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Lankan Manager says batsmen threw their wickets

Bernard Perera reporting from Sharjah
Sri Lanka’s pathetic batting display which cost them their second match against Pakistan came in for much ridicule by team Manager, Chandra Schaffter. Needing a modest 197 runs to win after the bowlers and fielders had done a superb job to restrict the strong Pakistani batting line-up to 196, Sri Lanka’s batsmen threw their wickets while failing to make the most of a solid foundation laid by Romesh Kaluwitharana and Russel Arnold who put on 115 runs for the second wicket.

Said the Lankan Manager," Our batsmen should have batted in a more responsible manner. They really threw their wickets away".

Meanwhile, full credit to Pakistani Captain, Wasim Akram who did not give up in the face of defeat. Akram used his bowlers in such a way that he pressurised the Lankan batsmen as the side catapulted from a strong position of 157 for 1 wicket to 196 all out. It gave Pakistana tie and three points from two matches to maintain their lead in the Coca Cola triangular series.

For Abdul Razzaq it was a great match with the pace bowler going on to win the ‘Man of the Match’ award for his fine bowling performance which earned him 5 wickets for 31 runs.

Sri Lanka will go into today’s game against the West Indies where they will need to put on a better show in the batting department if they are to stay in the tournament further. In both previous games Lankans middle order fared miserably which resulted in losing to Windies and level scores with Pakistan collect the single point.

In the other department the team performed well, specially the fielders who made many attractive saves to reduce the run flow.

The management’s decision to play Suresh Perera instead of Upul Chandana failed to produce the desired results in both aspects. So it is time to think twice whether to play three pacemen or not.

It is understood that the final XI will be chosen before the game.

West Indies will be innings minus one of their regulars Gimmy Adams who suffered a knee injury during the game against Pakistan on Thursday and has been advised by doctors to rest for three weeks.

When ‘The Island’ contacted Clive Lloyd, the Manager of the West Indies team, he said that today’s game is vital for them. "We have to play serious specially against Sri Lanka. They are a team that can come up from the bottom at any time and end up as winners. They have done this many a time", he said.

When asked who will replace the injured Adams, Lloyd declined to name the probable candidate and added that a few changes may be made but the final XI would be named prior to the game.

C O M M E N T
New label, old song?

by Srian Obeyesekere
Sri Lanka’s new found winning streak, under the new label of Sanath Jayasuriya and with the much talked of new label of new blood, lost it all in a blinding streak of indiscretion as 9 wickets crumbled for a mere 19 runs as Pakistan clawed back to turn near defeat to victory in the Sharjah desert grounds on Friday. From 157 for 1 wicket, Sri Lanka crashed to 196 all out as Abdul Razzaq took over from Wasim Akram in wreaking a havoc of reverse swing the Sharjah track offered as the shine of the ball wore off in a drama filled final session.

It was one of the most inept batting performances by the Lankan top order which failed to capitalise on what was a match winning second wicket foundation of 115 runs laid by Romesh Kaluwitharana and Russel Arnold as our batsmen wilted in the face of a back to the wall fightback by the Pakistani bowlers. The Sri Lankan team Manager, Chandra Schaffter has blamed his batsmen.

But what matters is did this Lankan outfit carry the much talked of change our cricket wrung out not so long ago in cleaning up the old stables? Upul Chandana, a one-day specialist was overlooked. Pramodya Wickramasinghe, known to generate much movement and swing with the ball was overlooked while Nuwan Zoysa, who failed to have enough wickets in front of his name, was persisted with in both matches and a wayward Suresh Perera got the nod. Chamara Silva, despite failing in the game against the West Indies was retained overlooking a more tried and tested Chandana which is questionable. To Chandana’s credit is that in his recent innings, the right hander has made a telling impact since Sri Lanka’s tour of Australia last year. He figured in a match winning partnership with Mahela Jayawardene when Sri Lanka made over 300 runs to beat England in a triangular series match. While Wickramasinghe has been one of Sri Lanka’s most successful one-day bowlers in recent tournaments, his going wicketless against the West Indies in fairness to him was that he was brought on far too late. Has the talented batsman Indika de Saram also found himself confined to the substitute bench?

