Trinity cricket captain 2011 Akila Jayasundera best All-round
student
by S.M. Jiffrey ABDEEN - Kandy Sports Corr.
BEST STUDENT: Trinity College's last year's cricket captain and
all-rounder Akila Jayasundera was awarded the prestigious Ryde Gold
Medal awarded to the Best All-round Student in the School.
This award was made by the Principal of the School Brigadier Udaya
Ariyaratne at the Assembly held on Friday.
Akila Jayasundera is one of the finest cricketers produced by Trinity
College and his performance and leadership has taken cricket in the
school to unknown heights.
He is a fine right arm leg-spinner and an aggressive batsman and
comes out with his best in time of crisis or at a time the school needs
a good performance by him badly.
He virtually walked into the Senior cricket team at the age of 14 and
by the age of 16 he has captured 100 wickets during the season despite
missing four matches due to injury. He was only the second Trinitian to
perform this feat in Trinity's cricketing history spanning over a
hundred years. This feat by a Trinitian brought him Cricket Lion at the
age of 16.
The year 2011 saw him lead Trinity College to ten outright victories
in school matches which is a record in school cricket.
Though depriving himself of bowling when others were taking the
wickets, he captured nearly fifty wickets and scored over 700 runs. But
what was most important was his leadership qualities which won Trinity
College the award Best Cricket Team. He capped it by being named as the
Best Captain in schools in the contest organised by the Sunday Observer.
He was also selected the Best fielder.
His fighting qualities were put to test this year when in reply St.
Joseph's College total of 282 the Trinitians at one stage were tottering
at 57 for 6 at one stage at the Asgiriya Stadium. Akila Jayasundera was
joined by the junior cricketer Dinuk Wickremanayake and he assured him
that they could do it and need not entertain any fears.
With this assurance given by his last year's captain young Dinuk
Wickremanayake played his part and with Akila Jayasundera added 262 for
the seventh wicket which is a record for Trinity and the Asgiriya
Stadium and Trinity's total recovered dramatically to an imposing 322
for 8 when bad light stopped play.
Akila Jayasundera'a contribution was 134 and Dinuk Wickremanayake 150
not out and this was also a rare occasion in which two Trintians batting
at the wicket were on three figure marks. This was not the first time
that:Akila Jayasundera had slammed hundreds to pull his side out of the
woods.
The Ryde Gold at Trinity College is awarded to the Best All-round
Student in School and the criteria includes sports, studies, overall
conduct, discipline and the selection is made by both staff and
students.
Among the winners of this prestigious award are former Minister late
Lakshman Kadiragamar former Sri Lanka Cricket captain Kumar Sangakkara.
In Akila Jayasundera Trinity College has produced not only a classy
cricketer but also a fine individual who has won the hearts of all with
his overall conduct both on and of the field. |
