Quentin Israel
| Quentin Israel | |
|---|---|
 Quentin Israel (1974) | |
| Born |
Quentin Shelton Nagalingam Israel 1934 Sri Lanka |
| Died | 8 November 2007 |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Occupation | Rugby Coach and School Teacher |
Quentin Shelton Nagalingam Israel (1934 – 8 November 2007) was a rugby coach and a school teacher from Sri Lanka.[1]
Education
Quenta, more commonly known to his peers as 'Q,' went to school at Trinity College, Kandy. He played rugby as a centre three-quarter between 1953 and 1954, under Dharmasiri Madugalle and Lucky Vitharana. By 1954, he was the Captain of the Hockey team and was also an accomplished hurdler.[2]
Club Rugby
Israel represented the Havelock Sports Club from 1958 to 1965 and was a member of the 1961 Clifford Cup winning team. Although he did not represent Sri Lanka, he was a member of the All Ceylon pool and squad[3] which he went on to coach to victory on many occasions. He held positions of Honorary Secretary, Entertainment Secretary, and President of the club.
Coach
He is most widely known as the 1st XV coach at S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia,[4] who registered 43 wins in a row.[5][6][7] One of his protégés was Sri Lankan player Michael Jayasekera, described by Havelocks Rugby Club coach Gamini Fernando as "being gift-wrapped and delivered to his club by Quentin Israel".[8] Jayasekera went on to become the Chairman of the Board of Selectors. Another protégé was Sri Lankan player PL Munasinghe. Jayasekera and Munasinghe both played in 1975 and 1976 and were later described as the best Thomian team, by sports journalist Sharm de Alwis.[9]
He later coached Trinity College, which won the Bradby Shield on five occasions.
He also served the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU), besides being the coach of the national under 19 side, and taking over coaching of Galle Rugby Football Club after retiring from Trinity College.
Schoolmaster
Israel taught Mathematics, Chemistry, and Physics, and is credited with emphasising education despite his enthusiasm for Rugby.[10] He also coached a 2nd XI Cricket team at S Thomas College, Mt Lavinia.[11] Additionally, he served as a House Master and Head Master of the Upper School, where he had the reputation of being a strict disciplinarian.[12][13]
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Commemoration
Junior School Challenge Cups (donated by Herbert Lakshman Fernando) are awarded to the Most Promising Student and the Best All-round Sportsman of the Year in Trinity College in his memory.[14] The Toronto Chapter of the St Thomas College's Old Boys Association initiated a Rugby 7-a-side tournament, to be played for the Quentin Israel Memorial Trophy.[15]
References
- ↑ G.D.V. Perera, Quentin Israel, Maxwell Gerlach, accessed 26 November 2011
- ↑ , Quintin Israel - The coaching legend of schools, Y.C. Chang. - LakbimaNews Sunday 11 Nov 2007, accessed 26 November 2011
- ↑ Quentin to coach Galle RFC this season, Hafiz Marikar from Kandy, accessed 26 November 2011
- ↑ Death of rugby coach Quentin Israel, accessed 26 November 2011
- ↑ Sharm De Alwis A brief overview of Thomian rugby, accessed 28 May 2011
- ↑ MR. Quentin Israel – The Coach, The Mentor - A Tribute!, accessed 28 May 2011
- ↑ The Glory days of Thomian Rugby Mahesa Abeynayake , accessed 26 November 2013
- ↑ Four rugby super heroes BY SHARM de Alwis , accessed 28 May 2011
- ↑ "A Brief overview of Thomian Rugby". www.tyretracks.com. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
- ↑ Tribute to Mr Leo de silva and Mr quentin israel by DR Weerasinghe S.Thomas' College Old Boys Association of Canada , accessed 29 November 2011
- ↑ Cricket in the 80’s Stephan Anthonisz, accessed 29 November 2011
- ↑ Warden and the gardener -mistaken identity My Days at S.T.C (Episode 3)By Quentin Israel, accessed 29 November 2011
- ↑ From ‘Boys to Men’ at Mount Lavinia Ranil Peiris, accessed 29 November 2011
- ↑ Legend in his own time Sunday Leader 14 December 2008, accessed 28 November 2011
- ↑ "Sharm de Alwis Thomians honour Quentin Israel". The Island. 26 September 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013.