Sad day for schools' rugby

The incidents that took place after the Ananda-Vidyartha inter-school rugger match up in Kandy, where the Colombo school players were unmercilessly assaulted, should be given nothing but an unanimous vote of condemnation.

From reports, not only had the spectators gone mad, but what is sad is that some of the home team school players had also taken the law into their hands and joined the spectators in giving the Anandians the works. While condemning the Vidyartians, we are in no way trying to paint the Ananda ruggerites white. Probably the Anandians would have provoked their opponents, but what happened is not the way to hit back.

While the Ananda players were lying helpless on the ground, it was a cowardly act that the spectators and the Vidyartha players apparently indulged in. It certainly wasn't what is called sport.

At the time of writing I am told that the necessary machinery has been set in motion to bring the culprits to book and mete out the necessary punishment.

I hope that those who are concerned in bringing the culprits to book, will show no mercy, whoever or however powerful the assailants were, but hand down punishment that would be a deterrent to those attempting acts of a similar nature. Apparently the Vidyartha ruggerites and their supporters were ignorant of the fact that - it is not the winning or the losing that matters, but how one played the game.

It is all the more disgraceful, when one considers that Vidyartha won the game. So what was the provocation?

Vidyartha school authorities must not go soft on the incident. It is the good name of the school that had been sullied. The body in charge of schools rugby, the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union and the Police must act in a transparent manner, and as the saying goes, not spare the rod and spoil the child.

It is sad and has been reiterated a thousand times over that sport is the great leveller.

Then how come these insane acts. How the Vidyartha and Ananda school authorities are going to continue with this fixture in the years to come would be interesting to watch.

Not so long ago, St. Benedict's College and D.S. Senanayake two of the reputed schools in the country, came to an understanding and began a 'big match' because these two schools were lacking a big match. It was played in the best of spirits for a few years and then an uncalled for ugly incident took place after the one day encounter, and that saw to the end of this so-called big match.

Pity that it was called off. But then it was done to maintain discipline that was sadly lacking and it was done for the good of the game and for all that it stands for.

One hopes that saner counsel would prevail between the Ananda and Vidyartha authorities and that they would join in the scrum and hook out a result that will enable the traditional fixture to be continued, because the game's the thing.

Our man in UN

With the 61st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York and with President Mahinda Rajapaksa among a select group of Heads of State and Governments invited by George Bush, the American President for a roundtable discussion of democratic nations, the name of our Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Prasad Kariyawasam is also in the news as mentioned by 'Daily News' Editor Bandula Jayasekera who is in New York covering the sessions.

Incidentally, Kariyawasam who, hails from Richmond College, Galle was a fine all-round cricketer for his school and later for the Peradeniya University. He broke the record for the highest individual score in the Richmond-Mahinda big match by scoring 156 not-out on the first day of the 1972 match which was broken on the following day by Mahindian P. H. K. H. Ranasinghe by scoring 162.

Kariyawasam is in the record books for having being involved in a last wicket stand of over 100 runs in the P. Sara fixture against the Saracens in the early seventies. I cannot recall the name of his partner. But that record partnership is vivid in my memory for I was a part of that Saracens team that was led by former Nalandian Shanti Pieris.

Mitchel a new find

In Mitchel Johnson, the Australians have a new find who, if he continues to bowl the way he is doing in the tri-series in Malaysia should go a long way and be one of the stars in the Ashes series against England.

With a beautiful run up and a dream action, the left armer spits venom when he bowls as he showed against the Indians in Malaysia. He has speed, control and has the rare ability to swing the ball both ways. The Aussies are sure to nurture him.

In this tourney it was also pleasing to note the wonderful form of champion batsman Sachin Tendulkar. Back after a long lay off due to an elbow injury, Tendulkar immediately moved into his usual run making habit and the century, the 40th in his one-day career he made against the West Indies was a class act.

His strokes flowed freely and the innings was a treat to watch and came in for high praise from Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara.