One of the top sports promoting schools St. Sylvester’s College, cradle of hill capital sportsmen celebrates 81 years today the 1st of November. It was founded in 1940 by Rev. Fr. D.Robert Perera O.S.B. who was the first principal. This is a school that has produced some top class sportsmen. The motto of the school is ‘Success through dedication.
The school continues to produce top boxers, cricketers, fooballers, hockey players, athletes and ruggerites despite limited facilities. This school remains as the only school in the country if not in the world to have produced a sportsman who was selected to represent two different countries at two different Olympic games. That is none other than boxer Malcolm Bulner.He represented Ceylon at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and was later selected to represent Australia at the following Olympic Games. But he was deprived of achieving this rare feat owing to technical reasons. He also boxed for the country at the Empire Games in Perth and the Asian Games in Bangkok. The first Sylvestrian to win a national boxing title was Donald G. Labrooy who won the Bantam Weight title in early 1950’s. And the other boxers who gave the best were Malcom Marshal, Milroy de Soysa,Anslem de Soysa, M.E.Marikar,, Lloyd Hope, A.C.R. Gearthgem M.Reyal, S.A. Azwer, T.S. Hassan, Nimal Lewke, A.C.R. Herathge P. Edmund, J. Peteson, D.C. Weerasinghe, Jansz brothers Bernard, Kenneth and Milroy, Derick Gunasinghe, N. Thirukumar, Bandula Gamage, K.C. Sisisra Kumar .
This school has produced a champion athlete in the good old days Felix Samarawickrema who broke a public schools record and he later joined St.Josephs College, he lowered the Public schools 440 yards record with a timing of 51.8 seconds in 1948 and at the same meet won the 100 yards sprint with a timing of 10.6 seconds. he was chosen to represent the country at the Empire games in 1949 a;long with Trinity College’s Duncan White.The other top athletes to come out of this school in the 1950’s were Cyril Ranatunge, P. Thangavelu, Andna Daswatte, G.S. Fernando, M.E. Marikar, S.Wickremasuriya, Leslie and Malcom Marshal,
In football, produced players who played for the country and some for Kandy and Up-Country ,among them the best was Mahinda Aluvihare the first Sylvestrian to lead the country. The others were N.E.Perera, Edmund Samaraweera, A.H.M. Jabar, Jaya Aluwihare, R.P. Wijesiri, Tony Dirckez,Percy Samaraweera, Rukman and Rajendra de Silva, Lakshman de Silva led in 1950,M. Jauffer in 1951, M.E. Marikar in 1952, M. Marshal in 1953, Donlad G.Labrooy, Abdul Razak, Gerard David, I.M. Anver, Hector Galuge, M. Ayub, S. Alfred, M. Fuard, M. Razeek, Ratrnapala Aluvihare, Lucky Kulatunge, Rodney David, Kingsley David,
Cricket was introduced in 1955. The side was coached by J. Denlw and Ronnie Stephen and the side was captained by T. Direckze, M..E.Marikar became the first Sylvestrian to play representative cricket without playing for the school, he was followed by Abdul Razak, and later Nihal Samarasekara the first to play for the national side before gaining test status. Ishak Shahabdeen was the first to play for the national one day side. Then the man who reached the top in coaching is Malclom Perera who hit the highest spot in coaching and rose to be Sri Lanka Cricket Coaching Director and later coaching manager. . Some other cricketers who have gave their best for the game were David brothers, Gerad,Kingsley, Sydney and Rodney, N. Herathge, Jayatilake brothers Rangith and Bandu,Gerry Alexander Hidalarchchi, Mervyn Rodrigo the first to win the best outstation schoolboy award, Iqbal Haniffa, Lionel Perera, K.P.Jayaisnghe,Mervyn Berenger, Nimal Rajakarkuna, T.E.Badurdeen, Sarath Basnayake, Denlow borthers Michael and Jimmy, Nimal Lewke,Rangith and Edward Colomabage, M.Thirimane, Lalith and Ajith Boyagoda, Sena Wijesinghe, Jayantha Colombage, Mariakr brothers Hilmy, Foumy and Faleel Roland Perera, Janaka Pathirane, Mervyn Perera, Tikiri Kobbekaduwa, Tudor Gunaratne, Anton Perera,Anslem Nanayakara, Duncan Vandort, Mahinda Seneviratne S.I. Premachandra,Anura Halangoda, J.G. Thilakasiri, Julian and Duncan Arnolda, A.S. Dange, C. Athuda, Kenneth Udawatte, Chanaka Colombage to name a few.
Then in the rugby field have produced several top players, ands some who played for club withou tplaying for the school were Herctor Galuge, Cyril Aluwihare, Nimal Lewke, H. Marikar, Manjula Pathirana, Anton Fernando, Jeffrey Jamalon.
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