.

Break 15-year jinx
Pinto (110 n.o.), Perera (77) take Peterites to epic win over Royal

by Jatila Karawita
A splendid unbeaten knock of 110 by Peterite opener Suranga Pinto and an equally blistering innings of 77 from one drop bat Mahesh Perera who associated themselves in a match-winning 146-run partnership for the second wicket, steered St. Peter's College to an emphatic seven wicket win over a lacklustre Royal College in their Inter-School cricket fixture at Bambalapitiya yesterday.

Set a challenging target of 250 in 55 overs, the Peterites cantered home with 5.4 overs to spare, thus breaking a 15-year long jinx when they last tasted success over the Royalists by a similar margin under the leadership of Senarath Senevirathne at Reid Avenue in 1984. Peterites, who began their run chase at around 1.30 p.m. once the opposition had declared their second essay at 152 for 8 wickets, went after the Royal bowling akin to that of a house on fire, as Perera and Pinto laid the foundation for a memorable victory. In caviller style, the two experienced right handers matched each other run for run and stroke for stroke.

It was Mahesh Perera who initially took on the often erratic and wayward looking Royal attack with all guns blazing cracking an explosive 77 which came off as many balls and with 14 power-packed boundaries that ultimately knocked the stuffing out of the Royal bowlers and fielders who clearly wilted under the ferocious onslaught launched on them by the former and followed by Suranga Pinto. After the dismissal of Mahesh Perera, Pinto steadied the Peterite ship with some sensible batsmanship at no stage allowing the Royalists to get back to the stage. The duo was involved in a yet another vital 66 run stand for the third wicket with middle order bat Sean Gunasekera who too weighed in with a brisk 36 as the visitors were left to ponder what might have been but for their atrocious fielding at crucial stages.

Pinto, who eventually emerged out to be the match winner for the Bambalapitiya school, finally remained undefeated on a superlative 110 which took him 130 deliveries and studded with 11 scorching fours. Earlier, in the pre lunch session, the Royalists, who enjoyed a handy first innings lead of 97 runs over their rivals going into the second day's play, went after the home side's bowling with the intention of making an early declaration with a view to forcing a result. But what the Royalists did wrong was that they never bargained for the outstanding batting skills of the Peterite top order batters as they romped in spectacular style to a epic win to signal only their third triumph for the on-going Elephant Lemonade-Cup Inter-School cricket season.

* SCORES

Royal 218/6 wkts dec. 152/8 wkts dec. (Malinda Thotuwilage 49, Ruchira Jayasuriya 42, Amila Kariyakarawana 14, Harshana Rajakaruna 10 n.o., Crishantha Peries 4/48, K. Lokuarachchi 2/30).

St. Peter's 121 & 253/3 in 49.2 overs. (Suranga Pinto 110 n.o., Mahesh Perera 77, Sean Gunasekera 36, Angelo Fonseka 10, Kaushal Lokuarachchi 14 n.o.)

M
Jardine and Ranatunga-what is the difference?

by Mahinda Wijesinghe
The Australian media has done their utmost to destroy the image of the Sri Lankan cricketers, mainly that of Arjuna Ranatunga. It has been reported that a certain Australian radio station had, in fact, asked their listeners to boo the Sri Lankan skipper. Comparisons have been drawn, by an English scribe, between England skipper, Douglas Jardine, who was responsible for unleashing 'Bodyline' bowling in 1932-33 against Australia and Arjuna. True, the situation as then and now, created severely strained relations between the two countries due to tensions on the field and the two respective skippers, Jardine and Ranatunga, were at the buttend of hate, while two players Don Bradman then, and now, Muttiah Muralitharan were the two central players involved. What the single-minded Jardine endeavoured to - and succeeded - was the curtailment of Don Bradman's stupendous batting of the previous season (in 1930) in England. The Don bludgeoned the English bowlers to register a stupendous aggregate of 974 Test runs in 7 completed innings at an average of almost 140 runs per innings. No other batsman before or since has scored that many runs in a single Test series. So, Jardine set out to destroy Bradman's stupendous scoring propensities. A single man with a single purpose endeavouring to lock horns with another of his own ilk. Naturally, the sparks flew.