Is it that it is strong ties and not the criteria of merit that matter in team selections despite the much talked of changes?

Dharmasena fans claim their hero has been forgotten

Also doing the rounds is what has happened to allrounder Kumar Dharmasena, one of Sri Lanka’s most successful first change bowlers who contributed much to Sri Lanka’s World Cup triumph in 1996?

It is understood that Dharmasena, who lost his place consequent to his bowling action being reported to the International Cricket Council (ICC), had video footage of his action reviewed by the review committee of suspect actions of bowlers. Dharmasena fans claim that the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) is not moving in the matter to have Dharmasena cleared. They claim that despite the ICC raising the issue before the 1999 World Cup, the administration had fallen back on the matter.

However, an official of the BCCSL’s Interim Committee when contacted by the ‘Sunday Island’, assured that Dharmasena had not been written off. But that the ICC review committee had gone through a recent footage and aired its dissatisfaction. That consequently the interim committee had appointed a committee headed by Ranjan Madugalle to study Dharmasena’s bowling action and liase with the ICC.

Four-Nation Junior Squash Tourney
Cooray and Nanayakkara win first round matches

By Dhammika Ratnaweera
Sri Lanka’s Kavinda Cooray and R. S. D. S. Nanayakkara chalked up wins against India’s Sachin Obaid and Ishan Balvani respectively in the Four-Nation Junior Squash Tournament which got underway at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium yesterday.

Nineteen year old Cooray, the fifth seed in the under-19 category made a clean sweep

Beating Obaid 9-0,9-0,9-0 to enter the boy’s under-19 quarter finals.

In the boy’s under-13 event, unseated R. S. D. S. Nanayakkara registered an upset victory over the Indian, seventh seed Ishan Balvani in what turned out to be a hectic four setter. Nanayakkara won 9-5,4-9,9-1,9-0 to enter the quarter finals.

Meanwhile, in an all Sri Lankan affair, Navin Samarasinghe had it easy against Kushan Jayawardene whom he demolished 9-0,9-2,9-0 in their under-19 first round game. In another first round under-13 game, Indian Jay Bhagat defeated Sri Lankan Akitha

Gunasekera 9-1,9-5,9-0.

This tournament has the blessings of the Asian Squash Federation and is co-sponsored by the Upali Group of Companies ‘KANDOS’, Browns Group ‘SHARP’ and Trans Asia Hotel.

The finals will be held at Trans Asia Hotel on October l9. The Minister of sports, S. B. Dissanayake will be the Chief Guest. Fourteen contestants from India, from the Netherlands and 10 from Malaysia are taking part in this first ever junior squash tournament.

Results:

• Under 19 boys — Jayanath Marambe bt. Mihir Kapoor (India) w/o. Eranjan Kempitiya bt. Hirantha Gunasena w/o. Dylan Bennet (Netherland) bt. Perumal Ganeshan 9/2, 9/1, 9/1. Kavinda Cooray bt. Sachin Obaid (India) 9/0, 9/0, 9/0. Aaron Cheff (Malaysia) bt. Vishal Kapoor (India) w/o. Navin Samarasinghe bt. Kushan Jayawardene 9/0, 9/2, 9/0.

• Under 19 girls — Harshini Wijewardhana bt. Amila Goonawardena 9/1, 10/9, 9/3. Bavanthi Pinidiya bt. Anjalika Dayaratne 9/2, 9/3, 9/2. Nissanga Mayadunne bt. Rashini Liyanage 9/0, 9/0, 9/1.

• Under 17 boys — Eranjan Kempitiya bt. Kyle Conrad w/o. Milinda Sugathapala bt. Indika Wanigaratne w/o. Kavin Jayawardena bt. S. Ratnayake 9/0, 9/1, 9/3. Shazan Zahir bt. Neranjan Dunuwila 9/1, 9/6, 6/9, 7/9, 9/4.

• Under 17 girls — Nissanga Mayadunne bt. Madushani de Soysa w/o.

• Under 15 boys — D. M. Jayatilleke bt. Devinda Fernando 7/9, 9/7, 9/3, 9/6. Jayath Jayaratne bt. Navin Weerasinghe w/o. Shamin Kannangara bt. Rukshan Colonne 9/6, 9/4, 9/3.

