Dion Walles showed the Peterites the way to success in cricket

By A.C. De Silva

CRICKET: Remember former Peterite cricketer and allround sportsman Dion J. Walles? Well, he is still very much alive and extremely interested in the happenings on the cricket field, especially where Sri Lanka is concerned. He was 84 not out on March 20 and hopes to carry on, God willing!

Peterites, especially the older folk, will have many tales to relate about the exploits of Dion Walles when he played for St.Peter's in 1944 and captained the first eleven team in 1946 and had many fine performances.

He started playing cricket at the young age of 13 years in 1940 and 1941 and started off as a left-arm spin bowler and then graduated into the first eleven team in 1944 and met with instant success, getting 33 wickets and that spectres lot of the capabilities of this cricketer. The year 1945 was somewhat of an anti-climax and he was not as successful with the ball, but coming on to captain St. Peter's first eleven team in 1946 Dion Walles came off with all his glory, especially in the "Big Match" against St. Joseph's where the Peterites beat the Josephians for the first time and became school cricket champions without losing a single match.

If 1946 was good, then 1947 was a lot better as the statistics would show. St.Peter's were champions once again. In 3 1/2 matches (versus St.Joseph's (3 of 2 innings and 1 of one innings), Dion Walles took 32 wickets.

It was not cricket alone that occupied Dion's fancy. At St. Peter's he played six sports - besides cricket, the other sports he indulged in with quite a flair were Rugby, Athletics, Tennis, Table Tennis and Badminton.

From St.Peter's College, Dion Walles thought of greener pastures and he migrated to England in 1952 to pursue a career in accountancy.

'Double Blue'

He won a 'Double Blue' at cricket and Badminton and also represented Scottish Universities against English Universities in both sports.

He was at Edinburgh for around 50 years. But before he went to England, he did a little bit of cricket coaching here in Sri Lanka, but was somewhat sad that St. Peter's College never offered him a chance of coaching any of the teams. Dion Walles is somewhat of a sad man right now. Most of his friends are no longer living. However, he has some friends both here and abroad - Cardinal Keith O'Brien and Tony Blair are among them.

Once a cricketer, the passion and love for the game never departs. This is a saying that is applicable for so many past cricketers. For Dion Walles it is the same. Coming on to the World Cup series that have ended, Walles said the Sri Lanka just threw away the final when they clashed with India.

Mahela - Complete Cricketer

He said that the initial error was to bat first, having won the toss. It is not a question of being wise after the event. Everyone, except probably the Sri Lankans knew about the falling dew at night, thus making bowling and fielding difficult. Sri Lanka should have fielded first.

Sri Lanka's batting which was fine in the earlier matches was disappointing at the start of the final. Though skipper Sangakkara batted well, he was out for a poor shot and though Mahela Jayawardene started somewhat shakily, settled down. "Mahela is the complete cricketer would make a good captain as he was once before". said Dion who added: "He is always in the game, whether batting or fielding. A thoughtful player - he is an asset in any team."

Dion Walles said that though he has been abroad for many years, he has been following Sri Lanka's cricket very closely. The problem with cricket in Sri Lanka, and many other ventures, is that there are too many "intruders and outside influences are a hindrance to the game, rather than a help." he said.

Walles said that Sri Lanka has missed a golden chance of winning the World Cup cricket tournament this year. "Well Sri Lanka lost this time, but they should not lose heart, as their failures can be used as stepping-stones to success in the future," quipped Walles.