Sylvestrians raring to go
by Hafiz Marikar
Despite limited facilities St. Sylvester's College ,Kandy has emerged
as one of the strongest cricket playing schools in the central hills.
They have a playground which can only be used for training sessions.
Earlier the Police ground served as their venue for practices and
matches, including the big match They hardly get an opportunity to
practice and warm-up on a center wicket. Despite the lack of these
facilities the school has performed remarkably well.
St. Sylvester's began as a separate institution on November 1st 1940
with very Rev. Fr. D. Robert. M Perera O.S.B. as the principal. The
college owed much to its inception due to the foresight of his lordship
Bishop Regna and Abbot Weerasinghe, the heads of the
Sylvestro-benedictine congregation. They felt that a good catholic
school in Kandy town was a prime need, Once St. Anthony's had been
completely shifted to its home on the banks of the Mahaweli at
Katugastota. Rev father Robert was given the tremendous task of rearing
the 'new' that had just been born. St. Sylvester's had made a name for
itself in the field of education, not only in Kandy but also throughout
the island.
After a 15-year-struggle in 1955, Sylvestrians made a modest
beginning at cricket. The pioneers who introduced cricket were POG of
that time Rev. Fr. Dom George and their Rector Rev. Fr. D.P.
Vedkapatrtamnuy and late D.J.N. Seneviratne who was the principal.
St. Sylvester's inaugural team comprised of Tony Direckze (Captain),
T. Sathyamurhti, H. Dias, T.G.N.M. Peries, N. Ratnayake, Vernon
Nanayakkara, V. Croos, U. Ariyachandra, I Hepenstoll, M. Dirckze, Y.W.
Wanigasekara, R. Tily and U. de Silva.
It was M.E. Marikar who became the first Sylvestrian to play
representative cricket, at a time when the school did not play cricket.
He played for Moors SC, Sinha Regiment, Kandy Lake Club, Kandy Sports
Club and Central Province. Paceman Nihal Samarasekara was the first to
represent the country - prior to Sri Lanka gaining full test status when
he toured Pakistan for an unofficial Test series. . Ishak Sahabdeen a
double international also represented the country in ODI's and hockey,
there was Nimal Lewke a fine spinner who later played for Police and
Government Services. Malcolm Perera, and his brothers Anton and Roland,
David brothers - Gerad , Kingsley, Sydney and Rodney, N. Herathge,
Jayatilake brothers - Ranjith and Bandu, Gerry Alexander Hidalarachchi,
and Mervyn Rodrigo are some Sylvestrians who have shone at cricket.
Rodrigo was the first Sylvestrian to win the 'Best Outstation Schoolboy
Cricketer ' award.
This year's squad includes a few new comers. Led by Manuja Perera a
fine stroke maker and has performed quite well . His deputy is Thushitha
de Soysa a good batsman and an energetic fielder.
The rest of the players who will form the team are.
Avindu Herath, Nimsara Atharagalla, Manjith Rajapaksha, Shashika
Viraj, Kavindhu Munaweera, Udara Yatawathura, Kanishka Jayasekara,
Husindu Nishshanka, Manoharan Pavithran, Sidath Nugegoda, Viduranga
Nirmal, Thareesha Wickramarathna, Kasun Silva, Vinod Yasintha, Chandula
Jayakody, Imalka Jayakody, Nadeera Balasooriya, Kavindu Jayasinghe,
Abishek Isuranga, They opened the season with a match against
Kingswood College which ended in a draw
, Rest of the fixtures are 13-14 Dharmaraja College, Kandy Lake view
, 24-25 Mahanama College, Colombo, 27-28 D.S.Senanayake College -
Colombo, November 1-2 St Aloysius College, Galle, Galle Stadium December
29-30 St Thomas' College, Mount Lavina in Kandy. January 04-05 Moratu
Vidyalaya at Moratuwa, 12-13 Gurukula College in Kandy, 19-20 Dharmasoka
College, Ambalangoda in Kandy, 26-27 St Joseph vaz college in Wennapuwa.
February 06-07 Zahira College Kandy, 10-11 Big Match vs Vidyartha
College at Asgiriya Stadium, 03/12 T20 with Vidyarth College at Asgiriya
Stadium, 19 one day at Asgiriya Stadium.
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