Benedict led two clubs to Clifford Cup glory-by Althaf Nawaz

Anton Benedict

Anton Benedict one of the great sports personalities who undoubtedly was one of the best players ever produced by St. Joseph’s College, Colombo brought honour and fame to his school, club and country.

Anton was son of Thuraiappa Pathmanathan a small time businessman and mother Theresa Malar a former teacher. He has three sisters. His grandfather Joseph Manuel Pillai was his role model as he was very much influenced by him from his very early years to encourage Anton to take up sports specially soccer at the inception. .

But the disciplines and attitudes of a ‘rough and tough’ game like rugby seemed more resolute and ‘inviting’ to a young Soccerite, Anton Benedict was as a sixteen-year school boy, at St. Joseph’s College, Colombo that his talents for Rugby was observed by Neville Perera, the SJC Rugby Captain given his chance to transform from a talented Soccer player and be

‘baptised’ in to the ‘thrills and spills of Rugby. His launched his rugby career in 1963 at SJC, whilst also playing for the first XI Soccer team. In 1964, he won his rugby ‘Colours’ and on leaving college in 1965, he joined the Havelock’s Sports Club, captained by a versatile young Trinitian Nimal Maralande. Anton came off with flying colours playing as a second row forward. In the next year too, he played for the ‘Havies’, who were led by a classy hooker Frankie David.

, Anton joined the Sri Lanka Police force in 1967 and began a new chapter in life with Rugby. Playing his first season under a dynamic captain and hooker S. Sivendran, he was an integral part of a history-making team, when the Police won the “B” Division tournament and qualified to play in the “A” Division ‘Knock-out tournament.

The Police beat Dickoya in the quarter-final and sprang a surprise on unbeaten CR and FC in the semi-final, by beating them Anton continued superior form helped the Police to enter the 1967 ‘Cup-Final’. Havelocks Sports Club led by another legend Gamini Fernando, ‘arrested’ the cup from the Police, winning 11-3.

This was the start of Anton’s Rugby milestones to participate in seven more ‘Clifford Cup-Finals’. In1970, was a memorable year when the Police, captained by a brilliant inside three-quarter M. A. Majeed entered the ‘Clifford Cup Final’ for the first time, to share the ‘Cup’ with the Havelock’s Sports Club, led by a strong and wiry Jeff Ratnam, which ended in a 6-all draw. Due to the insurrection in the country in April 1971 the rugby season was affected. However, the Police,was captained by a prop-forward ‘Tanker’ Ibrahim Hamid, CR and FC included a few Air Force players Viper Gunaratne, Lofty Perera and Charles Wijewardena, who were given special permission, to play for them in the ‘Knock-out’ – Police beat the more reputed club teams to enter the ‘Cup Final’ but lost to a strong CR and FC team led by Dushantha Samarasekera, by 27-6 Anton Benedict’s ‘Hour of Glory’ came in 1972, when he captained a powerful Police team and led them into the ‘Clifford Cup Final’. Anton mentioned, it was the crafty guidance of a competent coach, Kavan Rambukwella that helped to make the difference. For the first time ever, Police ‘snatched’ a thrilling win over CH and FC by 12-9, then captained by a Maestro of Rugby, Y.C. Chang, to win the coveted “Clifford Cup”. First, a brilliant penalty kick by Fly-half Nimal Abeysinghe, from 50 yards far left, brought the Police back into the game (9-all). Then Nizam Hajireen became ‘the man of the moment’ when he fired a splendid Penalty kick, just a minute from the end of play to give the Police a great victory becoming the first service team to win the ‘Clifford Cup’. That ‘Historic-team’ comprised of Ibrahim Hamid, T. V. Morseth (hooker), E. K. R. Wijewardena, J. B. Kularatne, K. Banda, Juraghan Savanghan and Daya Jayasundera (flankers). Anton Benedict (Capt. and No. 8), Sunil Perera and Nimal Abeysinghe (halves), M. A. Majeed, Bandula Wijesinghe, Seevali Samarasekera, S. L. Samaraweera (three quarters) and the ‘great’ full-back and place kicker Nizam Hajireen (a ‘Double International in Soccer and Rugby).