• Under 15 girls — Maheshika Perera bt. Madushani de Soysa w/o. Sally Looi (Malaysia) bt. Shashika de Silva 9/0, 9/2, 9/0. Madhara Dayasiri bt. Vachira Karunaratne 9/0, 9/0, 9/1. Tehani Guruge bt. Anushka Gamalath w/o, Menusha Hettiarachchi bt. Nihara Guruge 9/0, 9/0, 9/3.

• Under 13 boys — Harshjit Sethi (India) bt. Romesh Fernando 9/1, 9/0, 9/0. Kapil Neshan (Malaysia) bt. Prasan de Soysa w/o. Gautun Kalani bt. Manesh Marambe 9/0, 9/0, 9/0. Janidu Goonewardene bt. Charith Goonewardene 9/7, 9/4, 9/3. Jayath Jayaratne bt. Avin Fernando 9/0, 9/5, 9/1, Naishad Lalvani bt Yaseer Issadeen (India) 9/1, 9/3, 9/2, R. S. D. S. Nanayakkara bt. Ishan Balvani (India) 9/5, 4/9, 9/1, 9/0. Jay Bhagat (India) bt. Akitha Gunasekara 9/1, 9/5, 9/0.

• Under 13 girls — Vachira Karunaratne bt. Amali Abeyratne 9/0, 9/0, 9/0.

• Under 11 boys — Praveen Perera bt. Gayanga Weerasekera 9/4, 9/5, 9/1. Jay Baghat (India) bt. Yaqoob Issadeen (India) 9/1, 9/0, 9/1. Charith Gunewardene bt. Yasseen Issadeen (India) 9/2, 9/2, 9/6.

• Under 11 girls — Alisha Mashruwala bt. Nirasha Guruge w/o. Sarah Fernando bt. Tamani Jayawardhana 9/0, 9/0, 9/0.

Aravinda de Silva in yet another first

by Mahinda Wijesinghe
This book is the first effort by a Sri Lankan Test cricketer to chronicle his life story. It is an enjoyable read written in conjunction with a Pakistani, Shariar Khan, who paints a very pretty word picture of a youngster on his way up in the cricket world with warts and all. There is also an entertaining Foreword by Ian Chappell. Khan and Aravinda give an insight to the lifestyle of a cricketer from the sub-continent and is a ‘must’ for all cricket fans and school libraries. Aravinda has many ‘firsts’ on the field now he achieves one off it.

Aravinda de Silva made his debut in 1984, at Lord’s no less, as a seemingly precocious 18-year-old right-hand batsman in a one-off Test which brought loads of accolades to the island cricketers. Not that he made much of a contribution during this game but he had a taste of the big league at the headquarters of cricket itself and, on his first go, enjoyed a whiff of collective international success — Something of a rarity in those days for Sri Lanka. 12 years and 52 Tests later, in l995, he had registered only 8 hundreds and was sporting a mediocre average of 36. In other words, he had not delivered fully, though a successful stint at Kent in the English county championships obviously ‘polished’ him up and he was picked as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year, as well.

In the next year, Sri Lanka won the World Cup and Aravinda’s contribution to that sensational victory - an unbeaten century in the final and becoming Man of the Match in both the semifinal and final - was what legends are made of.

Just to prove that a champion can adapt to either form of the game, next he turned his attention to the longer version of the game, and 1997 became his annus mirabilis. Aravinda simply broke all shackles and like a runaway horse astounded all his fans and detractors alike by scoring 7 Test hundreds, including unbeaten twin hundreds against Pakistan. Scoring 1220 runs at an average of 76.25 in that year, his Test batting average now assumed a touch of respectability by sneaking into the forties - 41.5. Gone was his extravagant style of getting on to overdrive round the bends. There was solidity in his approach to the art of batting. In other words, he was now playing the percentage game.

But, the tragedy of it all was that he reached his pinnacle when aged 32 years. One does not get any faster when you breach the thirties, especially with a congenitally gammy leg, which needs corrective footwear. Whether it was Bradman, Viv Richards (Aravinda’s idol), Lara or Tendulkar, they all reached the zenith of their powers, aged around ten years or more, before Aravinda did. Of course, Sri Lanka not getting sufficient opportunities to play Test matches at the beginning did not help either.

