Defending champions doubtful starters

NEGC Club championship winners at the last event 

By Shamseer Jaleel

 Golf will be back this time in the cooler climate of the Up Country in Nuwara Eliya when the 86th Nuwara Eliya Golf Club (NEGC) Club Championship takes place on 26 and 27 February at the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club.

Tee-off is expected to be at 7 a.m. on both days. 

Top-class golfer Sachin De Silva and evergreen lady golfer Niloo Jayathilake both are expected to defend their titles but both of them look doubtful starters. This is considered as the club’s annual blue ribbon tournament of the year. 

Schoolboy golfing sensation from Trinity College Kandy Haroon Aslam, who ended as the runner-up, is expected to give a good run for the experienced Sachin De Silva in the main event along with Chanaka Perer and Ranil Pieris who could be the players to be watched during the long weekend to be played under lovely Up Country conditions.

More than 100 golfers are expected to take part in this annual blue ribbon event which is expected to take place under strict health guidelines by the NEGC.

Format will be two days of stroke play where the overall champion will be decided on the best gross score. Further, players will compete for the Gold Medal which is awarded for the best gross score on day 2.  The Gold medal is also a Board event. Both Men’s and Ladies events will take place concurrently. Segment will see all three A, B and C worked off along with the Ladies event and already attracted a very large membership for this event which will see strict health conditions being followed by the club as usual. Initial days play will see the round 1 being worked off and the second day the final round.

Niloo Jayathilake speaking to Daily FT said: “I will be missing out on participation at this event due to health reasons. I would have loved to play in the Up Country but will miss out.”

History of the cup

NEGC Championship dates back to 1933 in then Ceylon under the British Empire dominated by Scottish, Irish, British and Wales nationals based in Ceylon during that period who were mainly planters. M.H. Lushington was the inaugural Champion, followed by W.S. Burnett in 1934 and also in 1936, 1937, and 1940. C.G. Thornton won the Championship in 1935 and 1938, followed by A.R. Aitken who won in 1939 and 1941. 

Due to the Second World War, the Championship was not played between 1942-1945. All winners of the Club Championship also won the Amateur Championship of Ceylon, proving that the best golfers were the contenders for the Club Champion status. When the Championship re-commenced in 1946, J.B. McLachlan won and subsequently won the Championship in 1949, 1950 and 1958. 

In between the Legendary Pin Fernando became the first Ceylonese to win the NEGC Championship in 1947 and of course the Late Pin became NEGC Champion on four other occasions in 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1973. 

C. Upali Senanayake was the second Ceylonese to become Club Champion when he won in 1954 and again in 1961 and 1962. R.L. Illangakoon was the third Ceylonese when he annexed the title in 1957 and again 10 years later in 1967. M.J. Robinson (1959 and 1960), A.R.D. Trewin, a long-hitting Scotsman (1971 and 1972), were the last of the British Empire who won the title and from then-on Sri Lankan’s dominated the Club Championship.

Sohli Captain became the first to rattle-off a hat-trick of wins becoming Champion in 1975, 1976 and 1977. Dr. C. Thurairaja (1978,1979, and 1985), W.J.D. Barsenbach (1981 and 1982), Priath Fernando 1980, Pheroze Billimoria (1984, 1986, 1991, and 1992), S. Ritchie (1987 and 1988), K. Nandasena Perera (1989 and 1990), prior to winning the Beiijin Asian Games Silver Medal in 1990, J.C. Lee (1993 and 1994), Alain Gyi (1995, 1999, and 2000), Rusi Captain who holds the record for the highest number of NEGC Championship titles Nine in total (1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006) may not be overhauled in Nuwara Eliya. The Championship was not played in 2007 and K. Prabagaran was crowned Champ in 2008 and 2009 before he turned Professional on the PGTI.

Youngsters took over with Amrith De Soysa winning the Championship in 2010, 2011 and 2013. Zen Dharmaratne won in 2012 and Prashan Peiris another promising youngster won in 2014 and the evergreen Ranil Peiris captured the title in 2015 and in 2016 and in 2018 whilst Sachin De Silva took won in between in 2017 and in 2019.