by Hafiz Marikar in Kandy
Maurice Perera, the former Trinity, Up-Country and All Ceylon sportsman, was unanimously re-elected president of the Central Province Rugby Football Union, at its Annual General Meeting held at the Gen. Denzil Kobbekaduwa Pavilion, Nittawela.

Maurice Perera was an outstanding sportsman. He played rugby for Trinity as a prop forward and while at school he played for Kandy Sports Club. He has served the club as a player, coach and committee member. He is the oldest playing member of Kandy SC.

He was one of the few locals to scrum down with the whites in the fifties for the All Ceylon team. He was a regular member of the All Ceylon team for several years. It was Maurice who provided the start for rugby at Kandy Lake Club as a coach; a club that was founded by E. W. Balasuriya. He also helped the Antonians, Vidyartha and Sri Rahula to get going at rugby, as the coach.

He played for Kandy SC in two cup finals 1954 and 1955. His finest year was in 1969 when he guided Kandy SC to enter the Cup finals, where they went down to CR&FC, due to an error made by the man who handled the whistle. The 1969 Kandy SC cup final team was led by the late Denzil Kobbekaduwa, and had players like Y. C. Chang, Mohan Balasuriya, Gavin Stevens Jerome Perera, Gamini Udugama, Jadi Dissanayake Jayantissa Ratwatte, George Jayasena, Chang Faa Ching, Sahfie Jainudeen and Iswan Omar to name a few. That was his best year as coach.

Maurice also coached the Trinitians in 1977 and in 1978. His son, Devapriya Perera followed in his father's footsteps, and coached Trinity.

He also heads the Up-Country Motor SC.

Maurice has never turned away from providing support for soccer, volleyball, motor sports, hockey, table tennis and cue sport.

At present, he is one of the vice presidents of Kandy SC.

The secretary’s post went to one of his rugby students. Iswan Omar, another crack ruggerite to come out of Trinity College. He played in the late '60s as a top notch forward and later for Kandy SC, Kandy Lake Club, Kandy RFC and Up-Country. He captained all these teams.

He also played for Uva, Dimbulla, Dickoya and for the Sri Lanka President's XV. T. Nugawela a product of Dharmaraja College retained his place as vice president. Leslie de Zoysa, a product of St. Sylvester’s, who has been in the rugby scene for the last 25 years, is the treasurer, for another year.