All these and more are faithfully, in fact, emotively narrated in ARAVINDA MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY (Mainstream Publishing Co. 1999. 254 pages at Stg. 15.99) in association with Shariar Khan. A glossy colored dust gasket with a hard cover and rare, black and white photographs from the family album makes for a good presentation. Shariar Khan may not have been previously known in the cricket book publishing trade. But, certainly there will be other cricketers who will now call on his services to ‘ghost’ for them. Khan combines a racy style with anecdote and philosophy in equal measure: "I’ve gone from being a dasher to dangerous to dependable.....if my perspectives had sharpened in recent times, so too had they narrowed.....all too often in those days we flattered to deceive, a good performance being just a lightning flash that briefly revealed the range of our talents rather than the promise of continued good form....." and when Arjuna and Imran Khan crossed swords: "Confrontation between these two really became primal, tapping into a basic desire to assert supremacy that wouldn’t be out of place in a jungle". Sometimes Khan, in trying to maintain this tempo, trips over. In describing team-mate and now his skipper, Sanath Jayasuriya’s batting: "So many times when he’s batting you hear the rifle-crack of bat immediately followed by a silence as every one wonders where the ball’s gone....." Queen’s English nor . Any type of licence does not permit the shortening of "the ball has gone" to "ball’s gone." or. ‘if I’d had a brain I’d’ve been really dangerous’! !. (Emphasis mine. MW)

Aravinda, in typical oriental fashion displays gratitude by paying tribute to his coaches and parents, especially Sam his father who had been his guide, philosopher and friend - not that his mother who once accompanied him on a tour of Pakistan in 1985, took a back seat. Aravinda was not a mama’s little boy. He was his own man with a weakness for flashy cars and loved living in the fast lane and that is no place for a mother. The credit with a photograph of Aravinda leaning against a Ferrari 355 Spyder states: ‘The love of my life’, and on the next page there is Aravinda with his fiancee - now his wife - Sarita Rajendram, and the credit is: ‘The other love of my life. . . ‘! Reference to Buddhism at the beginning of the book itself, and later too, merely touches on the ritualistic aspect of the practice meant for (say) those who want to wade in the shallow waters - and sometimes outside! - of the Dhamma, and could have been left out.

There are also a few slip-ups in the narrative. For example, referring to the l990-91 tour of Australia, during the second Test at Hobart: "..........in spite of game and valiant resistance from Rumesh and Asoka de Silva......" It was actually Ravi and Asoka de Silva. I know, because I too was there. Then, Dr. ‘Buddy’ Reid, the former Ceylon opening batsman and skipper, has been ‘christened’ Dr. ‘Bunny’ Reid. Though it must be admitted that ‘Buddy’ does have a younger brother ‘Barney’ and this is a fair hybrid! Chamara Dunusinghe, the former Test wicket-keeper and team-mate, has been ‘named’ Champaka Dunusinghe. These slips in no way detract from the main narrative but to an extent devalues the major undertaking.

Aravinda’s loyalty to Arjuna is unfailing and total: "Someone like Arjuna can carry a team, a Cricket Board, the establishment and the media on his back with a mixture of strength and adroit leverage, all the while maintaining his form". Arjuna’s batting average in both forms of the game is in the mid-thirties, and whether a batsman of Arjuna’s potential justified the belief he ‘maintained his form’ by having an average of 35, is indeed questionable. However, Aravinda quite justifiably denounces the ‘rampant boorishness’ of the Australians and defends Muralitharan from his predators most eloquently.

One sore point though. Aravinda does pay tribute to coach Dav Whatmore especially in connection with the 1996 World Cup win but says that "there wasn’t much that he could teach Arjuna or myself, his influence was most pronounced on the youngsters...." Also, Aravinda is not one to read about the game: "I have yet to meet the cricketer who carries a Wisden in his kit-bag or even one who has ever read ‘The Laws of the Game’ in its entirety. Ours is very much an orally and visually absorbed game and what gets said and what gets done is what is understood. " True, even the players of yore may not have carried a Wisden in their kit-bag, but most of them did read on the game and perhaps had quite a few of them at home, and knew more than a thing or two about the Laws - by studying. In fact, Bradman sat and passed the umpires’ examination while still a player. It is indeed a pity that such a great batsman as Aravinda missed so much. Reading about the game would have enlarged his vistas, and would have given a deeper insight into the game.

