Asanga to head SLRFU

By Shamseer Jaleel 

Former Thomian cricketer and rugby player, CR and Sri Lanka fly-half Asanga Seneviratne will head the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) for 2016/2017 as the President. 

This was approved by Department of Sports Development Director General K.D.S. Ruwanchandra and endorsed by Minister of Sports Dayasiri Jayasekera. 

Seneviratne, who represented the Mount Lavinia Thomians in both cricket and rugby football, went on to represent Colombo Cricket Club (CCC) in club cricket; later on played for the Red Shirts in club rugby. He was an automatic choice for the national fifteen and sevens teams representing the country many times. 

Seneviratne will have the former Royalist, Lasitha Gunaratne, as his deputy. Gunaratne played for Royal and led the outfit in 1988. After leaving school he played for the CR & FC and ended in representing the country. 

Former Science College player, Nazeem Mohamed will be the new Secretary. He played for CH & FC over a decade leading them in 1999 and 2000. Mohamed, who played for the country in both forms of the game, led the sevens outfit in 1999 and 2000 in many overseas tours, a few of them being the Dubai sevens and the famous Hong Kong sevens. He represented the country in three Rugby Asiads. 

A few household names in the oval shaped ball game will make up the Council Team. They are the former Peterites Fazl Mohamed, Roshan Deen, former Antonians Jude Pillaai and veteran Tuan Dole along with leading referee Shamrath Fernando.