LETTING LOOSE A PACK OF FAST BOWLERS

Of course, the patrician English skipper did not broadcast to the world what his plans were. Yet, when the England tour squad had more than the usual quota of pacemen, there were dark forbodings of what could possibly be in store. Jardine let loose his pack of fast bowlers as a hunter would his hounds, on the Australian batsmen, the main target being Bradman. Jardine posted a ring of fielders around the leg-side - there was no restriction of fielders being placed on the leg-side at that time - and ordered his pace bowlers, led by Harold Larwood, to bowl at the batsman's body. If the batsman, remember there wasn't much protective equipment batsman of that time wore, escaped injury by the rearing ball they would end up nudging a catch to the inner ring of fielders or to the couple manning the fence. True, it made run-getting very, very difficult especially when England bowlers of the calibre of Larwood, Bowes and Voce, who were not only fast but were accurate, operated. Bradman's average for that series was reduced to a mere mortal 56 runs/innings. A figure which would have satisfied most top batsmen, but then Bradman was above that. Importantly, Jardine's campaign was successful as England won the series 4-1.

WAS PREMEDITATION A KEY FACTOR?

The essential difference between the two incidents however was that umpires were not involved in the Jardine/Bradman confrontation. Most Australian writers try to make out that umpire Ross Emerson is simply interpreting the Law as he seems fit, a man who was on 'stress' leave from his workplace for the past 8 weeks. But the events preceding his actions seem as if there was more than what meets the eye. For starters, when Muralitharan was 'called', his action did not appear to be any different from how he delivered previously in that spell. So, premeditation appeared to tinge his decision.

FROM BONDI BEACH TO THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

Prior to the commencement of the Sri Lankan tour, the Australian media had embarked on such an anti- Muralitharan campaign, that from every beachcomber surfing the Bondi beach to those tuxedoed types patronising the Sydney Opera House were prejudiced about the off-spinner's action. Dhammika Ranatunga, the CEO of the Sri Lankan Cricket Board, we are informed, made a special trip to Australia in an attempt to douse the fires before the tour began. Judging by what transpired subsequently it served very little or no purpose.

SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO STAND

The public was not informed that umpires of the calibre of David Shepherd, Steve Bucknor and 'Dickie' Bird and 37 other good men and true, wearing the white coat had passed Muralitharan as fair. It also escaped the gentlemen from the fourth estate to inform their readers that a high-powered sub-committee of nine eminent cricketing personalities, comprising of one of their own kind, appointed by the ICC had previously scrutinised the Sri Lankan's action and did the same. Not for them to enlighten the public that an umpire has the option of reporting a suspicious action to the Match Referee who, in turn, will pass such observations to the ICC for appropriate action. If an umpire is unwilling to accept the authority of the ICC he should not stand in a match played under their auspices. But, then it was after such reports that Muralitharan was 'passed' previously.

EMERSON, THE SCAPEGOAT - MEDIA THE CULPRIT

No, the media stoked the fire, as a result of which the whole edifice of the game toppled. As the respected English scribe, Peter Roebuck commenting the day after Emerson 'called' Muralitharan, said: "Never in its 122 years of existence has Australian umpiring stood lower than it did last night." The scapegoat was Emerson but the culprit was the media.

DID THE AUSTRALIAN BOARD DO IT RIGHT?

True, the umpire still has the right to 'call' a bowler. But, the circumstances surrounding this case stinks. Why did the Australian Cricket Board appoint two umpires who had both previously 'called' Muralitharan in a match not involving the Australians? It took a lot of 'persuasion' for Hair, another material factor in this whole sordid affair, to be sidelined despite his blatant transgression of the ICC's Code of Conduct. Going back a bit further, despite abject performances during the 1995-96 World series by Hair and Randall - the latter is currently facing a series of charges of alleged sexual assaults on minors - the Australian Cricket Board appointed them as the representatives to the International Panel of Umpires. Of course, everybody knows how the ACB handled the 'bribe' matter of Waugh and Warne, and then - as compensation! - appointed Warne as the national captain. Standards not on par with the game of cricket.

PETER ROEBUCK'S VIEW OF THE OTHER SIDE

On the other side of the coin, is the fact that as a result of all these shenanigans and the incompetence of our administrators, skipper Ranatunga paid the price. The Aussies 'hate' Arjuna because the skipper gives them better than he receives. In effect, he is better at their own game. Yet, as Peter Roebuck observed: "Arjuna Ranatunga also deserves censure. He has put himself above the remedies of the game. Remedies accepted by his own country. If he is no longer under the authority of his Board, then it's a poor day for Sri Lankan cricket. If he himself is the authority, then it's a worse day. Ranatunga is widely respected and deservedly so but he has gone too far. In protecting his players he has tried to take over the running of a match. He ought to accept his punishment with grace......."

OUR MEDIA MUST RECIPROCATE NOT SUPPLICATE

Ranatunga has contributed in no small measure in Sri Lanka achieving a niche in international cricket. The least, the local media can reciprocate is by not only heaping praise when it is due but also advising him when his single-minded dedication to duty or his protective attitude towards his players may precipitate him to hot water. He must not be allowed to carry the can alone.