Aravinda de Silva has been a tower of strength on the cricket field, and a pride to the country. His contribution to Sri Lanka cricket has been immense. The least we can do to show our appreciation of Aravinda, is to resolve today - his 34th birthday, - to become the proud owner of this highly readable book as a birthday gift.

If I was asked how best to remember Aravinda, I would have no hesitation in naming that gem of an innings, described so prosaically in the book he played at Eden Gardens for 66 runs (including a 32-ball fifty) in the World Cup semi-final in 1996.

Many happy returns Aravinda, and many thanks for the memories.

Havelocks, Army win U-24 rugby tourney matches

Havelocks SC beat CH & FC 33-nil in their under 24 rugby tournament for the Hameedia Trophy Friday at Havelock Park. The game was refereed by P. G. Gunawardena.

At half time Havelocks SC led 12-nil. The tries were scored by full back Ranga Perera and Shyam Pradeep. The first try was goaled by Shyam Pradeep in the first half while in the second half try scorers for Havelock’s were Sanjeeva Jayasinghe, the winger (2 tries) and flanker S. M. Wanasinghe (1 try). All three tries were converted by Shyam Pradeep.

Meanwhile, Army beat Tri Star 14-3 in another match. Army led 6-3 at lemons.

For Tri Star, Sampath Samarasinghe converted two penalties and for Army A. Silva put over one penalty.

In the second half a penalty was put over by Sampath Samarasinghe and a try was scored by Anjula Silva for Tri Star.

Sampath Bank wins again

Sampath Bank edged out Hatton National Bank by one point in an exciting finals to clinch the Depot Cup played at Field Force Headquarters Basketball court on Friday and conducted by Police Bashketball.

Hatton National Bank maintained a lead of 10 points to 13 points from the first jump ball until they were run over by accurate shooting of Asanka at the last second of the game. The defeat should be the responsibility of the senior players of Hatton National Bank of poor handling of the ball at the last minute of the game. The final score was 46 points to 45 points after the losers led at half time by 24 points to 17 points.

Chief scores: Ushan, Fizal and Asanga scored 15 points each for Sampath Bank while Duke, Nalin, Juda, Thiva, scored 11 each for the losers.

Referees: Ajith Kumara and Panduka Ranasinghe.

In the consolation final Colombo outplayed Moratuwa by 82 points to 35 points after leading by 40 points to 16 points at lemons.

English umpire Don Oslear lied blatantly — Imran Khan

by Mahinda Wijesinghe
One of the cricketing legends of modern times, former Pakistani all-rounder and skipper, Imran Khan, was on a short visit to the island recently. The cricketer now turned politician gave an exclusive interview to the Lanka Monthly Digest (LMD) and had a frank and an enlightening conversation, ranging from ball-tampering to the wrong tactics that cost us the World Cup this year, with this columnist. Excerpts of which are:

MW: Imran, could you please clarify to our readers, most of whom are not acquainted as to why your name is Imran Khan Niazi. Is Niazi your surname’?

IK: Niazi is my tribal name. All Pathans are tribal. And so, my father’s tribe is the Niazi tribe. That’s my tribal name.

MW: What in your opinion are the criteria that should be complied with before you can classify a player as an all-rounder?

IK: Well, you must be able to get into the team in one department. You must be either a specialist bowler or batsman - the other bit is a bonus.

There is no such thing as an all-rounder who can’t get in either as a batsman or bowler. I mean very rare cases can come up who are not really good as a batsman or bowler but become useful players - but this is very rare. Normally, if I was the captain, I would pick someone who can make his way into the team in one department, then the other becomes a bonus.