After seven years with the Police, Anton played his final year in 1973 under the astute captaincy of Nizam Hajireen, which took him into his fifth ‘Cup-Final’. Police shared the cup with the Army, as the final result was a 19 all draw. Nizam Hajireen led the first-ever police team, which included Anton, to participate in the ‘All India tournament’ staged in Bombay that year. Police won the ‘Seven-A-Side’ Championship. Anton’s left the Police and. returned to the Havelocks in 1974 when he was in prime form and went onto the Cup-final coached by Gamini Fernando, under the captaincy of Desmond Harridge, beating the CR and FC led by ‘speedy winger’ Reggie Bartholomeusz,16-4 to win the Clifford Cup.

In 1975, Anton played for Havelocks with Shafie Jainudeen as Captain and went on to play his sixth Clifford Cup final under Thajone Savanghan in 1976 coached by Dickie Jayetilleke, former Sri Lanka and ‘Havies’ Scrum-half.

In 1977 played his seventh cup-final and were winners of the Clifford Cup.

In 1978, Anton Benedict captained the Havelocks team, to take them to their first ever triumph as ‘Triple Champions,’ winning the ‘Sevens’, ‘Clifford Cup’ and the ‘Knock-out’ tournaments and ‘finally’ into his eighth ‘Cup final.’ Anton ended his elite ‘Star-studded’ rugby playing career with an unique achievement of having captained two teams, the Police and the Havelocks. Moreover, it was under Anton’s captaincy of both teams in separate years that the ‘Clifford Cup’ was won.

He was called for National duty with Sri Lanka team from 1970 to 1977 played against Singapore in ‘70, England in ‘71, Rugby ASIADs in Hong Kong ‘72 and Colombo ‘74. With various teams Anton toured Hong Kong, Bombay, Dubai, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Chinese Taipei, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Sicily (Italy).

As National coach and Manager Anton accompanied the Sri Lanka team in 1988 and ‘89 to the “Dubai Sevens” as well as to the “Sicily Sevens.” Another year of importance in Anton’s “Rugby flight” was in 1980, when he made his mark in coaching and refereeing and made an invaluable contribution to Sri Lanka rugby. He commenced coaching the Police, which produced a Clifford Cup champion team, with a hard-working captain, Nimal Lewke in 1980, then onto Upali Vidanage’s year in 1984, followed by Upali Sahabandu in 1985, when the police won the “Triple Crown” in the tournament for the first time..

Anton also took to the ‘Whistle’ and became an “A” Division Referee, from 1980 to ‘87. He was honoured by being invited to Referee in 1986 in the Hong Kong ‘Ten-A-Side’ and again in 1988 at the “Dubai Sevens”.

He is married to a former Air Hostess, Jasmin (nee Rajee) They produced two lovely daughters, Dhishni in 1983 and Chrishni in 1985. To carry on with the “Midas touch” – Anton continued coaching, to become the Sri Lanka National Coach from ‘89 to ‘92, giving Sri Lanka their first victory over Chinese Taipei (9-6) in the ‘90 Rugby Asiad’ – staged in Colombo.

In 1992 he accompanied the Sri Lanka team as the National Coach which participated in the Rugby ASIAD held in South Korea. In 1994 he took over the coaching of the CH and FC which,won the Clifford Cup and the Premadasa trophy, with Lock-forward Nishantha Dias as captain.

To add to his ‘lengthy-list’ of ‘Achievements’, he was appointed a National Rugby Selector in 1995 and ‘96. Anton reached the ‘zenith’ of his rugby career in the prime of his life, when he was appointed Manager of the Sri Lanka team to the Commonwealth Games held in Kuala Lumpur in 1998. While also being the manager of the SL Rugby team in ‘97 and ‘98, he was simultaneously elected Vice-President of the SLRFU, with Dr. Maiya Gunesekera (a ‘Tower of strength’ to Sri Lanka Rugby) as the SLRFU President.