Philip Mendis - a life devoted to cricket

by Dilwin MENDIS - Moratuwa Sports Corr

CRICKET: The game of cricket to many cannot be easily forgotten. It is a game that has captured the heart and mind of many individuals. In Moratuwa there is Balapuwaduge Philip Mendis - an old boy of St. Sebastian's College. Moratuwa who has been attached to cricket for many years and simply cannot forget the game.

Philip Mendis, as he playing popularly known has been attached to the game from his very young days is softball cricket with neighbours around the place and thereby cultivated a liking for the game in no uncertain manner.

Staying at Willarawatte in Moratuwa - a cricket crazy town, Mendis came to St. Sebastian's College and played in his very young days - that's under-12, 14 and 16 and cultivated a liking for the game and then went on for bigger things - playing for the first eleven but his ambition of playing for St. Sebastian's against Prince of Wales in their annual encounter could not be realised because of the unfortunate incidents that took place in the country in 1969 and 1970.

But Philip Mendis was a player who tried very hard all his young days for that great moment and it did come in 1971 when he played under Ralph Gunawardena and opened the batting with Sriyal Perera.

Cricket has occupied his life for many years and after his school days, he became a umpire attached to the umpires association and started umpiring inter-school matches - first the lower division matches, then the higher grade matches and in 1986 was promoted to class two and then to the top bracket of umpires in 1990.

From playing cricket, he came to the next best thing of becoming an umpire and officiated a whole lot of matches from division three matches to top grade inter-school matches including the 125th Royal-Thomian cricket encounter.

He was one of the senior umpires in the association and in 1998 was sent to Bangladesh by the Sri Lanka Cricket Board to officiate in the Janakantha Premier Tournament for ten weeks along with Nimal Botejue. Sarath Sirisoma and N.K.B. Gunawardena where 12 clubs participated and they were two-day games. Again he went to Malaysia to officiate in inter-club two-day games.

He has been a cricket umpire for the last 28 years and officiated in many grades.

And what's more - he has also taken to composing of songs. He has composed a C.D. With seven sings including a song on cricket umpires.

Mendis had a tight schedule at home, especially after the death of his wife Erin who was a tower of strength to his cricket and umpiring career.