MW: Of the first 12 who have been younger than 17 years, and played Test cricket for their respective countries, a remarkable 9 of them have been Pakistanis. Hasan Raza, at a stunning 14 years and 227 days, is the youngest. How do you account for cricketers in Pakistan making the grade at such a young age? In fact Hasan Raza’s age has, I believe, now been rejected by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

IK: I have no idea really. I just don’t think it is much of a criterion. I guess Sachin Tendulkar came in at 16, but his was an obvious talent. I don’t think Hasan Raza, at the time, was goodenough, because he is not in the team anymore. Pakistan players play much younger, and because we don’t have a proper first-class cricket structure, captains have to make arbitrary selections based on talent. If we had a proper first-class domestic structure, perhaps the players would not get in that early. If there was a proper first-class structure, I would not have got into the team - I wasn’t good enough at that age!

MW: Some observers feel that criticism of national cricketers in their own countries in the sub-continent is minimal. Yet, in countries like England and Australia, the media can even be vitriolic towards their players. Why?

IK: Criticism is very hard to take for anyone. The difference is that the people who are stronger, and who get stronger, are the ones who have the capability of taking criticism, because it’s actually a very good thing. Criticism strengthens you. People don’t realise this. Criticism is a good thing. Having said that, I think that in our part of the world, we do not know how to handle defeat very well. We are over-reactive. It’s a real art to lose with dignity. It’s all very well when we do well. We get ecstatic and overjoyed - but it’s important to learn how to lose.

MW: During the summer of 1983 at Birmingham, when playing for Sussex. You achieved the only hat-trick in your first-class career. In fact, you captured 6 wickets in a mere 23 balls, at a cost of 6 runs. Was this the match that landed you in hot water with the charge of tampering with the seam and scuffing the ball?

IK: That had nothing to do with ball-tampering. It was just a question of reverse swing which the people at that time never understood. And the umpire who made that charge is basically at fault - he just distorted it later on, for the sake of the court case. I mean Don Oslear, he lied blatantly. You know there’s a report Iying in the MCC, and you can actually get the report of that inquiry in 1983, and there’s no mention of ball-tampering - it was a fracas I had with the bowler. He wrote that report, then years later? He suddenly decided that it was ball-tampering and there’s no report at the ICC. My view is that he was doing it to really help the other side in the court case. Anyway? In England for a long time, no one understood what reverse swing was: so whenever people got reverse swing, they called it ball-tampering. Now of course, everyone in England - Darren Gough, Alan Mulally and co-reverse swing the ball.

(Will be continued next week - courtesy LMD)

Sri Lanka Cricket Foundation conducts coaching programme

The Sri Lanka Cricket Foundation conducted a comprehensive residential Cricket Coaching programme from 6th to 9th Sept.’99 for schoolboys aged 15 to 19 years in the Hambantota and Matara districts. The camp was conducted at the Uyanwatte Stadium, Matara, and was fully sponsored by the Union Bank through the Sanath Jayasuriya Fund set up for the development of cricket in the South.

On day 1 and day 2 of the camp instructions on batting skills were given to the participants by Messrs Anura Tennekoon and Bandula Warnapura, while instructions on fast bowling, and spin bowling was handled by Messrs. Rumesh Ratnayake and Roger Wijesuriya respectively. Players were filmed and their faults shown to them, and corrections made with a view to improving technique. On day 3 the emphasis was on proper fielding techniques and running between wickets.

In the evenings between 6.30 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. each day lectures were given on the importance of physical fitness and nutrition, for which Mr. Jayantha Dassanayake from the School of Sports Science was engaged. Field setting, leadership, team work, laws of the game and discipline were other topics that were discussed.

On the final day a match was played between two well balanced teams selected from the participants, and the training given on the three previous days assessed and analysed. Coaches and masters in charge of the schools which participated were also involved as observers, so that they could follow up on instructions given to their charges.

History of the Kurunegala District Cricket Association

By Gerry Vaidyasekera
A meeting of cricketers and cricket lovers in Kurunegala District was held on 7th February, 1977, at the residence of Attorney S. L. M. Cassim, President, Kurunegala Sports Club, a popular pace bowler of Zahira College, Maradana. At this meeting the Kurunegala District Cricket Association was formed. The late Mr. T. B. Werapltiya, Deputy Inspector General of Police, was elected President and myself as Secretary. I informed the House that I had been advised by Mr. Nisal Senaratne, then Secretary of the Board, to form a District Cricket Association soon as to take part in the Inter-District Cricket Tournament to be held shortly by the Board.

