Kandy Sports Club

or KSC as it is popularly known is an esteemed rugby football club steeped with an illustrious history. The club’s past stalwarts who have contributed immensely to the club include gentlemen like Sir Richard Aluwihare, Col Stanley Ratwatte, Mr. Chandra Wijenaike, Mr. J. J. Loam, Dr. C.D.L. Fernando Mr. E. W. Balasuriya, Dr. Sarath Kapuwatte, Major Denzil Kobbekaduwa, Mr. Y.C .Chang, DIG Nimal Lewke, Mr. Dharmasiri Madugalle, Mr. Philip Buultjens, Mr. Maurice Perera, Mr. S B Pilapitiya, Mr. Gal Bandaranayake and Mr. Malik Samarawickrama, all who have made the club to what it is today. This club from the hills has been the fire in the belly of Sri Lankan club rugby with its highly motivated players and its diehard fans who travel to every fixture to cheer their club. For the residents of Kandy, the Kandy Sports

Club is not just a sports club but an institution that represents its people and they in return cheer their hearts out at every game. The Kandy Sports Club has also played an integral role in shaping Sri Lankan rugby as many of its players have represented and captained the national side. Fitness & Sports finds it fitting to highlight the story of this Rugby Kingdom.

HISTORY

Kandy ABCD (Athletic – Boating – Cricket & Dancing) Club was founded in 1874 by a group of Coffee Planters and other activists. The sports club also included other sports such as Football, Hockey and Polo. Fourteen years later in 1888 the name was changed to Kandy Sports Club.

The club home ground was Bogambara until the British Colonial Army took it over during the Second World War in 1939. After the war, the Kandy Hospital used the Club House as the House Officers’ quarters. Kandy Sports Club continued to play Rugby at Bogambara with no Club House, but used the facilities at Kandy Garden Club, Kandy Club and Queens Hotel for social activities and meetings.

THE CHANGE: FROM NITTAWELA DUMPING GROUNDS TO INTERNATIONAL RUGBY STADIUM

In the year 1949, the Kandy Municipal Council released the garbage dumping grounds at Nittawela to Kandy Sports Club for conversion to a rugby ground. Nittawela ultimately became the present grounds for the Kandy Sports Club. Ground work was facilitated by Ford Gunatillake, George de Silva and Stanley Martin whose untiring efforts made it possible. The old Club House was built by Ceylon Tobacco Company whose Leaf

Manager was Mr. John Penny, the President of the Club. The Club House was opened by the Governor General Sir Oliver Gunatillake in 1954. In the same year Kandy Sports Club came to the finals of the Clifford Cup for the first time under the leadership of S.B Pilapitiya.

It was the heydays of European planters but Dharmasiri Madugalle, Philip Buultjens, Maurice Perera and Gal Bandaranayake broke the ranks of the Europeans and joined the Captain S.B Pilapitiya, losing to CR & FC in the Finals. Thereafter in 1955 under Ken Macpherson, and in 1978 and 1979 under Major Denzil Kobbekaduwa and Y C Chang, Kandy made it to the finals again losing to CR & FC. In 1981 Kandy Sports Club also made it to the finals and lost to CR & FC under Ervin Howie.

RUGBY KINGS

The “Golden Era” of the Club was made possible with the entry in 1992 of Malik Samarawickrama , a great promoter of Sri Lanka Rugby. At this time a group of Colombo players led by Priyantha Ekanayake and his brother LB, Imtiyaz Marikar, and Shyam Sidiqe joined the Club. This combination with the local players enabled them to win the Clifford Cup in 1992. It also had a marvelous impact on schools in and around Kandy, particularly, Kingswood, Dharmarajah, St.Anthonys, Vidyartha and St. Sylvester. This had an effect on the composition of the Kandy team who earlier depended only on Trinity College which has a grand Rugby tradition.

Although the club had been getting in the finals sporadically over the years, Kandy started winning an occasional trophy over the years since 1992; it was Malik’s vision that the club must achieve Championship Status, and that they did in 1994 winning the league. Kandy won a double in 1995 and tripple in 1997 under the captaincy of Lasantha Wijesuriya. The coach was the highly disciplined Nimal Lewke from the Sri Lanka Police, who had to travel regularly from Vavuniya where he was stationed.

The year 1999 was their 125th Anniversary and to celebrate the occasion the Club organized an International Rugby Sevens Tournament at the Bogambara Stadium. This tournament got International Rugby Board Satellite event status.

Kandy has won the ‘Triple’ in 1995, 1997, 1999, and from 2002 to 2011, the President’s Trophy from 1997 to 2009, were the Caltex League Champions in 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, and in 2002 to 2011 – 15 times in 18 outings in a row from 1994 to 2011.

Kandy also won the Clifford Cup Knockout Tournament in 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, and from 2002 to 2012/13 (18 times in 20 outings), and were runners up in 1954, 1955, 1969, and 1978. No Tournament in 1998. More recently Kandy won the double in 2014-2015 under the Captaincy of Sean Wijesinghe and Coach Johan Taylor, whose contributions went a long way in this success story.

The Dialog League Championship Trophy and the prestigious Clifford Cup sit gracefully in Nittawella.

THE FUTURE

Kandy Sports Club hopes to build on its past legacy forged by gentlemen and great rugby players and to continue its winning ways. The Club brings joy to the residents of Kandy from all walks of life that live for Rugby. Fitness & Sports wishes the Club much success in continuing to take Sri Lankan Rugby to greater heights.