The Peterite grounds that had been part of the College’s proud boast since the 1930s had been in need of refurbishment for some years now and last year Fr. Travis Gabriel, the then Rector, took a decision to have the grounds refurbished and the turf wicket re-laid.
The Cricket Foundation took the burden of repairing and re-laying the turf wicket while a specially appointed Grounds Development Committee headed by a loyal and well known Peterite Sportsman, Mr. Ronnie Gunaratne was in charge of the Ground refurbishment.
Their labours came to fruition today (1st August 2014), with the present Rector, Fr. Trevor Martin declaring open the refurbished grounds at a solemn ceremony in the presence of the Priest community, distinguished Old Boys, tutorial staff and students.
The ceremony began with Fr. Rector being welcomed with oriental dancers. The western band then struck up to accompany the Air Cadet wing of St. Peter’s who marched with the College flag which was handed over to Fr. Rector. The National flag along with the College Flag and the Papal flag were then hoisted by Fr. Trevor Martin, Rector, Fr. Sharm Dassanayake, Sports Coordinator and Mr. Romeish de Mel, President of the Old Boys’ Union, respectively after which the National Anthem was sung to the accompaniment of the College Western Band.
Prayers were led by the Rector and the Vice-Rector which was followed by the welcome address by the Sports Secretary of St. Peter’s College, Mr. Troy Bartlet.
Fr. Rector in his address thanked all those who helped to make the opening of the grounds a reality, including the Grounds Development Committee, the Cricket Foundation, the Sports Board of the School, the Air Force, the ground staff and the Old Boys’ Union, et al. Special mention was made of Fr. Travis Gabriel the former rector who took the initiative to commence the redevelopment work. He also made it known to the students present that having the best facilities meant that best results were also expected and urged the students to strive towards reaching the top in whatever sports they undertake. A commemorative plaque was then unveiled in the pavilion to record this important milestone in the history of the school.
Mr. Ronnie Gunaratne, the Chairman of the Ground Development Committee, also spoke.
The ground was blessed and formally declared open by Fr. Rector, to the resounding applause of all present and the ceremony came to a close with four Peterite athletes doing a lap round the ground and the singing of the College anthem by all present.
Algi Wijewickrema
Hony. General Secretary – SPC – OBU 1st August 2014
Peterite flock on greener pastures
Reinvented ground and venue re-commissioned with a telling message St. Peter’s College fulfilled a long-felt need to rediscover their turf, one of the City’s most sought after sporting addresses in the schools arena that became a reality on Friday.Refurbished under the guidance of Air Force engineers, the revamped venue has new cricket pitches, a redone rugby and football playing surface, space for a 400-metre track and an enclosed basketball court to add to tennis and badminton courts, a swimming pool and gymnasium.The project was initially envisaged by the school’s former rector Fr Travis Gabriel and spearheaded by ex-cricketer and rugby captain Ronnie Gunaratne, the ground development committee chairman.But incumbent rector of St. Peter’s College Fr Trevor Martin warned that all the fanfare and investment will count for little without achievements to brag about as he reminded the school’s sportsmen that he will settle for nothing short of the best.“We have invested heavily (in sports) and go by performance, not by participation. You have an obligation to make the most of the facilities available to be champions in all sports”, said Fr Martin, a former junior opening batsman who played for St. Benedict’s College.Among the prominent college sports personalities present to herald the re-commissioning of the ground was Sri Lanka youth rugby star and next year’s captain Kevin Dixon who teamed up with cricketers, football players, martial artists and several other sportsmen at a ceremony spiced by Kandyan dancers.A polished trio of senior boy scouts hoisted the Sri Lanka, Vatican and College flags before the ceremony began.The new-look venue will be re-christened with a ceremonial T20 match between the old and present cricketers of the school on August 16.St. Peter’s College indulges in all sports existent in the country with cricket and rugby being their flagship sports while tennis has hit an unexpected all-time high and football on the rise with recent all-island achievements swelling the school’s trophy cabinet.Several top shelf cricketers among them Roy Dias, said to be the country’s most elegant batsman, played on the ground as did rugby legend Archibald Pereira and later Sri Lanka exponents Angelo Wickremaratne, Frank Hubert, the Patternot brothers Hamish and Rodney, Jeffery Yu, Jeffery de Jong and Jeyer Rodriguesz among many other celebrated products.Six members of the current Sri Lanka rugby team, Sandun Herath, Dhanuskha Ranjan, Sharo Fernando, Shenal Dias, Soyura Anthony and Lee Keegal graduated at St. Peter’s.The ground, once a muddy marshland, was initially acquired by the founder rector of St. Peter’s College, French missionary Fr. Maurice Lecog in 1930 eight years after the establishment of the school which now has a student population of 4000 representing all cultures and classes in the country. St. Peter’s College is one of the few schools where studies, sports, martial arts, cadetting and discipline go hand in hand keeping afloat a founding tradition that is still the envy of many schools in the country. –
Courtesy: NATION NEWSPAPER
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