Prior to this meeting and in the War Days, a meeting of cricket enthusiasts was held at the Kurunegala Town Hall to improve cricket in Kurunegala. The youngest Mayor then, the handsome Bertram Markus, Mayor of Kurunegala, presided. Bertram a stylish left arm bowler, was a member of the Invincible Josephian Team, that reigned as School Cricket Champions in the early 1930s. He also hailed from a leading popular family of Kurunegala. With his departure to Australia, where he died, the name Markus is lost for ever in Kurunegala. I presume that of those who took part at that meeting, I am the only one alive.

The departed souls, the lawyers of Kurunegala at that time were men of honour and richly maintained the dignity and glory of the ancient capital.

The newly formed Kurunegala District Cricket Association beat Chilaw District in the first encounter of the Inter-District Cricket Tournament but lost to Galle in the second match. With the President, Mr. T. B. Werapitlya, leaving for Kandy, the K.D.C.A. died an untimely death.

The late Mr. T. B. Werapitlya, though a high rank Police Officer, was a humble gentleman and a genial person to work with. He was a stylish left hand batsman, who scored many hundreds in Kurunegala and regretted the grounds being taken over. When he was President of the Board of Control, he appointed the Secretary of the K.D.C.A. to the five man Committee of the Advisory Committee to the Board.

On the instructions of the Board of Control, Mr. Gaminl Jayawickrema Perera, District Minister, summoned a meeting of all cricket lovers at his office on 13th October, 1983, and the new Kurunegala District Cricket Association was born. Messrs Nihal Senaratna and Daham Wimalasena of the Board were present.

The late Attorney Gerry Perera was elected as President, Mr. Hector Perera, the custodian of Kuliyapitiya Cricket and an All Ceylon Cricketer, as Treasurer and young Mr. Assam Hameed as his assistant and me as Recorder.

The quartet Mr. Gamini Jayawickrema Perera, a twin of the second pair of twins to play for Nalanda, Mr. Ariya Rekawa, youngest Mayor at that time and a member of St. Anne’s, Kurunegala, and Law College cricket teams, my namesake the late Attorney Gerry Perera’ a familiar figure at the Stadium Grounds, and the young Mr. Assam Hameed, the Thomian spin-bowler, are the four, who laboured and toiled to build the Welagedera Stadium as it now stands were glory of Cricket is proudly portrayed in this quartet, that though it embraced three leading faiths, yet they worked as brothers for the common good of cricket in Kurunegala. All praise and glory to the four of them! The Stadium was named after the late Mr. D. B. Welagedera, who mooted this idea of a Stadium in Kurunegala, when he was MP for Kurunegala.

A special word of thanks and appreciation are due to the late Mr. Gerry Perera and his able devoted lieutenant Mr. Assam Hameed. Gerry devoted his entire life and wealth to the cause of cricket and the Association. Assam drove over hundred miles to attend our meetings and the only one after Gerry, who knows the ins and outs of the Association.

Of our Secretaries, Mr. Maurice Tevarayan and Attorney S. T. Jayanaga at the outset, and Mr. Salinda Rekawa, Secretary for a number of years, deserve special mention. A popular humble captain, both of St. Thomas’ and Ceylon, Mr. Michael Tissera graced our meetings. Mr. Nihal Kodituwakku, Ceylon’s opening bat, coached our boys. Thanks to both of them.

We had our own battles; one with the Board of Control over the size of the score board we intend to put up. A powerful figure of the board, a leading spin bowler, maintained that the score board should be sixty feet high. Mr. Kingsley Fernando, Project Engineer, and myself opposed it shouting that it is impracticable. A heated verbal battle ensued. To substantiate my argument, I wrote to the Secretary of the M.C.C. Lt, Col. J. R. Stephenson, Assistant Scretary (Cricket) in his reply of 30th November, 1983 - writes:

"There is no regulation or recommended size for either the sight-screens or the score board. At Lord’s there are two scoreboards, both measuring about 25 feet by 50 feet. Both were specially built to our specifications."

Our scoreboard now stands at the most nine feet high. Our next tussle was with a high Police officer, a football enthusiast. This footballer sought the permission of the District Minister to play football on our newly laid cricket ground. The two Gerry’s - the late President and myself - strongly feared that the newly laid turf pitch, laid at a high cost, would be badly damaged by football I wrote to the papers and thanks to their publicity, a new ground was mooted for football.

