the first singles and
thereafter partnering Kemalie Hearth in the
doubles had convincing wins against their
counterparts. Sherine Wijesinghe played the
second singles and won in a match that went
into three sets. Sri Lanka narrowly missed
qualifying for the final round by being
edged out by Malaysia and Kazakhstan. They
lost to Malaysia and Kazakhstan narrowly by
2 matches to1. Overall, the girls had an
excellent tour performing well against some
tough opponents that augurs well for women's
tennis in Sri Lanka. Amritha Muttiah won all
her singles effortlessly and her opponents
were no match for her. Amritha beat Sia Huey
Teng of Malaysia 6/3, 6/0, Kamila Rafkat of
Kazakhstan 6/4, 6/1 and Ushna Suhail of
Pakistan 6/1, 6/0. Sherine Wijesighe beat
Mehreen Izhar of Pakistan 4/6, 6/3, 6/2 and
lost to Yuliya Plevako 2/6, 4/6 in a well
played match. Kemalie Herath partnered by
Amritha beat Ushna Suhail and Natasha Afridi
of Pakistan 6/2, 6/3. Kemalie providing a
gusty performance lost to the seasoned
campaigner - Adelle Boey of Malaysia in a
well fought match 4/6, 4/6.
Victoria to be upgraded
Since its inception 10 years ago, Victoria
Golf and Country Resort has bucked the trend
in many ways.The location amidst stunning
scenery, close to Kandy but untouched by the
troubles elsewhere, has helped.The island's
only golf resort has had over 50 outstanding
homes built by Sri Lankan's and foreigners.
The Victoria Golf Course was the first
course to be built in the island in over 100
years and was conceptua- lised by Mark
Bostock.
A true visionary of Sri Lankan business,
Bostock was a larger than life figure and
his drive and determination as chairman
firmly put the John Keells Group on the road
from a simple tea trading house to become
one of the country's biggest conglomerates.
Bostock did not leave his visualisation and
forward thinking behind when he left
Keells.He had the vision and wisdom to
invite Donald Steel, the famous English golf
course architect to route the golf course
over some of the best golf course terrain on
the planet and produced a resort and
residential community using the most
majestic piece of ground imaginable.
Mike Varney, Rajawella Holding's General
Manager takes up the story.
"Since Bostock's tragic death during the
building of the resort, Rajawella Holdings
Board of Director's vision has been to
hurry, slowly.Bostock had made the golf
course and set out the infrastructure for
the plots with roads, water and electricity
to the sites and now land is offered for
sale only when we have the need to fund new
infrastructure - the most recent land
release helping to fund the new restaurant,
new car park and staff quarters."
"The next sale, of nine more plots will
release funds which will be used to upgrade
our golf clubhouse, add more tarred roads
and a new aroma spa centre.It is gratifying
to work with a board of directors who are
looking to continuing Bostock's vision."
The tropical climate, just six degrees north
of the equator, is tempered by the 1,500
foot elevation and the cooling breezes from
the highlands in the not too far distance.
On three sides the Victoria Lake offers
stunning views and on a calm day, which is
most days, gives a feeling of peace and
tranquility.
The nine sites referred to are on two of
the resort's three residential zones -
Eagles Ridge and Coconut Hill.Innovative
planning and attention to detail by Sri
Lankan and Western architects and planners,
have ensured maximum aesthetic quality
combined with environmental sensitivity.
The sites could be considered the finest
residential development opportunity in the
region with generous sizes and breathtaking
vistas.
Several of these sites are majestically
located on the summit of Eagles Ridge and
boast panoramic views of the Victoria
Reservoir, the golf course and Knuckles
Mountain Range, and the others located on
Coconut Hill.Almost all the sites focus on
either the Victoria Lake or the golf course.
Among the attributes of all the plots are
the abundant jak trees , mara trees, birds
and wildlife, natural rock outcrops and
undulating topography making Victoria truly
a paradise on earth.
"We have one of the regions most stunningly
beautiful places to build a home and live.
The size of each plot varies - the smallest
being in the region of 2,300 square metres
and largest at 3600 square metres," said
Richard Worrall, the resort's property
manager.
"Building costs are relatively low -
despite our fairly "out of the way" location
and we have a good skilled workforce close
the resort. This work force has produced
some stunningly beautiful, high quality,
well finished homes. A further advantage the
resort offers is security - the only road
into the property is through our main gate,"
he added.
For more information on the resort visit the
website www.golfsrilanka.com
Manilalbehind sports complex
By Hafiz Marikar
FIFA Development Officer, Manilal Fernando
has come forward to give a boost to sports
lovers of Norwood.
Recently, papers were exchanged between
Manilal Fernando and Minister Armugam
Thondaman in the presence of Deputy
Minister, Mutu Sivaligam and FFSL President,
Hurley Silvera.
The sports complex will be equipped with all
modern facilities, and a well planned
football ground which will give a fillip to
footballers in the area and also assist
other sportsmen and sportswomen.
Kaumalee Amaradiwakara
wins Gold Medal
Kaumalee Amaradiwakara of Union Assurance
PLC, won the Gold Medal in the "B" Division
(Individual) segment at the Mercantile open
chess tournament conducted by the Mercantile
Chess Association recently.
