Fazley, Lucky win Interclub Golf trophy for Orient Club 

Reigning Orient Club Golf Champion Fazley A. Azhar and his team mate Lucky Desinghe provided Orient Club a shot at fame when they won the annual Carl Fernando Interclub Golf Trophy held recently at the Royal Colombo Golf Club. 

 The innovative Inter-Club Golf Tournament played by the Golfers representing their “Second Club” other than Royal Colombo Golf Club has gathered much momentum, interest and participation. The Carl Fernando, Inter-Club Invitation Challenge Trophy inaugurated in 2010, the brainchild of Carl Fernando St Peters, CH&FC and All Ceylon Ruggerite in the sixties/seventies and now a keen golfer was played on a “stableford points format”, the team with the best aggregate score counting. This tournament is played amongst the exclusive social clubs of Colombo. Apart from the Orient Club, other clubs that participated were the Colombo Swimming Club, Capri Club, Rowing Club, Havelocks Club and the 80 Club.

 The winners, The Orient Club have a rich golfing tradition with illustrious Sri Lankan Gentlemen golfers having been loyal members for over 100 years. While many would not know about the Orient Club; bordering Royal College, The Club was founded in 1894 as a Club only for Ceylonese gentlemen and strictly excluding the British. The Club which at anytime will have a maximum of 300 members included all the Ceylonese freedom fighters including D.S. Senanayake, Dudley Senanayake, S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, Sir John Kotelawala, Adigar Sellamuttu, Sir Oliver Goonetilleke, eminent doctors, prominent lawyers and industrialists both pre and post-independence.

 The winning team for Orient Club was represented by the current Orient Club champion Fazley A. Azhar and Lucky Dias Desinghe. At the awards ceremony Fazley said,“ Lucky’s putting was exceptional and he made 3 crucial puts in the round, we won because of his putting”. Fazley, who has been exhibiting his golfing skills both locally and internationally, said “team work” was the key ingredient for this victory for his club. Fazley had a super round in the first 12 holes, before starting to fade off. His team mate Lucky had a stellar back 9, including a birdie in the tough 15th hole. The team collectively had 70 points, Lucky had 38 stableford points and Fazley notched 32 stableford points.

Havelocks Sports Club were the runners up!