Under the presidency of ever active Mr. Assam Hameed, new blood has been infused in the person of Ranjit Madurusinghe, the first Test Cricketer from Kurunegala, as Secretary, and hard workirg Mr. Nimal Ekanayake, as Treasurer, and with the old Brigade - Messrs. Vernon Wandurugala, Rufus Senanayaka and Salinda Rekawa to advise them, the Kurunegala District Cricket Association is bound to take its rightful place next to the other K.D.C.A. - the Kandy District Cricket Association.

Battle of the Blue Blades

Throughout the past three decades two of the most prestigious institutions in this country have sent forward their most skilled oarsmen. For ten rigorous months, every year, two elite squads make personal sacrifices and drive themselves not just to their limit, but beyond the horizons of pain and fear. These two teams, low in profile but high in standard are that of Royal College and S. Thomas’ College Mt. Lavinia.

The battle for supremacy will be fought on the 23rd of October. The course of this fight is the Beira Lake. The finish line is the Colombo Rowing Club. The event is the 27th Annual Royal-Thomian Regatta.

One thousand yards is the distance which will test the mettle of the best crew on a Saturday afternoon. The events will consist of two sculls, two pairs, a junior four and the coveted Boat Race. The Boat Race, referred to by the crews as the ‘A’ Four is 31 years old. Nearly three generations of Thomians and Royalists have fought on the lake over this trophy which to them, is worth more than its weight in gold. The reigning champion is Royal College. In 1998 they secured the Overall Trophy by winning four out of the six events. Those who were there will remember the nail-biting finish of the Boat Race on October 24th 1998. This year Royal College is led by the 1998 stroke of the Royal ‘A’ Four, Kushal Abhayaratne who is supported in his captaincy by that winning crew’s coxswain, Vice-Captain Ahamed Aslam. The Royal crew is coached by Mr. Chanaka Wickremasooriya a former Royal captain. The squad from which only toughest and best Royal oarsmen will be chosen by the captain and his deputy consist of six coloursmen and twelve freshers. The Royal crew look strong and must be given credit for extensive training and striving to bring another victory for their alma mater. The captain of the Blue-Gold Crew has much experience in moulding a most formidable crew that we shall witness at its peak on the big day.

The challenger this year is S. Thomas’ led by the winner of the Junior scull in 1998, Captain Heshan Henry. He is responsible, along with Vice-Captain Udesh Hettiarachchi and Secretary Mark Maurice for building this year’s Thomian squad. An unfortunate technical difficulty will prevent the participation of the Thomian second-in-command. Despite this loss the crew are as firm as they have always been. The squad consists of five coloursmen and twelve freshers. Dedication and discipline have been the shadows of this years crew as they follow the guidance of their faithful coach, Mr. Ajith Gunawardene, a former Thomian oarsman. The STC crew of 1999 is adamant on doing their best and bringing back the Overall Trophy which was last won in 1997. The Thomian captain has the most difficult decision in selecting out of the cream, the best men who are worthy to represent their school and flag. The results of sheer devotion to the crew and the zeal to be the best will show on the lake.

The favourite this year is Royal but many believe that the fiery Thomians might not be a push over. It would be interesting to note for the record that the Boat Race has an odd history which might repeat itself. After being inaugurated in 1962 S. Thomas’ won the Boat Race for four years in a row in the years of ‘64, ‘65, ‘66 and ‘67 after which Royal won it for a hat-trick in the three following years. Precisely thirty years latering ‘94 the Thomians won the trophy with the crossed oars. Last year Royal won it. The question remains as to whether Royal can repeat history by winning it again this year as they did in ‘69. The Royalists believe that it is probable but the Thomians believe that they would make history rather than follow it.

This rivalry which reaches fever pitch from the moment the first boat leaves the pier on the day of the regatta has been successful in clearly producing the best oarsmen in this country. Not only do they learn teamwork and fellowship as in many other sports, but these boys who pull oars, learn to combine the spirits and fire of fighting champions with the discipline and honour of true gentlemen.

This year, we shall see two teams fight as never before, for glory and victory.

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