Memories of 83
If ever a team was destined to win a Royal Thomian, it
was the team of 1983. The nucleus of the team, having graduated together
from the under 12's at Royal Junior School, first won the B division title
at Under 14 level. Following the amalgamation with Royal College, and
coached by Mr.Daya Livera, who made the bold prediction that this side would
win the Royal Thomian, they dominated the under 15 age group, winning two
national championships in succession,. Subsequently, moving up to the under
19's, they made up the body ofAjith Devasurendra's fresher laden side of
1981.
In 1983, Skipper Chulaka Amerasinghe and Deputy Sandesh Algama had under
their command five battle hardened veterans in Sarinda Unamboowe, Rochana
Jayawardena, Malik Samarasinghe, Gihan Malalasekara and Heshan De Silva. In
addition there was an abundance of other talented youngsters to fill any
requirement, whether it be a batsman, a'quickie' or a spinner.
Amarasinghe, or 'C.R' to his mates, was of prodigious talent. One of the
finest and complete cricketers to be produced by Royal, he would have walked
into the Sri Lankan side had it not been for a crippling knee injury that
ended his career. Apart from his ability to 'dismantle' any bowling attack,
he was an astute and mature captain who led from the front. With two
consecutive 'thousand run' seasons, including a memorable double hundred
against Wesley, Amarasinghe was also a useful opening bowler and a brilliant
close in fielder.
Deputy Algama was the other centurion in the side and was a brilliant
fielder in any position. De Silva, Jurampathy, Jayawardena, Samarasingha,
Malalasekara and Unamboowe were all amongst the runs that season while
Nalliah Devarajan, Kapila Dandeniya and Chanaka Perera were no 'slouches'
with the bat either.
In the bowling department, Royal relied on the pace and swing of 'Piliyandala
Weeraya', Chanaka Perera, and the spin twins Jayawardena and Samarasinghe.
Perera, who's vicious in-swing jeopardized the reproductory organs of many
an opening bat, was not only quick but was also capable of bowling long
spells when required. Off spinner Jayawardena was the leading schoolboy
bowler who had a 'floater' and an effective top spinner in his amoury, while
Samarasinghe was naggingly accurate with his left arm 'leggies'. In
addition, Samarasinghe had a well-disguised arm ball that 'went the other
way'..... so much so that at times it went closer to the leg umpire than to
the leg stump.
Additional depth to the attack came from the 'short
spell' fast medium bowling of skipper Amarasinghe, the swing bowling of
Devarajan, the off breaks of subsequent test player Jurampathy and the leg
spin of Dandeniya. Lest we forget......there was also the 'genuine' leg spin
of Malalasekara and Algama in cases of dire emergency. It was claimed that
between these two, they made a ball spin once! Those who witnessed this rare
occurrence swear that there was a crack the size of a storm drain on that
particular wicket!
The team was not short on individual talent but what made it special was the
bond of brotherhood and the camaraderie that was shared among its members.
This was a team of schoolboys with a very professional approach to their
cricket; a team that enjoyed themselves on the field as much as they did off
it, and a team that believed in themselves.
Physical fitness was given a primary position under the supervision of PTI,
Mr. Kularatne, where poolists Manjula Dharmabandu, Dinesh Wijewardena and
keeper Unamboowe set the standard. Fielding was an issue of pride and, in
this area, Algama, Malalsekara and Wijewardena were the 'Jonty's' of their
time. In addition, the team had adopted a common vision. ' We will win the
Royal Thomian'
This was also a pact made by Amarasinge and Unamboowe while, as
fourteen-year-olds, they watched Madugalle's Centenary team squander a sure
thing, and this became the team 'mantra'.
Among the rest of the squad, Rohantha Jayasuriya, Viraj Perera, Manjula
Dharmabandu, Sujeeva Kudahetty, Dinesh Wijewardena and Nalinda Premachandra
made useful contributions throughout the season and it was not for the lack
of commitment or enthusiasm that they did not make the final eleven. It was
only the talent and performances of the fortunate eleven that pushed them to
greater heights.
If this was the 'cast', it was the 'direction' of the two coaches, Mr.
Viyaya Malalasekara, and the late Dr. Milinda Amerasinghe , ably supported
by Master in charge, Mr. A.M.B.Kiribanda, that made this show a winner.
Vijaya and 'Doc, as they were affectionately referred to, were stars in
their own right. Mr. Malalsekara, a Cambridge Blue and Royal Thomian
centurion, and Dr Amerasinghe, a Royal cricketer, Naval Doctor and deep sea
diver, introduced a combination of aggression, restraint and understanding
that enabled them to mould a motley group into a match winning team. They
were peerless gentlemen whose recipe was simple. A 'nip here and a tuck
there', and the occasional "I say young man....." and the not so occasional
"I say..... what the **** do you think you are doing". They were father
figures, friends and, above all, respected by the 'boys' for their fairness
and knowledge of the game.