REFLECTIONS
Avishka, Tilan come good

by Srian Obeyesekere
A near two month long lay off for master batsman Sanath Jayasuriya by injury has been a big setback for Sri Lanka. This would mean that the hard hitting left handed Jayasuriya, who set new heights in one-day cricket, would be out of action throughout before the World Cup in England. His retirement through an injury to his right hand in Sri Lanka's triangular match against England at Perth when he was in full flight as it is saw what looked like a certain victory for Sri Lanka with Jayasuriya on a 49-ball half century turn to defeat when a rising delivery struck his wrist. With Jayasuriya sidelined, Sri Lanka also went out of contention in the Carlton and United Triangular, adding to the team's woes which started with the no balling off spinner Muttiah Muralitheran. This led to Skipper, Arjuna Ranatunga being on the mat. His career on the line with the ICC's Match Referee, Peter Van der Merwe fining and imposing a suspended ban and warning Ranatunga.

While Jayasuriya's services are badly missed, it would enable some of the youngsters like Avishka Gunawardena to impress the selectors. Gunawardena, also a hard hitting opening batsman in the Jayasuriya mould, who has to his credit a whirlwind half century against the Indians and a century at the Commonwealth Games last year, did come up with a fairly good innings in Sri Lanka's victory against England at Sydney last Wednesday. Although the former Anandian and SSC batsman is yet to measure to Jayasuriya's high standard, Gunawardena has similar talent. Talent which the Coach, Roy Dias and Manager, Ranjith Fernando should look to fully develop.

Like Gunawardena, off spinner Tilan Samaraweera, who filled in the vacancy of Muttiah Muralitheran also sidelined by injury, showed much flair, winning the ÔMan of the Match' award with a 3-wicket haul which bamboozled the English batsmen who are known to be weak against spin bowling.

The Sri Lankan cricketing authorities should look to nurture such talent so that there would be no surfeit of players once the seniors decide to retire. Gunawardena and Samaraweera, with the limited exposure given to them have showed that there is the talent at hand. That is up to the Coach and Manager as well as the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka, to further develop the available talent.

Kandy Schools take major honours

Hafiz Marikar Kandy Sports Corr.
In the hills three inter school matches took off to start, with Kandy schools taking major honours.

* At Asgiriya - Wesley College, taking the first turn against the Trinitians were out for 161 runs with R. Wijetunge top scoring with a solid 86 runs, N. Balasuriya made 28. C. Aluthgae took 4 for 44. Trinitians in reply were 84 for 2, with A. Imbuldeniya unbeaten on 50.

* At Katugastota, Antonian skipper Suranga Pinnaduwa after winning the toss sent in Antonians to take the first lease of the wicket and used his bowlers well to bowl out the Anandians for 184 runs, in 73.1 overs. Skipper Jithendra Perera top scored with 36 runs, Sanjaya Bandara was unbeaten on 28, Prasad Jayawardene and Suranga Pinnaduwa took three wickets each while Nafees Nizam and Nuwan Senarathmudali took two wickets each.

St. Anthony's were 67 for 2 at close of play, with a third wicket partnership of 63 runs coming from Supun Mutugoda 28 not out and Roshan Deen 31 not out.

* At Lake View, Rajans were sitting pretty after they sent the Nalandians reeling for 65 for 6 in reply to the Rajans 164 for 9.

Rajans made 164 losing 9 wickets, where Yasa Jayasundara did his best to score 43, Kelum Gangodawela took 4/50.

Nalandians were struggling at 65 for 6. N. Wickremarathne took 3 for 19 and N. Ekanayake 2/0,

Wesley 161 (R. Wijetunge 86, N. Balasuriya 28. S. Selvakumar 2/26, C. Aluthgae 4/24, Kaushaliya Weeraratne 1/36.

Trinity 84 for 2 at close - A. Imbuldeniya 50 n.o., Kaushaliya Weeraratne 11 not out).

Ananda - 184 (Jithendra Perera 36, Maduranga Mallwarachchi 12, Thilina Kandambi 11, Akalanka Ganegama 18, Sanjaya Bandara 28 n.o, Suranga Pinnaduwa 3/49, Prasad Jayawardena 3/43, Nafees Nizam 2/15, Nuwan Senarathmudali 2/30.

St. Anthony's 67 for 2 at close (Roshan Deen 31 n.o., Supun Muthugoda 28 n.o.

