Airtel sponsored Kingswood College scrums down with Wesley College for L. E. Blaze Trophy 2013

Kingswood College will lock horns with Wesley College for the L.E. Blaze trophy today, 1 June, at the Bogambara Stadium Kandy.

The Kingswoodian outfit is sponsored by Bharti Airtel Lanka, a subsidiary of Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa.

Former Principal of Kingswood College Ranjith Chandrasekara will be the Chief Guest, while Head of Marketing for Bharti Airtel Lanka Chandrasehekar Singhe Chauhan is expected to be Guest of Honour for the event.

Kingswood College created history by pioneering Rugby to Sri Lanka in 1891 under the guidance of Sir L. E. Blaze – the founder of the College who was incidentally considered as the forefather of rugby in Sri Lanka. In 1985, the famous Kingswoodian Roy de Silva, who was better known in the field of hockey, presented a trophy in memory of L.E. Blaze for the match between Kingswood and Wesley.

The first-ever L. E. Blaze Trophy game was played in 1986 between Kingswood College and Wesley College where Kingswood under the captaincy of Ronnie Ibrahim beat Wesley who was then captained by Sumedha Kuruppu. Since then both schools have played 25 matches and have taken turns to lift the trophy with Kingswood winning 18 games and Wesley College winning five while two games ended in draws. The Kingswoodians emerged triumphant the last time this game was played in 2005, securing the trophy under the captaincy of Eranda Weerakkodi with 9 points - 6 win over the Wesleyites.

One of the oldest rugby playing schools and pioneers of schools’ rugby in Sri Lanka, Kingswood College kicked off their season in March 2013 and at the moment the College is placed at the sixth place in Division 1 Group A with 2.79 points average in Singer Schools Rugby League 2013 points table.

This year, the Kingswood team is captained by Rumesh Premathilake, a third year coloursman.  On the contrary, Wesley College rugby team is lead by fourth year coloursman Rahul de Silva. At the moment Wesley College in the third place in Division 1 Group A with 3.79 points average in Singer Schools Rugby League 2013 points table.

Speaking about the L.E. Blaze Trophy, Suren Goonewardene, CEO/MD – Sri Lanka, Bharti Airtel said: “As a youthful and dynamic brand Airtel Lanka has positioned itself in a dominant position as a leading supporter of sports in Sri Lanka. Rugby is a sport played passionately in both these schools and is tied up to their tradition. Therefore we are very pleased and privileged to be present as the sponsor for the Kingswood team when these two great schools challenge each other to carry home the L E Blaze trophy which is one of the most coveted trophies in the school rugby scene after an interlude of seven years.”

Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa made its foray into the field of sports sponsorships in the year 2012 through its associations with Manchester United and football, rugby, tennis, golf, rowing and basketball.

The company, which sponsored Kingswood College throughout the school rugby season for two consecutive years, has been involved in the development of sports, as evidenced by its various sponsorships at school level, district level and island-wide.

While Airtel Lanka continues to be involved beyond just a mere investment with all its sports sponsorships stakeholders, it is committed to developing local talent to international standards, thus fostering sports to new heights as well as contributing actively towards the positive development of youth in Sri Lanka.