Since, I am winding up this blog rants, it time for me to say Good Bye to CRICKET, too.
I was regular member of the Ampitiya Team and we ended up unofficial champions of Kandy beating Kingwood Boys.
We did not have a ground in Ampitiya.
Main Tar road was our practice ground.
During Off Paddy season on the paddy field.
I used to make my own bat and my father hated cricket. He did not know our secret plans.
I love making and flying Kites.
Next attraction was balloons made by Uncle Ferdinando.
All these acts made me a good physicist in real time.
It is strange I ended becoming the Hockey Captain in my 4th year in the University.
I was not given a chance to play hockey by the sports master but he gave my place to his brither who was hopeless.
I invited the school team and beat them 14 nil in a friendly. I scored the last goal since 13 was considered a bad numer to close my career in hockey. I told him never think of coming back for a friendly He ended up as a Principal close to our home in KANDY.
I was told he passed away before I left CEYLON.
Incidentally, he was related to my mother distantly.
We scored 36 all out.
Our plan was to get them out under 30.
I told our captain we could do it but plan the strategy.
They were all out 31 and they gave us a mighty fight. I was the best fielder and I may have saved 10 runs and involved in 2 or 3 runouts of the opposition.
That was my last game and I never played for that team headed by a guy from St. Sylvester College.
Reasons are burry.
May be two or three reasons.
Dress code of the captain and his brother IVAN were dirty and unkempt.
I was the best dressed boy.
I wanted to keep the wicket but never given a chance.
Their English was putrid.
I was an allrounder by all accounts at that level.
Then, I joined Dharmaraja College where
G. S. Ratnayake was a sensation.
40 balls for a century.
Kehelgamuwa just gone overage for the school.
G. W. Sebanayake scored 182 against Nalanda.
Rest I cannot rember except G. Mendis who entered university Engineering but never completed the university career.
At schools I was the "Pol Addiyar" of the class. I perfected the Neil Harvey Stroke.
The end result the softball lost within the first two overs I faced and I have to pay Rs. 5/= for the replacenent. Worse part I had to go to Tennis Club in Kandy and wait for hours to get a used ball.
We never saw a new ball.
By the way, Rs. 5/= was a huge some those days.
There was a secret plot to oust me from the Class Team which I got to know 2 years after full retirement from the university. I gathered all the names and addresses and gave a call to confirm the facts and left the list with a guy from KANDY. He is the one who told me there was a plot which I did not realize, then.
I thought I was no good. I told him I joined in to enter University and not to play Cricket.
The teachers were the worst except Morrus Perera. There were guys and girls called M.D. Banda and Mr and Mrs. Sanarasinghe who hated me.
I challanged Bumiputra or Harischadra who gave one lesson in chemistry over 3 months and the Rajanayagam guy who only knew amoeba.
The challenge was if I get pass the A Level none of them would continue to teach in any form.
There is many more including Principal who was a relative of mine and Amaranayake who was the Vice Principle.
I stop here since the topic was on Cricket.
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