Randhil Thilina after being crowned U-17 All Island Champions
Chanaka Peters at Singer-Sri Lankan Rugby Sevens 2006
The 1st of May was solemnly moving close and the heaviness of the surroundings had a lasting effect on my state of mind. It had nothing to do with the Labour Day which is globally commemorated; rather my thoughts trod on the wings of time exhausted three years afore.
“It’s settled then, no practices on Monday………take good rest and come back fresh on Tuesday” These were the words spoken by the captain and echoed by the seniors of a team which more than fancied itself to bring home lost glory in the rugby arena. This was Friday the 29th of April 2006 which was to be followed up by three whole days to spend as we wished.
The bulk of the team were final year colours-man and candidates for the Advanced levels. The rare holidays were grabbed with both hands to make up for lost study time and to rejuvenate the body that was tortured by the continuous rugby drills more suitable for Airmen than for rugby players.
The weekend flew like every other and the only free day that remained was the public holiday dedicated to mark the May Day. The fateful day dawned, the morning disappeared into thin air and afternoon merged with the night in the wink of an eye. Determined to make use of the late night to remove the guilt of staying idle during the day, I sat on my table right after dinner and went on with my pre planned work. The crowd of family members around me disappeared into their places of rest with the ticking of the clock and what remained was a lonesome figure poised over the pages of a notebook lit up by the dim rays of lone study lamp.
“rrrriinggggg…..” the phone screamed and I raced to pick it up fearing it would wake up the folks at home. Who the hell would want to call me at this hour I was wondering.
“Hello Machan mey Yasa………” he did not need to finish the sentence as his voice was ever to familiar. He’s the chap closest to me in the thick of the rugby game by virtue of position. There was a distinct urgency in the voice of Yasas that was heard very rarely and which emerged only when he was put under intense pressure as the team’s full-back.
“What’s up man??” I quizzed. It is then that he proceeded to tell me how one of our very close colleagues Randhil Thilina had been lost at sea. I was jolted from my half daze “what???”
“Yeah”, he said “He had gone on a family outing and has drowned himself while trying to bathe in the sea, his body has not yet been recovered……………the navy is still at work trying to find a trace of him”.
Randhil for most was a rebel, a man on his own-a lone ranger. His peers respected him, most juniors dared not cross his path and the seniors were cautious in their dealings with him. This reaction was demanded by the direct approach he took to matters which concern him which would have been seen as rash to some. However, people with whom he confided knew him to be a faithful friend, humble in character and meek in approach. All these values were tightly bound in a thin cocoon which had the potential to explode when the need arose.
For those who didn’t know him, Randhil was 175 pounds of pure energy which had in abundance grit, perseverance, an uncanny physical fitness larger than his frame, an unrelenting friendship and the brains to go with it. He was at the peak of his game, topping even the fastest of backline players in his fitness and form. In other words, he was a player marked as a potential threat for all teams vying for honours in the rugby league of that time. His loss indeed created a great void which we figured we would never be able to compensate.
The flanker of the team was effectively outflanked by the waves of the ocean which continued in its flow indifferent to its guilt. While players like Randhil were in the limelight, other junior players were slowly but surely sprouting in his shadow. The replacement for Randhil was found in a place we least expected it to emerge from.
Motivated by the success enjoyed by the senior team, the junior players tried hard to maintain the same hold on the local rugby arena. One such player who built a name for himself within his age group was Chanaka Peters. It was a half chance taken by the coach to promote this skinny lad into the big league in 2005….….and that too to compliment the void left open by Randhil.
The nippy kid grabbed his chance and deftly removed the stereotype that was assigned to flankers. His approach to the game was not of a conventional flanker; rather it was a perfect hybrid between third row might and back division speed to propel him into being one of the most effective flankers to hold on to the position for Wesley after Kasun De Silva in 2004.
The most memorable moments of Chanaka’s play in 2005 came when he sent back one of the most feared players of the game Namal Rajapakse back to the dugout grimacing with pain. STC used this stocky lad in a way which was overly predictable. The move which involved the STC number 8(Namal) peeling from the blindside was countered by the blindside flanker (Chanaka) with a bone crunching tackle that made his opposite number ineffective to the cause. Further, No Wesleyite would forget the violence marred President’s Trophy semi final in 2005 against Kingswood College where Chanaka made useless the kicks of Erandha Weerakkody and succeeded in making Kingswood’s game plan redundant.
Chanaka playing in the position of centre along with a band of other young players continued their good work for the 1st XV team in 2006 and passionately fought to bring the elusive President’s Trophy and league championship back to Wesley.
Ironically 4 days ago I met my friend and messenger of obituaries Yasas again. This time I met him through the internet as I have been away from home and country for close to a year. One of the very fist words he told me was “Machan, podi aulak (Small problem)……………..Chanaka is dead”. This disbelief that took hold of me didn’t allow me to accept the loss of another young life who had more than a chance of carving his name along with the rugby greats of the country.
Chanaka had his ups and downs in life and made his share of enemies; However, his core was always truthful to the game of rugby. His vision for the game was far beyond his age and his dedication was exceptional. The most distinctive characteristic of the little chap was that he moved with both young and old as peers attributing the suffix “machan” to all he met.
A young wick of light was doused long before it cast its shine on the rugby scene and we as youth are saddened by his demise and share his family’s grief and sorrow.
Never did I imagine that Randhil Thilina would be joined by one of his staunchest colleagues in the appreciation of his work. This article being released a couple of days prior to the 1st of May in itself bears testimony that the little man had spun his magic even during the course of his last goodbye.
The will of god has it that the flanker was effectively outflanked and the little bullet was murderously outgunned!
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