Dharmaraja 164 for 9 Decl. (Yasa Jayasundara 43, H. Rathnayake 25, C. Wickremanayake 19, Sunil Ranasinghe 16, Asanka Marapane 14, D. Ariyadasa 14, N. Wickremarthne 11 n.o., Kelum Ganagodawela 4/50, Dilhan Jayasundara 3/52.)

Nalanda 65/6 at close (Mevan Porage 15, Pradeep Hadigalle 13, Viranga Perera 10, N. Wickremarthne 3/19, N. Ekanayake 2/0.

Thomians in command

S. Thomas College, Mt. Lavinia made 259 for seven wickets before declaring. St. Joseph's made 139 for three wickets at close in their inter-school cricket encounter worked off at Darley Road,

Thomians wicket keeper batsman Zakir Kanaka who made 92 was unlucky to miss his maiden century. Gihan Fernando scored 77. Both these players struck twelve boundaries each while adding 115 runs together for the fourth wicket.

Ishan Hettiarachchi was the most successful Josephian bowler to finish with 4/50 while skipper Roshan de Silva took 2 for 49.

St. Joseph's opener Ian Danial made a brisk 74 with seven fours and four sixes while Dilanka Perera who made 48 had three fours. Danial and Perera were associated in a 99 runs second wicket stand.

Thomian paceman Lakmal Fernando bowled well to grab three wickets giving away 28 runs.

Scores:

S. Thomas' 259 for seven wickets declared (Zakir Kanaka 92, Gihan Fernando 77, Meshad Pieris 21, Ishan Hettiarachchi 4/50, Roshan de Silva 2/49).

St. Joseph's 139 for three wickets at close. (Ian Danial 74, Dilanka Perera 48, Lakmal Fernando 3/28.) - (DR)

Premier League Cricket Championships
Arnold and Hewage post record opening partnership

by Althaf Nawaz
NCC openers Russel Arnold and Pradeep Hewage went on the rampage to post a record opening stand of 215 runs to end the day at 352 for four wickets against SSC in their Premier League Cricket Championship match at Maitland Place

Batting first on a ideal batting track, NCC batsmen scored run at will against the barren SSC attack. Skipper Arnold stroked a swashbuckling 122 inclusive of one towering six and 18 well timed boundaries. His opening partner, Hewage played another classic knock of 84 with eight fours.

Naveed Nawaz consolidated on from the solid start and was unbeaten on 70. He brisk innings consisted of two towering sixes and six fours. The other in-form batsman Ruwan Kalpage was unbeaten on 33 with three hits to the ropes.

Suresh Perera (jr.) two for 139 and Sanjeewa Ranatunga two for 47.

Even exchanges
Exchanges were even at Maitland Cresent with Bloomfield making 64 for four wickets in reply to CCC's first inning total of 142 all out.

Taking first lease of the wicket hosts CCC were bundled out for a meagre 142 with Damitha Hunukumbura top scoring with 48 while Romesh Fernando chiiped in with a timely 33. Leg spinner Priyankara Wickremasinghe who bowled a marathon spell against Moors SC last week, captured four key wickets for 43 runs.

Bloomfield in reply lost four early wickets. Taraka Gunaratne was unbeaten on 26 while Indika Gallage accounted two wickets.

Colts in command
Colts CC were placed in a commanding position of 69 for the loss of one wicket after dismissing BRC for 124 runs at Havelock Town. Taking first lease of the wicket, BRC innings collapsed dramatically. Veteran Duminda Perera top scored with 38 and D. Madurapperuma chipped in with 24 runs. Seamers Eric Upashantha (2-44) and Ishara Amarasinghe (5-28) put the skids on BRC.

Colts in reply were 69 for the loss one wicket.

Sebastianites clobber 485/4 wkts

From Reggie Goonewardene,Our Moratuwa Sports Corr.
Three centuries from Sanjeewa Silva (131), Manoj Mendis (139 n.o.) and Nimesh Perera (100 n.o.) enabled Sebestianites to pile up a huge first innings total of 485 for four wickets declared over Antonians at De Soyza Stadium, Moratuwa yesterday.

Resuming from their overnight total of 370 for four wickets declared, Sebestianites fifth wicket pair of Mendis and Perera guided them to post the highest team total for this season. Mendis' innings consisted of one six and 10 boundaries while Perera had two sixes and 16 fours in his 96-ball century.

Antonians were 173 for five wickets at the close of play on day two.

* Scores:

Sebestianites 370 for 4 wkts overnight, 485 for 4 wkts, decl. (T. M. Dilshan 45, S. K. Silva 20, Ranga Yasalal 51, S. Silva 31, M. Mendis 139 n.o., N. Perera 100 n.o.)

