Summy Legends Rugby Sevens Integration are doing their best to come out with a seven a side rugby tournament for their old boys of Wariyapola Sri Sumangala, College who passed out before 2020 and a game will be played between old boys and the present boys, this will be at the Nittawela rugby grounds on May 5 Sunday, which is going to be a electrifying day of rugby, the winners will be presented the E.N.K. Rajapakse memorial trophy and Summa Legends trophy.
Wariyapola Sri Sumangala College Kandy has produced some of the best sportsmen. This school was formerly known as St. Paul’s College, and has a long history of over 140 years. It originated under the name of St. Paul’s College as a junior school of Trinity College Kandy.
In the year 1991 on 2nd of March the name was changed to Wariyapola Sri Sumangala College.
They were one of the first schools in Kandy to play cricket in1894 and after a few years gave up the game. Then after 87 years in 1981 they restarted cricket due to the efforts of former Sri Lanka cricketer and Kandy Municipal Commissioner late D.H. de Silva who coached them. Sajith
Fernando was one of DH’s products from St. Paul’s at junior level, who later crossed over to St. Anthony’s College. He later played for Kandy CC, Colts CC, Sri Lanka A and also led the Sri Lanka Colts team. One of the finest cricketers to come out of this school is Prasanga Tennekoon who became the first cricketer to score1000 runs in cricket. It was D. D. T. Alwis who groomed him as a top batsman.Later they had coaches like Tudor Gunaratne, Ranjith Colombage and H.M. Rikas
In 1988, Wariyapola Sri Sumangala College was the only team from Central Province to play in the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association Tournament and entered the quarter finals of the Portello Trophy, before losing to Sri Sumangala College, Panadura, who went on to become champions. Their Big match is against Sri Rahula College Katugastota.
One of their boxers Yazmin Mohamed Usaith Hussien created history at the ASBC Asian Junior Boxing Championships in Fujairah, UAE, when he defeated Malaysia’s Pavithran Kanth in his opening bout before losing to a Kazakhstan fighter in the second round. His success was Sri Lanka’s first ever triumph in the history of the ASBC Asian Junior Boxing Championships.
Now they are doing well in the game of rugby too, They started rugby in 1970’s and later gave up and have come back again.They also emerged as the Shield champions in the all-Island under 20 Division II inter-school rugby Sevens.
By Hafiz Marikar