Trinity cricket captain 2011 Akila Jayasundera best All-round student

by S.M. Jiffrey ABDEEN - Kandy Sports Corr.

BEST STUDENT: Trinity College's last year's cricket captain and all-rounder Akila Jayasundera was awarded the prestigious Ryde Gold Medal awarded to the Best All-round Student in the School.

This award was made by the Principal of the School Brigadier Udaya Ariyaratne at the Assembly held on Friday.

Akila Jayasundera is one of the finest cricketers produced by Trinity College and his performance and leadership has taken cricket in the school to unknown heights.

He is a fine right arm leg-spinner and an aggressive batsman and comes out with his best in time of crisis or at a time the school needs a good performance by him badly.

He virtually walked into the Senior cricket team at the age of 14 and by the age of 16 he has captured 100 wickets during the season despite missing four matches due to injury. He was only the second Trinitian to perform this feat in Trinity's cricketing history spanning over a hundred years. This feat by a Trinitian brought him Cricket Lion at the age of 16.

The year 2011 saw him lead Trinity College to ten outright victories in school matches which is a record in school cricket.

Though depriving himself of bowling when others were taking the wickets, he captured nearly fifty wickets and scored over 700 runs. But what was most important was his leadership qualities which won Trinity College the award Best Cricket Team. He capped it by being named as the Best Captain in schools in the contest organised by the Sunday Observer. He was also selected the Best fielder.

His fighting qualities were put to test this year when in reply St. Joseph's College total of 282 the Trinitians at one stage were tottering at 57 for 6 at one stage at the Asgiriya Stadium. Akila Jayasundera was joined by the junior cricketer Dinuk Wickremanayake and he assured him that they could do it and need not entertain any fears.

With this assurance given by his last year's captain young Dinuk Wickremanayake played his part and with Akila Jayasundera added 262 for the seventh wicket which is a record for Trinity and the Asgiriya Stadium and Trinity's total recovered dramatically to an imposing 322 for 8 when bad light stopped play.

Akila Jayasundera'a contribution was 134 and Dinuk Wickremanayake 150 not out and this was also a rare occasion in which two Trintians batting at the wicket were on three figure marks. This was not the first time that:Akila Jayasundera had slammed hundreds to pull his side out of the woods.

The Ryde Gold at Trinity College is awarded to the Best All-round Student in School and the criteria includes sports, studies, overall conduct, discipline and the selection is made by both staff and students.

Among the winners of this prestigious award are former Minister late Lakshman Kadiragamar former Sri Lanka Cricket captain Kumar Sangakkara.

In Akila Jayasundera Trinity College has produced not only a classy cricketer but also a fine individual who has won the hearts of all with his overall conduct both on and of the field.