Antonians 173 for 5 wkts at close (P. Siriwardena 27, B. Ekanayake 55, A. Hettiarachchi 26, M. Hettiarachchi 25 n.o., N. Perera 3/45).

Need of the hour is not foreigners, but 24-hour athletes: Maiya

Rugby football in Sri Lanka seems to be at the crossroads after two years of intense activity under the dynamic leadership of Dr. Maiya Gunasekera, who relinquishes the reins as president of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union later this month.


Dr. Gunasekera		 It has been a period where Sri Lanka’s rugby rose to great heights but also descended to the lowest depths. A period during which players gained tremendous international exposure - featuring in some 10 tournaments including the Rugby World Cup (RWC) qualifiers - but produced a mixed bag of results inconsistent with the talent possessed and the expectations of a nation where the sport enjoys a high profile.

After Sri Lanka became the first holders of the Neighbours Cup quadrangular tournament involving Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia, and nearly kept out Chinese Taipei from the final round of the RWC qualifiers from Asia, there were high hopes that Sri Lanka would crown themselves with glory at the Asiad in the absence of the big four. But hosts Singapore, coached by former Wallaby great David Campese dashed Sri Lanka’s fond dreams. Then they were made to eat humble pie at the Commonwealth Games ‘Sevens’ competition by Malaysia, who were the hosts this time. At the Asian Games in Bangkok, the ruggerites failed to deliver their promise to bring back a bronze medal which went to Taipei.

The old order also gave way to the new with long standing captain Priyantha Ekanayake who led the country in a record four Asiads, hanging up his boots after the RWC qualifiers, leaving a big vacuum on the playing field. Viraj Prasantha, a relative newcomer was thrust to lead the side in the 15s while Sudath Sampath was discarded as ‘Sevens’ skipper in favour of Indrajith Bandaranayake, who made a welcome return to Sri Lanka.

With the SLRFU now taking the drastic measure of banning foreigners from participating in the domestic circuit, the question that needs to be asked is whither Sri Lanka rugby? We asked the man who was at the helm during a momentous period in the history of the game, whether rugby in Sri Lanka was back to square one and whether it could survive in the future especially in the professional era.

Dr. Maiya Gunasekera, a former national player himself in both versions of the game, was of the considered opinion that contrary to the popular perception rugby in country is alive and kicking. "In 7s it is not that our standard has dropped but during the last couple of years, Malaysia and Thailand concentrated more on 7s. That’s why we hammer them in the 15s because they can’t match our big forwards. Now we will have to work on both 7s and 15s," he said when asked about Sri Lanka’s loss to Malaysia at the Commonwealth Games. "True we lost to Malaysia. But 27-21 is indicative of a good match. We made a few mistakes. Even against Papua New Guinea we went down 34-17 and led 14-12 against Taiwan at the beginning of the second half," he argued.

"We are OK as far as 7s rugby is concerned. We have some of the best runners in (M.J.M.) Mushtaq and ‘Banda’ (Bandaranayake) while Niloufer Ibrahim played extremely well on debut. Now they’ve got exposure. We should do well in the forthcoming Hong Kong 7s," he predicted with confidence.

He attributed their failure at the Asian Games to a lack of recovery time between matches from injury. "Our target was to beat Taiwan and win a bronze. We beat Thailand 18-6. They were a vastly improved side and according to me we actually won 6-0. Thailand had 70 per cent possession but we tackled and defended extremely well. Focus was 100 per cent. But 48 hours before that we met Korea and Taiwan was the fourth match of the tournament," he explained.

According to his diagnosis, when two physically strong teams meet players get battered and bruised but the recovery period is not enough. "Players are getting stronger by taking high protein nutrients and injuries are very severe. That’s why I have recommended that we must play more knock out tournaments because in all Asian tournaments because of financial constraints, they are forced to play three to four matches within eight days," he observed.

He has recommended to the Asian Rugby Football Union that ideally the Asiad should be held like the Five-Nations tournament which is spread out over a month.

Nonetheless, he noted that it was a case of missed opportunities against Taiwan. "We got at least four scoring opportunities but scored only once either because we chose the wrong options or made handling errors whereas Taiwan grabbed all the half chances," he said.

However the bottom line, he said, was the lack of interval between matches. "In a one-off match we can beat Taiwan or come close like we did during the RWC qualifier which we lost 31-27 in extra-time. In the Asiad final too, Singapore who got a walk over from Thailand were raring to go because they were fresh whereas Sri Lanka went into the game after expending their energy against Malaysia and China," he explained. In the Asian players in the calibre of Asoka Jayasena and Manjula Pathirana were carrying injuries.

