Sports
CH rugby captain Madusanka wants to shape the careers of youth
By A Special Sports Correspondent
Colombo Hockey & Football Club (CH&FC) is making a massive effort to finish among the top four teams in the on-going inter-club league rugby tournament. CH&FC skipper Prasath Madusanka is spearheading that effort despite the Maitland Crescent Club not allowing space at the club’s ground for rugby practices. The club’s ground is exclusively used for cricket and hockey only at present. However, the club’s players receive all the other backing from the club to pursue rugby; the officials of the club are hiring out Race Course grounds for regular practices at a cost. Despite the challenges staring in their faces the CH&FC players are training hard to finish high on the points table after the conclusion of the second round.
As much as Madusanka focuses on his game he has an eye on the youngsters who have joined the club after having had promising school rugby seasons. “We are now forced to play with school leavers and even play them in the starting line-up. That’s a huge opportunity for them,” said Madusanka. He added that the seniors have a responsibility towards shaping the rugby futures of young talent before the former hang up their boots.
Madusanka, who plays hooker, said that he was happy with the contributions made by the new recruits. But he said that club rugby teaches many lessons and the ‘young blood’ must be receptive to them. “Sometimes I get dazed for a few seconds just after breaking up from a scrum. That’s how hard and brutal club rugby is at present,” explained Madusanka who is at present easily the best hooker in the country. He has held on to his place in the club and national side, the latter since making his debut in the Asian Five Nations in 2015.
The year 2015 was one of his finest; he has memories of being picked as the highest try scorer in the league rugby season. He played for Havelocks Sports Club that season.
He couldn’t refuse a tempting offer CH&FC made to him when he was at Havelocks. Madusanka looks back at that past and said that he switches clubs due to better benefits offered by the Gymkhana Club (CH&FC). He reminisced how the crossover was initiated by CH&FC player Rohitha Rajapakse.
However Madusanka warns that it’s increasingly hard for rugby players who are gainfully employed to at private companies to continue playing serious rugby. This he said is because private companies demand so much at work from employees who are also committed rugby players. According to him so many talented rugby players have already left the country in search of employment. It’s in this backdrop that Madusanka reminded this writer that CH&FC is one club that continued to pay half of the players’ salaries during the covid pandemic and the following financial crisis during which period there was no rugby.
When he looks back at the journey, he has made in club rugby he cherishes making one correct decision. “The importance of managing my office work with the same enthusiasm I show for rugby was drilled into my mind by Milanga Chandiram and I’m ever so grateful to him for guiding me,” said Madusanka who works as a Senior Marketing Executive at Sri Lankan Insurance. He has served this company for 11 long years. He recalled how helpful rugby contacts have been in bringing business to his company.
As much as he cherishes the moments he plays for CH&FC Madusanka loves the time he spends with the national team and represents the country at international tournaments. His first overseas tournament with the national team was in 2015 for the Asian Five Nations where Sri Lanka finished as runners-up. He said that his dream is to be a member of the national team that wins this tournament in the future.
He has trained hard to cement his place in the national side. He remembers taking over as hooker from Achala Perera and Dulanjana. Rugby critics have said that he is one of the most potential try scorers for any team he represents when attacking the goal line from 10 metres out. These are some of his thoughts on playing in the pivotal position of hooker. “You have to be very experienced and so accustomed to playing in this position before start really contributing to the game and the team. And the good thing is that hookers have a longer spanning rugby career compared to those playing in other positions. But hookers have also have some much to do in the set pieces,” said Madusanka. He said that with age and experience he has taught himself to have the same satisfaction as the try scorer if he feeds that try with any kind of help.
Another important factor in this sportsman’s career is that he has a supportive wife and two loving kids. His wife Kithma Chamodi has gifted him with two lovely sons, Yewen (6) and Yehan (1). Yewen who schools at Isipathana College has already taken to rugby and represents the school’s under 10 team in tag rugby tournaments. He is probably the youngest kid out their playing under 10 tag rugby at age 6!
Now aged 30 Madusanka sees the challenges ahead of rugby. According to him the popularity of all sports has taken a dip and it’s of concern for him. “Right now rugby is second to cricket in this island in the popularity ratings. But I don’t for how long that will last. The spectator interest for rugby is also thinning and this could be due to the high prices of tickets at club rugby matches. CH&FC not charging a gate at matches they host at Race Course must be lauded at a time like this,” concluded Madusanka
Sri Lanka Cricket has drawn a hard line in the sand, vowing zero tolerance for players who fail fitness tests, with a clear message that those who don’t make the grade risk being left out in the cold when selections are made. While Sri Lanka’s campaign in the recent T20 World Cup, co-hosted with India, had its moments in the sun, fitness issues proved to be the Achilles’ heel.
The wheels began to come off midway through the tournament as key bowlers broke down, forcing the selectors to field a second-string unit. Across the board, fitness levels looked below the required standard.
In the immediate aftermath of the World Cup, the board tightened the screws, making it mandatory for players to clear fitness tests before being granted No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to feature in franchise leagues such as the IPL and PSL.
