Trinity Rugby Carnival on 7 March

Wednesday, 4 March 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Trinity College Kandy will have its Annual Rugby Carnival on 7 March at the Pallekelle Rugby Stadium with the kick off at 11 a.m. Under 12 onwards up to the Under 20 will be taking the field. The proceedings will end with the traditional Present Boys and Old Boys game played for the Rev. A.G. Fraser Trophy. This trop

hy was named as a tribute to Rev. A.G. Fraser, the Principal of Trinity (1904-1924) who in 1906 introduced rugby at Trinity. Current title holders are the Present Boys, which won last year under the captaincy of Tharinda Ratwatte. This year the Present Boys will be captained by dashing Sri Lanka Youth player Isuru Rangala while the Old Boys will be captained by little dynamo Haliq Wadood. Man of the Match will be presented with the Colonel Bertie Dias Challenge Trophy. Umesh Samarasekera won this trophy in the 2014 game. Colonel Bertie Dias, a double ‘Lion’ in Rugby and Hockey (1950), coached the invincible 1956 Rugby side that produced nine All Ceylon caps and two captains. He was the Trinity 1st XV Coach from 1956 to 1957, 1973 to 1976 and again from 1980 to 1984. Trinity had six ‘Bradby’ Shield victories under his guidance. He was one of the best Rugby Coach the country has ever produced. Under his watchful eyes, Sri Lanka emerged runner-up at the Rugby Asiad in 1974 only second to Japan. Chief Guest will be M.T.M. Zaruk, an illustrious Old Trinitian, who was an exceptionally talented sportsman and a brilliant student. Zaruk excelled equally in both cricket and rugby and captained Trinity in both games in 1965. He was awarded ‘Lion’ for both sports. In rugby, he was rated as one of the best scrum half’s. He was also the Senior Prefect and recipient of the coveted Ryde Gold Medal, the ultimate prize at Trinity. Rugby at Trinity continues to flourish under Principal Brig Udaya Ariyaratne, ably supported by the coaching staff and Old Trinitians Rugby Scrummage (OTRS). OTRS, which has implemented a long term strategy for rugby at Trinity, continues to be the driving force behind Trinity Rugby.

Halique Wadood (with ball) to lead the Old Boys team