Asked how the situation could be rectified, he hoped the SLRFU Tournament Committee would stage two knock out tournaments, perhaps with the second round of the league being finished off within a week.

"We must plan from now because our players need to improve skills in threequarters and also be able to recover between matches even in two days. I would advise all clubs to expect players to train the following day of a match. There has to be a professional approach. Players must be in readiness because we have 3-4 tours a year," he commented.

On the question of players seeking monetary benefits when it comes to choice of clubs, the outgoing SLRFU chief was not against professionalism and players switching clubs as long as they keep fit, look after their body and are available to play for Sri Lanka.

He also dismissed the notion that spectator interest would drop with the banning of foreigners. "We can now compete with foreigner. We have to be geared to play every other day. Perhaps we should get foreign expertise to evolve game plans and training techniques. The need of the hour is not foreigners but to become a 24-hour athletes," he said.

Sounding a note of warning, he revealed that the player base in the country must increase. "Taiwan have a national squad of 60. We need 2-3 players for each position. We have only 25 in the top bracket which must be doubled," he said noting that top schoolboys were not inclined to continue their rugby careers although their was much to look forward to. He said it was a cause for concern that Central Province which has 7-8 schools has only one top club. "They must have more clubs to provide the players more opportunities although ironically they recruit players from Colombo to beef up their strength."

He pointed out that during their playing days, they had only one tour.

"Now players can look forward to three or four tournaments. The quadrangular is there every year, the Asiad every two years and the Australian tour," he said. "They have enough incentives and encouragement."

On the controversy regarding referees, he said strong action should be taken against officials who criticise referees at matches in future. "They are better than anybody in the region and come only second to Japan," he said.

Asked about development plans, he said they have an operational support scheme for coaches who are appointed by provincial Unions. The SLRFU has been able to maintain financial discipline if one goes by their bank account. "Despite all the tours undertaken, we have Rs.5.5 million in deposits," he said.

Asked to described what had been achieved during his stewardship, Dr. Gunasekera stated: "I got support from everyone. We went for about 10 tournaments in two years. We managed to raise funds for all tours and save Rs. 5.5 million. The players got foreign exposure like they have never got before. This should encourage more players to continue their careers. Players can look forward to more tours and more opportunities to don national colours.

"Winning is important but losing will teach lessons for life if you display the highest spirit of sportsmanship. In the region we are now a force to be reckoned with countries having the utmost regard for officials and players. As an administrator I can’t play or coach. But I ensured players got maximum exposure."

He expressed his gratitude to vice president Anton Benedict, Associate coach Ajith Abeyratne, National coach Ana Saranapala for doing an excellent job and last but not least Sports Minister S.B. Dissanayake "for helping me to get rugby in the Games which is now a permanent fixture."

"The new national coach Nimal Lewke has got a very clear idea of what is expected of him in the next two years," he concluded. Lewke has onerous task indeed.

I knew as soon as it hit that it was broken, says Sanath

Injured Sri Lankan star Sanath Jayasuriya will sit out his side’s next series to guarantee his fitness for the World Cup.

The opening batsman flew into Melbourne yesterday and headed straight for Victoria House private hospital where surgeons inserted a plate in his fractured right arm.

The bone, cracked just above his wrist, has moved slightly but not separated, meaning a faster rate of recovery.

Jayasuriya retired hurt with a quick-fire 50 against his name in Sri Lanka’s one-day loss to Australia in Perth on Sunday, after being struck by a rising Brendon Julian delivery.

With his protective arm shield out of position, a slight gap between the guard and his batting glove left Jayasuriya’s forearm at the mercy of the unpredictable WACA pitch.

"I knew as soon as it hit that it was broken," Jayasuriya said.

The arm shield was just up too high, I had been trying to pull it down during the match, but it had crept up again and left that gap of about three inches.

"The ball did hit the arm shield too, but it hit the arm at the same time.

"The way the ball bounced up, that gap was enough.

"Right from the first ball the ball had been keeping down and jumping up with uneven bounce. You can’t say it was a good wicket."

With his Australian tour now over, Jayasuriya said he might sacrifices Sri Lanka’s upcoming Test series against India and Pakistan to gain full fitness before the World Cup in May. "They said it will take four weeks, so it is better than I expected because we thought it would be about six," he said.

"We can start (strengthening) work straight away, so that will speed things up.

"I think it will probably put me out for the Asian Championship. They are starting at the end of February. It might be wiser to let it heal before the World Cup. "The doctor said I had to wait four or five days to see how it reacts, then it will be up to management to decide whether I will stay on (in Australia) or not."

