Youth cricketers our future

Young cricketers are the future of any national team. They are the ones to whom the future belongs and as such they must be given all the encouragement and nurtured to take the country's cricketing challenge forward.

There should be constant tours abroad for them so that they can play on all kinds of pitches and also improve their technique outlook and game all round. Just an odd tour or two would not suffice. More the merrier. And the tours should be reciprocal.

Today in Sri Lanka many are the tournaments that have been arranged for our youth cricketers. From under 12 to 14 to 16 many are the tournaments. Lots of schools have taken to the game, unlike in the past where only a few schools indulged in the game.

Now there are also tours and it must be stated that inter-school cricket in all ages and groups are well organized and conducted and it is great to see the talent that is emerging that augurs well for the future.

Tremendous success

From all indications the tour of Australia by the Sri Lankan under 19 cricketers led by Chatura Peiris has been a tremendous success. It is not easy beating an Australian team in their own backyard. But the under 19 youth team did it and it is an event for rejoicing.

Now Sri Lanka Cricket must take these cricketers under their wing and do everything for them and see that they continue in the game and make it to the national team and carry our challenge in the international scene forward.

It will not be fair by the others in the team to mention names. But I will be failing in my duty if I don't give credit where credit is due and mention the names of skipper Chatura Pieris, Charith Jayampathie, Kithruwan Vithanage, Banuka Rajapaksa, Romesh Buddika, Mahesh Gunatilleke, Rushan Jaleel and Saranga Rajaguru who excelled on tour. They are all talented youngsters and need to be groomed for the future.

When the success of this team is being spoken about, those in the know tell me that the credit for it must also go to former Sri Lankan leg spinning allrounder and now chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket D. Somachandra de Silva who did most of the behind the scenes activity for this success.

Allegations

In the past any team picked to tour had been tainted with allegations of especially favouritism. But this time round De Silva took the bull by the horns as it were and insisted on the selectors that only the best and nothing but the best players tour, and the tour party be picked purely on merit.

De Silva using his tremendous experience hand picked the support staff. Naveed Nawaz was the head coach who batted with success for the Sinhalese Sports Club, Aravinda de Silva who needs no introduction and who was a tower of strength for the Nondescripts and Sri Lanka who was the batting coach and that dashing allrounder Upul Chandana as fielding coach.

It is a pity that leg spinning allrounder Chandana had to go out of the game prematurely. He had a lot more to offer Sri Lanka cricket when he was forced out. He was a no nonsence man and however powerful an individual he did not care.

It was his outspokenness, where he told the high ups off that saw him out of the Sri Lanka team.

He could not care because he always stood straight and did not bend backwards to please his superiors. How many will have that backbone today? Now that De Silva has recognized and given him the breaks, it is up to him to take it from there and move on.

Return of Devaraja

It was nice to see the return of M. Devaraja to big time. This former Zahira, Tamil Union and Nomads cricketer was a wonderful sight to behold whether he was batting, bowling or fielding.

He was any country's dream allrounder and could have played in any world team. He was a wily off spinner, a fielder who could hold his own with the best and the greatest in the world as a cover fielder and as a batsman was elegant, yet devastating when on the move. In addition he is one of the finest gentleman that one could be lucky to meet.

During our time there were no tournaments and trophies contested for and sponsors were unheard of. A few inter-school matches and that was it. But today there has been a change of scene and youth cricket is a big draw.

Go for any junior inter-school matches and you will see a big crowd of parents, old boys and supporters cheering wildly their teams with even fisticuffs breaking out between rivals of both teams. Such is the interest that these games attract.

Handful of spectators

But go for a senior inter-school match and you will ask - where's the crowd and the supporters? Other than for the big matches, there's hardly a handful of spectators. In the good old days the grounds use to be packed by 11 a.m. with the inter-school match starting at 12 noon. But now they ask - where have all the spectators gone?

There were only a few inter-school matches during our era. We played only seven games. Now school teams play over 30 matches a season including the ones during the third term. In those days old boys of schools were known to take half days off on Friday's from their work places to watch and cheer their school at play.

Every school had a cheer party carrying tom, toms and shouting loud the colours of their school, cheering the players and it was one big din once the umpires called play. In my time at St. Benedicts College the cheer leader was Kenneth Dabrera.

He had a voice as loud as a bell and had with him a tom, tom player in Chicko Sandanam and Don Nimal, now doctors of medicine in Australia, supported by Denzil Perera of Denzil and Bosco fame, Upali Jayawardena, brother of Sanath who captained the college in 1961. Lakshman Fernando, Roy Nathaniel, Joe and Emmanuel Muttupulle and several others whose names are two numerous to mention.

One big din

Once they got into their act it was one big din from the first to the last ball and the cheering and the urging on was very encouraging to the players out in the middle. Where are these cheer leaders and bands now?

During our time umpires were not spared if they gave or did not give a batsman out. 'Hora Umpire' was the loudest shout in jest flung at the umpires who also took it in the spirit it was made.

Here is a little anecdote of an incident that took place in 1960 when St. Benedicts were playing Royal at Reid Avenue. The writer was captain of SBC and Michael Dias led Royal.

The green, white and green school lost by a few runs allegedly due to some poor umpiring by Lappen who was one of the umpires. In those days umpires being struck or their hats being flicked was a common sight and Lappen was unfortunate to lose his hat.

Traditional rivals

After this game the Bens were playing their traditional rivals St. Josephs at Kotahena. When an appeal was made to an umpire by the Bens when fielding and an appeal turned down by the umpire against the opponents the shout would be heard what happened to Lappen, will happen to you - but the umpire stood unmoved and what laughter it would evoke

The man who coined those words was none other than Ben Antony, a loyal Old Ben who would never miss watching his school play and would do anything for his old school. He too was a cricketer of repute.