“The concerns about the fitness levels of players were flagged during the tournament and we are addressing it,” a board official told Telecom Asia Sport. “There has been non-stop cricket over the last 36 months, leaving very little time for players to work exclusively on fitness. But having said that, professional cricketers should be able to meet minimum standards.”
“In the past, we have fined players for failing fitness tests, but if that’s not yielding results, we will have to explore stronger measures. If it comes to a point where a player is deemed ineligible for selection due to failing fitness standards, we will have to take that call.”
Telecom Asia Sport understands that the numbers make for grim reading. Of the 46 players put through the fitness grind, only 12 managed to pass. Those who cleared the bar have secured NOCs and are plying their trade in India and Pakistan, while others, including Nuwan Thushara, have been benched after failing to meet the cut.
Leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga and tearaway quick Matheesha Pathirana are set to undergo their fitness tests after completing rehabilitation. If they come through unscathed, both are expected to be back in action from the second week of April.
SLC’s fitness regime is no walk in the park. It includes skinfold tests to monitor body fat, a two-kilometre run to assess endurance, a 20-metre sprint, agility drills and a counter-movement jump. The spotlight, however, falls heavily on skinfold measurements and endurance, with players given a second bite at the cherry before fines and now potentially harsher consequences come into play.
Spinner Chaniru Senarathne produced a match-winning performance with a superb seven-wicket haul in the second innings as Trinity College registered a 69-run victory over Nalanda College in their Under 19 Division I Tier ‘A’ quarter-final at the BOI Ground, Katunayake on Saturday.
Chasing a challenging target of 264 runs for victory, Nalanda showed resistance through several determined contributions but were ultimately undone by Senarathne’s consistent wicket-taking spell. He maintained tight control throughout the innings, striking at regular intervals to prevent Nalanda from building the momentum required for a successful chase.
Nalanda’s innings saw useful contributions from Nadul Jayalath who top scored with 40 runs, while Santhul Wijerathna displayed great patience in scoring 37 runs off 136 deliveries. Hasitha Rathnayake also fought hard for his 46 runs in 116 balls.
They were 68 for six at one one stage before resistance came through a seventh wicket partnership between Wijerathna and Rathnayake who added 79 valuable runs. Their stand briefly revived Nalanda’s hopes of pushing for a place in the semi-finals, but Senarathne’s relentless accuracy eventually broke through the resistance.
Senarathne finished with outstanding figures of 7 for 73, while Kanilka Anthony provided excellent support with 3 for 48 as the duo shared all ten wickets in Nalanda’s second innings.
Both Anthony and Senarathne ended the match with eight wickets each, playing decisive roles in a contest that swung back and forth from the very first day.
Earlier in the match Trinity recovered from an early collapse to post a modest first innings total of 173 thanks largely to a fighting 59 by Praveen Rukunayake. Nalanda responded with 184 runs in their first innings, where Gevindu Manamperi’s 39 runs was the top score. Kanilka Anthony starred with the ball to claim a five-wicket haul.
Trinity then took control in the second innings by posting 274 for 9 declared. Dimantha Mahavithana (59) and Aadham Hilmy (57) led the batting effort, while Viduneth Dammage added an unbeaten 38 to strengthen the total and set up a challenging target.
Although Nalanda fought hard in the final innings, Trinity’s disciplined bowling attack ensured they sealed a convincing victory and secured their place in the semi-final stage of the tournament.
Brief Scores:
Trinity
173 all out in 44.2 overs (Dimantha Mahavithana 21, Praveen Rukunayake 59, Viduneth Dammage 27; Hasith Rathnayake 3/38, Malsha Fernando 4/49) and 274 for 9 decl. in 44.3 overs (Dimantha Mahavithana 59, Mahendra Abeysinghe 31, Aadham Hilmy 57, Viduneth Dammage 38 n.o., Sethmika Senevirathne 28; Dunitha Anusara 2/23, Malsha Fernando 3/68, Hasith Rathnayake 3/70)
Nalanda 184 all out in 85.4 overs (Gevindu Manamperi 39, Ranmith Denuwara 22, Santhul Wijeyarathna 28, Hasith Rathnayake 32 n.o.; Kanilka Anthony 5/52, Dinal Fernando 2/37) and 194 all out in 81.2 overs (Nadul Jayalath 40, Santhul Wijerathna 37, Hasith Rathnayake 46; Chaniru Senarathne 7/73, Kanilka Anthony 3/48). (RF)
The ITF Asia 14 and Under Development Championship finals commenced with the participation of fourteen nations, namely, Hong Kong, India, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Nepal, Myanmar, Syria, Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan, Thailand and Sri Lanka at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association courts on Monday.
The tournament will go on till 3rd April.
Sri Lanka are represented by six payers.
They are
Girls
: Sahansa Damsiluni (Visakha Vidyalaya ), Navya Banagala (Visakha Vidyalaya), Dinethma Ekanayake ( Maliyadeva Balika).
Boys:
Revaan Amarasinghe (S. Thomas’ College), Buvindu Jayawardhana,(Maliyadeva College, Kurunagala) Chirath Subasinghe ( St. Peter’s College).
Both teams are coached by Chean Deepal Fernando.
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