Dead rugby players were 'sold' class A drugs
Two English rugby players who died on tour in Sri Lanka had been sold heroin according evidence given at a magistrates' court in Colombo.
25-year-old Thomas Howard and 26-year-old Thomas Baty died in Sri Lanka after complaining of breathing difficulties following a visit to Cleopatra nightclub in the countries capital Colombo.
The two were on tour in the country with their Durham-based club Clems Pirates RFC last May.
The Colombo Fort magistrate Lanka Jayaratna has asked the police to investigate more and wants them to report back on August 3rd.
The team arrived in Sri Lanka on May 9th and played a match on May 12th against Ceylonese Rugby and Football Club in Colombo and some of the squad went to a nightclub afterwards.
In the aftermath of their deaths the President of Durham City Rugby Club, which oversees the team, revealed that the pair were suffering breathing difficulties.
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Local officials said two players reported breathing difficulties to hotel management at around 10am on Sunday morning after returning to the hotel in the early hours from a nightclub.
The team remained on tour to continue charity work that they had planned, in honour of the two players who lost their lives.
A statement on the club website said: "As a mark of respect to the deceased players (Thomas Howard, 25 and Tom Baty, 26) Clem’s Pirates will go ahead with their planned charity work and rugby kit donation in Galle before the end of the tour.
"The charity work and kit donation will involve providing eight school teams with much needed boots, gum shields and shirts. The work in Galle will continue the international charity work began by Clem’s Pirates in South Africa in 2004."
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Hey Finn, Well done to the Junior Wallabies…a win is a win but it was a wet and scrappy game. Would be interesting to hear your opinion on two things from watching the game at the Not So Sunny Coast Stadium. Firstly, what is your opinion on the rule change of being able to call The Mark from a kick off and what is the reason for the change? Secondly, your thoughts on the lack of action for the high tackle on the SA fullback. I understand the TMO ruled that he had fallen into the tackle and the tackler didn’t have time to adjust but it was clearly shoulder on head and the Aussie 11 had not made any attempt to adjust his tackle height leading into the tackle. In my opinion he was never going to get his tackle technique correct to complete a safe tackle. If that tackle was made at a more senior and more scrutinised level would we have seen the same result?
Go to commentsI don’t think this has been ventilated enough. Discuss. Perhaps the lessons in all of this is that, in the game of life, one should do all the talking on the field of play. And in the game of rugby, what’s said on the field - stays on the field. Take care of yourselves. And each other.
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