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| Sunday, 15 June 2003 |
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St. Sylvester's cricket coach Roland Perera steps down after 12 years by JIFFREY ABDEEN - Kandy Sports Corr. St. Sylvester's College cricket coach Roland Perera has decided to step down from coaching after a 12-year knock at his alma mater which has brought him tremendous success and accolades as a top grade cricket coach. He was later elevated to the ranks of regional selector of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka. Roland Perera, in an interview with this correspondent said "In the words of King Arthur - the old order changeth and makes way for new order" "the time has come for me to step down before being felled by a bouncer. I have had a long and fruitful innings with St. Sylvester's and 12 years is a long time in a man's career and though experience is a vital ingredient for cricket coaching, but one should not hold on to a post very long. There are many who have qualified as cricket coaches and are without employment and they would also like to hold this post, he said. Roland Perera is a soft spoken, unassuming personality, who played cricket for St. Sylvester's, as a stylish left-hand bat and spinner and was vice-captain to double international Ishak Sahabdeen in 1974. On leaving school, he played for Aitken Spence & Company Limited and Ferntea in the Mercantile Cricket Tournament and also Sara Trophy cricket for Moors Sports Club in the late seventies before taking wing to the Middle East where he continued his cricket with success for his employers and at club level. Returning to the Island in the eighties, he played Sara Trophy cricket for Kandy Cricket Club and later Kandy Youth Cricket Club - a very bold step taken by his brother Malcolm in the formation of this club with meagre resources. When his brother Malcolm Perera left St. Sylvester's College to take up employment at the University of Peradeniya and cricket coaching at Kingswood College, the Sylvestrians were without a permanent coach who would play a long innings. Many held this post for very short spells from 1983 to 1991 after Malcolm had coached them from 1972 to 1982. It was at this stage in 1992 that this post was thrust on Roland Perera which he was in two minds whether to accept or not as he had just opened up his business after his return from the Middle East. But his urge to help his alma mater was much stronger than his desire to develop his newly started business. So he took up this challenge of coaching from 1992. The high point of his career was that when St. Sylvester's College won the plum of the Sri Lanka Schools cricket, the prestigious Coca-Cola Division one all-island schools title in 1994, beating all their opponents either outright or on first innings. St. Anthony's College is the only other school to have won this title from Kandy, when the now world's best spinner Muthiah Muralitharan in the company of Ruwan Kalpage and Sajith Fernando, was mowing down the opponents. During his tenure of office as cricket coach St. Sylvester's won their 'Big Match' against Vidyartha five times and never lost to them. They also won the limited over clash seven times. What is more creditable is the fact that the Sylvestrians never lost a school match outright since 1997. Roland Perera's reading of the game and planning ensured that his team remained unbeaten. St. Sylvester's College were also adjudged the Best Team in the Central Province for seven years. All this was achieved without a playground of their own they only had a small ground which is good enough to improve the individual skills. This too was provided after 1998. Stepping down of Roland Perera as cricket coach of St. Sylvester's is certainly a big loss to the school and a void hard to fill. |
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