Basketball Benedictions that Percy bestowed on SBC

From time to time Sri Lankan schools are blessed with such outstanding talent memories of which stand the test of time. With former Old Ben’s cager star and Asia’s Best Shooter Percy Perera in town vacationing from Australia, it brings to mind the brilliance that he brought on the court.

Perera was also an outstanding cricketer turning out for the school and later playing Sara cricket for Saracens. The cager game enjoyed its best and successful years during the 1960s. Those were the years when the country produced and saw some brilliant basketball players who could hold their own against the best in Asia.

Perera brought great credit and honour to the country when he was adjudged the Best Shooter in Asia during the Asian Games Basketball Tournament in Singapore in 1964.

Easily the best

Perera was easily the best centre of that era. He was tall and pencil slim, but was wiry and his dribbling and shooting from all angles were a treat to watch. Supporting him in the Old Bens were many classy players.

Foremost was another Perera - Cosmas. He was one of the finest all court players. His dribbling, accurate passing and his leadership was exemplary and inspiring. Cosmas was the first Benedictine to captain a national team.

Other players who made the green, white and green school emerge champions in many tournaments were - Vijay and Gamini Silva, Milroy de Silva, Herbert Senadhipathy, Sam Lovell, Winston Wijenaike, Malsiri Perera, Neville and Noel Pereira, Edward Sumanasekera, Shelton Pietersz and many others whose names do not come to mind but there sporting feats remain burnished in memory.

Coach Suntheralingam

The coach who turned out champions from ordinary players was the one and only likeable coach Ram Suntheralingam. Suntheralingam sported national colours before moving on to coaching, and in that business he was par excellence.

That was the era when the Bens had two other coaches who made the school champions in two other sports - Albert Fernando in football and Brian Assey in hockey. Suntheralingam, Fernando and Assey were simply marvelous.

In those heady days there was a team of Americans known as the Peace Corp who were watching the interest and the enthusiasm that the game was attracting here got together a few of their men and entered the many tournaments that were being played.

Playing in the NBA

According to Percy, one of the players from that Peace Corp team, he says it was Fennel had told Percy that had Cosmas been an American he would certainly have found a place in the teams playing in the NBA.

Such was Cosmas’ prowess in the game. Cosmas is now domiciled in the US.

The standard of the game was so high that we took part in the Asian Games and performed creditably. Officials of the other Asian nations participating were amazed with the high standard that our cagers displayed.

The reason for the high standard was that there were several tournaments being conducted for the schools and clubs. Names of Cups that were being contested that come to mind were the Cammack Cup, the Pioneer Cup, the Exter Shield, Victor Wijeratnan Trophy and many others.

High standard

Even the schools maintained a high standard and produced many outstanding cagers. St. Benedict’s and Old Bens were the pick of the teams and many were the trophies that they won. There was one final that was contested between the present boys and the Old Bens.

The 1960s also saw some excellent cagers in C. Thurairaja, Jesudhasan, Rasalingam, Ponnnambalam, Wilson, Rohan Daluwatte, Royden de Silva, Graham Ludowyeke, Naufer Mahroof, Randiligama, Amaradasa, Matthew George, Anton Ambrose, Valerian Fernando and many others.

There were some top class coaches in Mahalingam, Mahadevan, Kathiragamthamby and Nadaraja. The Presidents who did a lot to see to the game’s progress were J.J. Sarangapany, Lt. Colonel Wilfred Saverimuttu and Kalimuttu.

England retain ‘Ashes’

England playing the better all round cricket smashed the Australians by an innings in the Fourth Test at the MCG to retain the ‘Ashes’. The Aussies must win the final Test beginning in Sydney next week to save their blushes.

If Australia wins the final Test, it will be 2-all and they can redeem lost prestige. But if they were to lose this Test too then it could be a calamity and Australian cricket will be shamed.

When the Test began at the MCG, the stage was set for a blockbuster. When England skipper Andrew Strauss won the toss and asked the Australians in, it surprised many, because it is the accepted rule to bat first when winning the toss.

When it looked as though Strauss had gifted the Test to the home team by asking them to bat, what one saw from the Australian batsmen was a spineless batting display, not in keeping at this level of the game.

The England bowlers did not look ferocious. But they must be admired for disciplining themselves, bowling in the right areas and cleverly moving the ball both ways to bemuse the batsmen and blowing them out for - believe it or not - a measly 98.

Dismissed in just two sessions of the first day was a slur on the Aussie game and it would have shocked and shamed their former batting greats to watch the batsmen coming back quicker than the time taken to get in.

England pacies Jimmy Anderson, Chris Tremlett and Tim Bresnan bowled a beautiful line and moved the ball and all top Aussie batsmen showed poor technique and they looked glued unable to read the movement and get in line before executing and minus marks to them for their inability to play swing bowling.

With openers Strauss 69, Alastair Cook 82 who put on 159 for the first wicket and with Jonathan Trott 169 not out, Kevin Pietersen 51 and Matt Prior 85 contributing England amassed a massive 513.

Australian batsmen failed to rally in the second innings and the 263 they made was not enough to force the Brits to bat a second time and signed sealed and delivered the Ashes to England.

[email protected]