Cynthia Rasquinho (nee Ernst), the first woman to captain Sri Lanka in international Netball was laid to rest on Friday (19). She was 91 at the time of passing.
Rasquinho was first to captain a Ceylonese netball team which was against Australia in 1956. Her brother late L. P. Ernst an Old Peterite was the first to Captain Ceylonese Tennis team to Davis Cup. She was an excellent Sportswoman produced by Methodist College and she coached her alma mater and also St. Bridget’s Convent to Schools Netball Championships during the ‘50s.
St. Bridget’s was the first to win, an All-Island Schools Netball tournament in 1951 and in 1952 and then Methodist College won it in 1956.
She had a three-decade-long stint as the Teacher in Charge of Sports at St. Bridget’s Convent. Rasquinho was a former National Netball Coach and she was actively involved in promoting the game of Netball in Sri Lanka for a long time. Under her watchful eyes, many promising Netball players were nurtured during the 70s and ‘80s. She also became the President of Sri Lanka Netball Association in 1994.