Jayasuriya had X-rays in Perth on Sunday night, but team officials decided to postpone surgery until yesterday in Melbourne so he could link with the rest of the Sri Lankan squad.- ‘Herald Sun’

Go karting now in vogue

Go karting, seen as the stepping stone to motor racing, is being promoted in a big way in Sri Lanka by enthusiasts who are striving to further develop motor racing here. The Ceylon Motor Sports Club, the pioneers in this field and SLARDAR are jointly conducting go karting meets on a regular basis. These enthusiasts claimed that leading motor racing international figures such as world champion, Michael Schumacher also took to go karting in-between championships to be in good nick.

Go karting enables drivers to sustain their momentum, according to Richard de Zoysa of De Zoysa Organisation (Security Service) who is one of the organisers of go karting meets along with Surein Cook of Ceylon Motor Sports Club. Tracing its history, Zoysa said that go karting commenced in Sri Lanka since 1982 at Independence Square.

He said that locally, there were about 52 go karts registered with their clubs. He also said that he was also promoting local drivers to develop their skills through foreign participation.

"We are doing our best to have some of our local talent sent overseas for training", added Zoysa who noted that one of the biggest constraints was not having enough racing tracks in Sri Lanka. "We have only Katukurunda. We are endeavouring to have all local clubs to come forward to build a track which could also cater to international rallies and meets. We need sponsors as well", he quipped adding that the sport could match up to international standards only with motor racing being further intensified locally.

Zoysa said that local talent would also receive a boost with the conducting of a Formula-I meet from this year where India, Singapore and Malaysia would also be competing. "Basically, mechanics are talented like what caddies are to golf. We intend taking them under our wing and nurturing them", said Zoysa who added that he was also looking forward to promoting pro karting which is also similar to go karting. Zoysa, who is jointly fostering this sport along with another enthusiast, Pradeep Jayewardene, said that pro karting meets were being conducted by the duo who made available their own pro karts to competitors. Internationally as well there are competitors for meets conducted at the Alcatraz Restaurant car park. There is no age limit. The minimum age is 10 years for a competitor. It also helps in nurturing drivers by disciplining them. What we need is the infrastructure to provide basic necessities for drivers to reach "international standards", he further said.

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‘Sledging’ is not what it was meant to be - Ian Chappell

by Mahinda Wijesinghe
Sledging" is now a term used in international cricket when players indulge in needling the opposition verbally in order to upset them mentally. Though, former Australian skipper, Ian Chappell, hotly contests the origin. More of it later. Indeed, some current players claim that it is actually a part of the game and if you are not man enough to ‘cop’ it, you should not be playing at international level. Not that what is said on a cricket field need be repeated at a ladies’ tea-party without raising eyebrows, but what should better be said in Joe’s Bar at sundown amongst a few inebriated cowpokes, should be best left in the bar-room. Cricket was meant to be played by gentlemen not by journeymen mercenaries willing to adopt any method merely to collect the prize-money, or, as it appears the case now, be a pawn in the hands of bookmakers.

Hughes, Dickie Bird & the ‘Nice’- Mr. Hick
However, some of the so-called incidents of ‘sledging’ are actually hilarious. These incidents involve the apparently bellicose Australian fast bowler, Merv Hughes, who vainly tried to portray a macho image as well. Once, Hughes had been ‘sledging’ England batsman Graeme Hick incessantly, and umpire ‘Dickie’ Bird intervened with the immortal words: "Mervyn, Mervyn, those are terrible things to say. What has that nice Mr. Hick ever done to you?"

Hughes and English batsmen
Hughes says this story against himself. Referring to former England captain Mike Atherton as a ‘tough character’ and not be fooled by his ‘choir-boy’ looks, Hughes maintains that Atherton ‘was not averse to a conversation out in the middle’. But, he (Atherton) could not get through to him (Hughes) because the England batsman was ‘far too intelligent’. Admits the candid Hughes: "Most of what Atherton said went clear over my head." Similar to the comment made by another former Australian fast bowler, Rodney Hogg, about England skipper Mike Brearley, who happened to be an intellectual with a degree in psychology as well: "Brearley," said Hogg "has a degree about people." Simple people are these fast bowlers!

Then, there was the confrontation Hughes had with England batsman Robin Smith. Smith played and missed a couple of deliveries from Hughes. "Smith, you can’t - bat" snarled the moustachioed Hughes. Next ball, Smith crashed it to the boundary. Wandering down the pitch, Smith purred: "Make a good pair don’t we? I can’t...- bat, and you can’t - bowl!"

