by Ravi Nagahawatte
Prestige and honor are two traits that have been associated with CH&FC rugby.

Popularly known as the Gymkhana Club, it was once open only to foreigners and the affluent planting community.

However, even though over a century has passed, since the club was established, it has preserved it’s touch of ‘exclusiveness’. In other words, entry to CH&FC is like unauthorized personnel gaining entry into an Army camp.

With the passing years, the club opened it’s doors to rugby players from all walks of life.

Probably the club didn’t have much options, with money creeping into the sport, making players capable of dema-nding higher payments for a season.

Some club officials teamed up this season to put a stop to paying players but failed.

The club had to toe the line with the on-going ‘system’ and were fortunate to retain it’s key players.

Money apart, CH&FC is a club which has discipline topping it’s list.

It could be the reason why the club produced as many as 14 Sri Lanka captains and over 40 national players over the past years.

Some of the reputed players who did the club proud were Y.C.Chang, Brian Baptist, Saman Jayasinghe, Baratha Hegoda, Chandrishan Perera, S. Sujanthakumar, Ravi Wijenathan, Roshan Perera, Rohan Abeykoon, Azar Samsudeen, Fijian Apisi Nagata, Hisham Abdeen, Imran Salih, Nish-antha Dias, Chanka Jayaweera, Nazeem Mohammed, Jude Dimithri, Milinda Jayasinghe and Ajith Upawansa who incidentally has been picked to lead the side this season.

But if one were to speak of the most outstanding ruggerites ever to be produced by the Gymkhana Club they can’t miss the names of Saman Jayas-inghe and Chandrishan Perera who undoubtedly will be included in ‘CH&FC’s Hall of fame’, if there were any such method of honouring it’s ruggerites at CH.

The club also had the honour of fielding the first two Fijian nationals in Apisi Nagata and Jalasi Radro in the local domestic tournament in the mid 80s.

The red and white jerseyed ruggerites have over the years maintained a standard in the sport which has made them top contenders in local league and knock out tournaments.

This they proved in no uncertain terms when they bagged the inter-club League Championship ‘crown’, last year.

The side is led this year by winger and Sri Lanka player, Ajith Upawansa, who is reported to have taken to the sport in a big way after joining CH&FC.

He will have the services of Sri Lanka players in Sameera Wijesinghe, Kokum Senewiratne, Milinda Jaya-singhe, Nalin Dissanayake, Yuganthara Karunaratne, Waruna de Silva and Dinuk Wijeratne.

The side began the season on a wining note when they beat debutantes, Kandy Youth, in the opener of the ‘Caltex’ Inter-club League Rugby Season, at Maitland Crescent last weekend.

CH will once again be coached by M.D. Ifthikar who needs no introduction to the folks in the local rugby cirlces.

CH&FC rugby pool for year 2001

Props - Ranga Gunawardana, Shashi Cooray

Hooker - Sameera Wijesinghe, J.Ranaweera,

Second row forward - D. Jayasinghe, S. Muthukumara, D. Ind-ika

Flankers - Kokum Senewiratne, M. Rifasdeen, Shiyam Subamulla, B. Per-era

Number eight - S. Bandara,

Scrum halfs - Milinda Jayasinghe, Ashan Cooray

Fly halfs - Nalin Dissanayake, Roy Nishantha

Centers - Yugathara Karunaratne, L. Ediriweera,

Wing three quarters - Ajith Upawansa, Waruna de Silva, Nuwan Kumara

Full backs - Dinuk De S Wijeratne

Coach - M.D. Ifthikar

Manager - Rohan Anthony