Mr. Kiribanda with his infectious enthusiasm and his 'kalu suruttu' stood by
his 'boys' at all times and won their hearts with his geniality and sense of
humor. He was always ready to lend a helping hand or drop a word of advice.
Royal went into the big match with seven wins under their belt. Six, on the
trot (it would have been eight had it not been for some inclement weather)
straddling the third and first terms, including a crushing win over Trinity
in their last outing.
The Thomians in contrast, although possessing a talented young side, had an
indifferent season winning against St Benedicts and Trinity, and losing to
Prince of Wales and Nalanda.
When the teams visited the P Sara stadium on the eve of the match, the
'wicket' that awaited them was a grassy, green patch that looked only
marginally different to the lush outfield. This must have given the Thomians
some heart as they were coming into the game with four medium pacers, Kapila
Wijegoonawardena, Mohamed Marzook, Jerome Jayaratne, and Kaushik Amalean,
and two spinners, Samarakkody and Bulankulame.
Royal in
contrast had included Dandeniya, a fourth spinner joining Jayawardena,
Samarasinghe and Jurampathy, with Amarasinghe to open the attack with Perera
and Devarajan to bowl his 'cutters'. Needless to say, the general reaction
to the pitch(barring Perera who was thrilled), was bordering on horror.
Algama summed it up with, "where the **** is the wicket?" Much concern and
scratching of heads followed and the team retired to the College Hostel
where they were domiciled for the duration of the match.
The next morning, another surprise was sprung on us. The 'green top' of the
previous day had metamorphosed into what now resembled a tennis court....
(clay that is...). What grass there was on the previous day had been shaved
down to the roots and a cracked brown strip now greeted the players. Perera
was livid. "Kawuda ***** meka kepuwey??". This, I am sure, was much the same
reaction of the Thomian camp while the Royal spinners were all smiles.
'Amarasinghe won the toss and decided to bat and, in the first session, the
pitch decided to 'do its thing'. There was obviously some moisture at the
Sara with it's high water table and the Thomian medium quick bowlers made
merry. The Royal, batting juggernaut was reduced to shambles. The score a
horrific 56 for 4.
At this stage, a 'grand old boy' of Royal (now departed) stormed into the
dressing room to confront the coaches. " What the **** is going on?". Mr. M
replied " Don't worry Sir,... 200 and we have the match in the bag". To
which came the reply " 200?...200?.... You'd be bloody lucky to make
100!!!!" and stormed out.
At this point 100 did look bleak but Royal had an ace up it's sleeve.
Jayawardena, although more recognized for his talent as one of the leading
spinners in the country, was a very capable, albeit greatly underestimated
batsman. The great F.C. De Saram, who was coaching STC, had not wasted much
time in summarizing a dismissal plan for Jayawardena. "Just bowl straight to
the bugger and he will get himself out". This plan, unfortunately for the Thomians, did not turn out as expected. Bowl straight they did..... and get
belted to all corners of the park. His first partnership was one of 55 with
the grandson of the late Mr. De Saram, Malik Samarasinghe. Samarasinghe made
a valuable contribution of 11 and helped stem the rot. Malasekara was the
next man in and, in a catastrophic mix up, he unselfishly sacrificed his
wicket to be run out for 0. The score now read 112 for 6.
The next
man in was wicket keeper Unamboowe. Things still looked bleak from Royal's
point of view but these two, having just established a record 8th wicket
partnership against St Josephs' and sharing an excellent understanding in
their running between the wickets, systematically stemmed the Thomian
onslaught. Much against the tide of play, they put on 90 runs for the 7th
wicket, with Jayawardena reaching his half-century and then his century with
some cavalier hitting. Unamboowe was uncharacteristically subdued in his
support knock of 26. Royal reached Mr. Malalsekara's magical 200 in good
time. Jayawardena was in devastating form and Unamboowe's departure, Ibw to
Wijegoonawardena, did not make him 'skip a beat'. The hapless Thomian
bowlers were taking great pains to avoid their Captain's eye lest they be
asked to bowl to Jayawardena! Royal lost two quick wickets, those of
Devarajan and Dandeniya and, with the score on 256 for 8 , Amarasinghe
called the players in. Jayawardena 145 not out. Surely one of the finest
innings witnessed at a Royal Thomian. St Thomas' with approximately 6 overs
(my memory fails me here) until play ended for the day made a disastrous
start. Bulankulama, attempting a risky second run against the strong arm of
Chanaka Perera, was run out by yards. The overnight score was 22 for 1.