Viv Richards and Jonathan Agnew
The confrontation between former West Indian ‘great’, Viv Richards, and England pace bowler now turned commentator, Jonathan Agnew, is also worth repeating. This incident had occurred when the two locked hands during the English county championships when Richards played for Somerset and Agnew donned the Leicestershire colours somewhere in the early ‘80’s. As when Hughes ‘beat’ Robin Smith, Agnew did the same to Richards and made the mistake of telling the great man: "You know Viv, what you are searching for is red and its round." Richards bristled but kept his cool. The next ball Richards sent it soaring clean out of the ground and into an adjoining field where a frantic search was now being made for the ball. After a couple of minutes lapsed, Richards walked down the pitch, looked Agnew in the eye and said: "You know its red and round, why don’t you help find the bloody thing?"

What Daya Sahabandu told a batsman
Finally, here’s a similar incident which took place whilst I was in school involving one of Sri Lanka’s greatest bowlers of not so long ago, the left-arm-pace-cum-spin bowler, Daya Sahabandu. ‘Bandu’, as he was popularly known, was bowling left-arm pace in the college nets to a batsman who will remain nameless for obvious reasons. The batsman was hopelessly beaten three times in a row and simply stood baffled. ‘Bandu’ looks at the batsman with his balmy smile and inquires: "-, is the bat and ball angry?" "What do you mean?" asks the bemused batsman. "Because they are refusing to meet!" shoots back ‘Bandu’, who is normally not known for being especially good at repartee.

These incidents simply raise a laugh, not orly - at least when the dust has settled - amongst those concerned but also when related to others. These exchanges can be classified even as fairly, raucous banter. But, what goes on today, although, the presence of the Match Referee in international games must be having a salutary effect, is bordering on virulent. No doubt, it is the money at the end of it all which must be the catalyst for these ugly words. Invective with reference to the player’s race/lineage or doubting the legal matrimony of the player’s parents is usually hurled on the field when modern cricketers are on a cricket field. Sad.

Don Bradman and Walter Hammond
Compare this to what happened when there was a hotly disputed catch amongst players, spectators and writers during the first Ashes Test in 1946-47 after cricket resumed at the end of hostilities of World War II. The venue was Brisbane, and Bradman had just recovered from an illness and there were doubts whether the great man would play the entire series if he failed in this game, a matter hotly contested by Bradman - but that’s another story. Anyway, when Bradman’s score stood at 28, he played a ball off Voce, and in at slip claimed a ‘catch’. Not given ‘out’ by umpire Borwick. Bradman went on to score 187, which eventually contributed to a massive Australian win by an innings and 332 runs. At the end of the over, when Hammond, the England skipper, walked past Bradman, he has reportedly commented: "This is a bloody fine way to start a series". However, Hammond later conceded, in a day and age when there were no Third Umpires "Of course, the umpire may have been right and we may have been wrong." And, this was concerned an ‘incident’!

The origin of the word ‘sledging’
Coming back to the origin of the word ‘sledging’. According to Chappell, the word was coined in the early ‘60’s. This is how it began. During a domestic first-class game involving New South Wales and South Australia team there had been a parry in pace bowler Graham Corling’s - known amongst his mates as Ilbe - hotel room. One of the players however had to leave the party for an appointment and returned just as a waitress too came to the room with a tray of drinks. By now, the party had finished and the players were now deep in discussion about the play next day. "What happened to the party?" inquired the latecomer. "It’s all up" replied Corling who never wasted words. The late-comer looked at Corling while the redfaced waitress fidgeted, and mumbled: " Ilbe, you are as subtle as a sledgehammer!" Arising from this incident, Corling acquired the nickname ‘Percy’. Why Percy? Because, says Chappell, at that time one of the big hits in Australia was a song by Percy Sledge - ‘When a man loves a woman’. From that moment, if anybody commits a faux pas in front of a lady, it was said to be a ‘sledge’. That is how it all began. But, Chappell says: "Because of the ill-informed and poorly sourced scribblings of a few English and Australian cricket writers, it is now incorrectly defined...."

Bridge teams to take wing

Two Bridge teams will leave for International events this month. Their Youth team will participate in the World Zonal Championships in Cairo from 15 to 20 this month. The hosts Eygept, Bridge Federation will provide hospitality. The Lankan Federation will have to find the airfare and they are looking forward for assistance from the Sports Minister S. B. Dissanayake. A good number of 12 countries from Asia, Africa and Arabia will take part in this event.

The second team will vie for the SAARC championships which will be held in Bangladesh. BFSL President Bandula Senaweera said that these two tours will give his players tremendous exposure, for future events. ‘We must thank sports minister for his assistance" he said.

Open and Ladies National teams from Sri Lanka will take part in the SAARC Bridge Championships in Dacca from 4 to 9th February.

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