Hunt for keeper sparked off Sanga's big game

How a 12 -year old boy put up his hand when no one did to trigger an epic journey:

Almost everything that had to be said about Sri Lanka cricketer Kumar Sangakkara has been well documented by the experts and pundits, some of whom have cashed in on the opportunity from nowhere.

But what many of the experts are unaware of is that a former Dharmaraja College captain and coach had sparked off a legendary career by making a simple inquiry when he was in need of a stumper of the Trinity College Under-13 team at a first pool practice session.

Upananda Jayasundera, who was no stranger to sport in Kandy after captaining and coaching Dharmaraja College, was contracted by Trinity College's principal at the time Colonel Leonard de Alwis and told to prepare the school's nursery side.

Jayasundera wasted no time and at his first practice session asked if any of the curious kids would like to take up wicket-keeping duties and to his pleasant surprise a boy standing behind put up his hand. He was none other than Kumar Sangakkara who began his epic journey from there onwards.

"As soon as I started practice sessions, the first thing I wanted was a good wicket keeper and I inquired from the Under 13 poolists who would like to be the wicket keeper and Kumar (Sangakkara) raised his hand and told me that he is willing to take it up. This was the start of Kumar's cricket career", recalled Jayasundera, a Level One coach at the time. Jayasundera came into contact with Trinity College while he was the head of the Playgrounds Department of the Kandy Municipal Council. While the principal of Trinity College was Col.Leonard de Alwis, the Prefect of Games was S.Ariyasingham and the master-in-charge was H.Karunadasa.

Jayasundera remembers that the junior players, including Sangakkara, he coached at Trinity College showed a high profile attitude as he put them through some gruelling practice sessions.

"I coached the cricketers after school during my off days till late in the evening. That team was captained by Roshan Rafayal a stylish right hand batsman and presently a leading lawyer. Kumar was a member of this team.

"The other team members were Janaka Seneviratne (off spinner) Suresh Kumar (opening bowler) Vinjaya Jayasinghe (opening bowler) Naren Bulathsinghala (right hand top order batsman) Nipuna Gunasekera (brilliant close-in fielder) I.D.B. Gunawardena (right hand middle order batsman), Narendra Ekanayake (left arm wrist spinner) R.Peiris (opening batsman) and S.Poholiyadde (allrounder)", recalled Jayasundera.

He said in the team's final match against Royal College, the young lad Sangakkara opened the batting with Peiris and made 12 runs before he was ruled out leg-before.

"It was a controversial decision given by the umpire", said Jayasundera. "I have observed that Kumar had been given out many times this way even in international matches. But he always respected the decision of the umpire and walked out without hesitation".

Before Sangakkara took to cricket, he was the Under-12 National tennis champion while his elder sister Saranga was the women's National tennis champion while schooling at Mahamaya Girls College, Kandy.

But Jayasundera also acknowledged the wholehearted support given by Sangakkara's lawyer father and his mother.

Elder brother Vemendra also played cricket for Trinity.

Jayasundera is the brother of the late Sri Lanka and Police rugby flanker Daya Jayasundera who died a few years ago.