The next morning was a parade from dressing room to pitch
and back. Jayawardena continued to wreak havoc in the Thomian camp; this
time with the ball. Ably supported my Samarasinghe, he reduced the Thomians
to 88 all out, taking 5 wickets. The highlight of the morning was Royal's
'suicide brigade' that parked itself under the batsmen's noses and held onto
seemingly impossible half chances. Amarasinghe, Malalasekara, De Silva and
Algama were brilliant.
Amarasinghe then invited the Thomians to follow on and the 2nd innings began
with more promise for the Thomians. Mathangaweera and Bulankulama saw off
the new ball and took the side through to 69 before the first wicket fell.
During the rest of the day, the Thomians displayed their much talked of grit
and courage while battling to save the game on a wicket taking more and more
spin as the day progressed. Wickets fell at regular intervals and STC were
109 for 4 overnight. On the evening of the second day the team held an
informal meeting on the turf wicket at Reid Avenue. They were on the verge
of being the first team in 14 years to win a Royal Thomian. Although the
result appeared to be a formality, the players were feeling the tension and
strain with the ghosts of the centenary big match' hovering above.
Most players had a restless night and there was a mad rush for the toilet in
the morning, with nerves getting the better of most stomachs. Despite minor
discomforts, and with the aid of 'industrial' quantities of Lomatil (effects
were felt for days after), the team set out for the Stadium.
The Thomians battled valiantly, but eventually the spin of Jayawardena,
Jurampathy and the pace of Perera took it's toll. Again, the fielding was
superb. Emotions were running high, and Devarajan's tearful outburst of
"mama elluwa machan" when a catch was disallowed by the umpire, summed it
all up. Tears streaming down his face Devarajan sulked back to short fine
leg and Amarasinghe called for the second new ball.
The next man in was wicket keeper Unamboowe. Things still looked bleak from
Royal's point of view but these two, having just established a record 8th
wicket partnership against St Josephs' and sharing an excellent
understanding in their running between the wickets, systematically stemmed
the Thomian onslaught. Much against the tide of play, they put on 90 runs
for the 7th wicket, with Jayawardena reaching his half-century and then his
century with some cavalier hitting. Unamboowe was uncharacteristically
subdued in his support knock of 26. Royal reached Mr. Malalsekara's magical
200 in good time. Jayawardena was in devastating form and Unamboowe's
departure, Ibw to Wijegoonawardena, did not make him 'skip a beat'. The
hapless Thomian bowlers were taking great pains to avoid their Captain's eye
lest they be asked to bowl to Jayawardena! Royal lost two quick wickets,
those of Devarajan and Dandeniya and, with the score on 256 for 8 ,
Amarasinghe called the players in. Jayawardena 145 not out. Surely one of
the finest innings witnessed at a Royal Thomian. St Thomas' with
approximately 6 overs (my memory fails me here) until play ended for the
day made a disastrous start. Bulankulama, attempting a risky second run
against the strong arm of Chanaka Perera, was run out by yards. The
overnight score was 22 for 1.
The next morning was a parade from dressing room to pitch
and back. Jayawardena continued to wreak havoc in the Thomian camp; this
time with the ball. Ably supported my Samarasinghe, he reduced the Thomians
to 88 all out, taking 5 wickets. The highlight of the morning was Royal's
'suicide brigade' that parked itself under the batsmen's noses and held onto
seemingly impossible half chances. Amarasinghe, Malalasekara, De Silva and
Algama were brilliant.
Amarasinghe then invited the Thomians to follow on and
the 2nd innings began with more promise for the Thomians. Mathangaweera and
Bulankulama saw off the new ball and took the side through to 69 before the
first wicket fell. During the rest of the day, the Thomians displayed their
much talked of grit and courage while battling to save the game on a wicket
taking more and more spin as the day progressed. Wickets fell at regular
intervals and STC were 109 for 4 overnight. On the evening of the second day
the team held an informal meeting on the turf wicket at Reid Avenue. They
were on the verge of being the first team in 14 years to win a Royal Thomian.
Although the result appeared to be a formality, the players were feeling the
tension and strain with the ghosts of the centenary big match' hovering
above.
Most players had a restless night and there was a mad rush for the toilet in
the morning, with nerves getting the better of most stomachs. Despite minor
discomforts, and with the aid of 'industrial' quantities of Lomatil (effects
were felt for days after), the team set out for the Stadium.
The Thomians battled valiantly, but eventually the spin of Jayawardena,
Jurampathy and the pace of Perera took it's toll. Again, the fielding was
superb. Emotions were running high, and Devarajan's tearful outburst of
"mama elluwa machan" when a catch was disallowed by the umpire, summed it
all up. Tears streaming down his face Devarajan sulked back to short fine
leg and Amarasinghe called for the second new ball.
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