Cynthia Rasquinho (nee Ernst), the first woman to captain Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) in international Netball was laid to rest earlier today. She was 91 years old at the time of her passing.
Rasquinho, a past pupil of Methodist College Colombo 3, was a pioneer in the Netball arena, having been involved in the game as a player, coach, umpire and administrator since the 1940s. She excelled in sport during her years as a student at Methodist College and eventually went on to coach her alma mater in both Athletics and Netball, leading them to all island schools titles in 1946 (Athletics) and 1956 (Netball).
Having received her training from the YMCA’s Physical Education Training College in Madras, she also lent her services to St. Bridget’s Convent Colombo as coach of the Netball and Athletics programs from 1944 – 1977 and is widely regarded as the person who introduced Netball to the school.
In a bid to make the athletics arena more competitive, she founded the Shamrocks Sports Club in 1957. Success followed as the club managed to clinch several national titles in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
In 1956 she became Ceylon’s 1st National Netball Captain, when she led the team against the touring Australians.
Having had an illustrious career as a schools Coach, she coached the National Netball team from 1976 – 1985 and was tasked with the coaching duties at the 6th World Netball Tournament in 1983 in Singapore.
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The accomplishments do not stop there. In 1994, she was elected President of the Netball Federation of Sri Lanka. She was a founding member of the Western Province Netball Association and a Past President and a member of the Sri Lanka Panel of Umpires.
Mrs. Rasquinho is known to have been a selfless individual who often offered her coaching services for no charge, the betterment of the sport and the individuals participating being her ultimate goal.
An icon of the game, her contribution to the sporting landscape of Sri Lanka will live on through those she touched during her time on court.
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