Peter Ranasinghe (Sinhala: පීටර් රණසිංහ; c. 1933 – 17 November 2022) was a Sri Lankan football player who primarily played as a midfielder. He was captain of the Sri Lanka national team on numerous occasions.
 Peter during his playing days | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Peter Ranasinghe | ||
| Date of birth | c. 1933 | ||
| Place of birth |
Colombo, British Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka) | ||
| Date of death | (aged 88) | ||
| Place of death | Perth, Australia | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder, striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1951 | St. Joseph's College | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1951– | University of Ceylon | ||
| 1955–1956 | Colombo Central Colours | ||
| 1958–? | Old Joes SC | ||
| International career | |||
| 1953–1963 | Ceylon | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early life
editRanasinghe, an alumnus of St. Joseph's College, Colombo, excelled in soccer alongside his brother Christopher. Both eventually played for the Ceylon national team. Their father, also a soccer player, worked as a Forest Department officer and lived near the Government Service Ground.[1] Peter participated in Inter-College Football Tournaments, playing as a center-forward.[2]
Club career
editPeter graduated from the University of Ceylon and began representing the Old Joes Sports Club, where he won the CFA Cup by defeating Cargills at the Colombo Oval in 1958.[3] He played in midfield alongside national players like Durand Perera, Bagoos Saldin, K.M. Thomas, and Anton Mariyadasan. Eventually, he led Old Joes at the Gold Cup floodlit tournament final against Saunders SC, which finished in a controversial draw. Earlier, he successfully led the Colombo Central Colours team to win the prestigious Inter-District Championship in 1955 and 1956, organized by the Ceylon Football Association.[4] One of his final contributions to football came in the early 1970s when he led the Nugegoda League Team against a Combined XI during an exhibition match at the Mirihana Police Ground.[3]
International career
editPeter made his debut for the Ceylon national team during the 1953 Colombo Cup in Rangoon, Burma, under the captaincy of T.H. Soono. He later captained the team during the 1954 Colombo Cup in Calcutta, India, playing as a central midfielder.[1] Ceylon tied 1–1 with eventual champions India and secured their first-ever international victory by defeating Burma 2–1, finishing as tournament runners-up. In the 1955 Colombo Cup, Peter continued as captain, playing in a more advanced position.[5][6] He scored two goals against India in a 3–4 defeat and a free kick goal in a 1–2 loss to Pakistan, with Ceylon finishing at the bottom of the points table.[7] Peter also led the Ceylon team in the 1964 Summer Olympics qualifiers against India over two legs.[2]
Personal life
editIn 1956, he became an Assistant Lecturer at the University of Ceylon, left for the UK on a Federation of British Industries Scholarship in February 1958, and returned in 1959. He represented the Colombo Commercial Company of the Mercantile League Football Tournament, the company he served as an engineer, later promoted to the rank of Director before he migrated to Australia in 1961.[3][2]
Death
editOn November 17, 2022, Peter died at his residence in Perth, Australia.[8][9][10]
References
edit- ^ a b Hassimdeen, Subhani (15 June 2014). "Legends of Sri Lanka soccer". The Sundaytimes. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ a b c Fernando, Leslie (30 June 2007). "Peter Ranasinghe was one of Sri Lanka's soccer greats". archives.dailynews.lk. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "MAN WITH THE GOAL-DEN BOOT…". Quadrangle Magazine. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Peter Ranasinghe the gentle giant of Sri Lanka football par excellence". Sunday Observer. 27 November 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ Hassimdeen, Subhani (23 June 2013). "Sri Lanka's first international win at football". The Sundaytimes Sri Lanka. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "When Christmas arrived a day early for Sri Lankan football in 1954". FIFA+. 24 February 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Asian Quadrangular Tournament (Colombo Cup) 1952-1955". RSSSF. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Peter Ranasinghe Death Notice". tributes.smh.com.au. Sydney Morning Herald. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "පා පන්දු පුරාවෘතයක් බඳු හිටපු ශ්රී ලංකා ජාතික පාපන්දු නායක පීටර් රණසිංහ අභාවප්රාප්ත වෙයි!". Lankasara. 19 November 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ "Ex-football captain Peter Ranasinghe no more". Sunday Observer. 20 November 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2024.