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Worthy men behind the scene
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Bandula and Lal |
By Ranjit Fernando
When the Nondescripts
Cricket Club (NCC) meets their friendly neighbours and
rivals the Singhalese Sports Club (SSC) this year, it
would be a very special and a proud occasion for two men
- Lal Silva of the SSC and Bandula Dananjana of the NCC.
These two head groundsmen
of the two clubs will be felicitated as guests of honour
at this prestigious encounter. Lal was adjudged the Best
Groundsman of the Year 2006/2007 and Bandula the
runner-up, by Sri Lanka Cricket, and the two clubs have
deemed it fit to also recognise them for the great
efforts they have made together with their colleagues to
see that cricket flourishes in these two premier clubs
in Sri Lanka which have made the biggest contribution to
the country's cricket.
I must venture to
congratulate Sri Lanka Cricket for the first time,
deciding to honour and recognise this section of the
cricketing fraternity that has been long forgotten and
unsung.
Over the years many have
spoken, and a lot has been written about the quality of
pitches and the standards of infrastructure, but very
little has been done to upgrade the competency of those
responsible or to recognise their efforts. These men
have laboured behind the scenes over the years, taking
plenty of flak when things went wrong in Sri Lanka
Cricket.
Realisation
It gives me a lot of
satisfaction and a feeling of hope when I see that Sri
Lanka Cricket has realised that these men matter as much
as the cricketers, coaches, umpires and other officials,
if Sri Lanka Cricket is to go forward, and to keep pace
with competition. It was a landmark reached when they
were recognised at the Sri Lanka Cricket awards
ceremony.
"I look after the pitches
like my own children," said a very proud Lal after being
adjudged the Best Groundsman. He is from Balangoda and
came to the SSC in 1981 to attend to machine
maintenance. "I quickly got interested in ground
maintenance and Ian Perris the Ground Secretary, and
Delilah the head groundsman, took me under their wing
and encouraged me," he said.
He is also grateful to A.
Polonowita and Ranil Abeynaike who taught him the
intricate aspects of the job and motivated him. "It is a
great honour working on test pitches and at the SSC. I
will always be grateful, and stay loyal," he added.
His favourite cricketers
are Arjuna Ranatunga and Marvan Attapattu - both Sri
Lankan and SSC captains. He has a son and daughter and
says his wife and children give him all the
encouragement.
The best
"The Singhalese Sports
Club grounds is still the number one ground in the
country and holds the honour of being the home of Sri
Lanka Cricket, with the cricket headquarters too
situated there" said Lal. "My colleagues and I want to
keep it as the best." It is what Lord's is to England
and the MCG to Australia.
Ranil Abeynaike, one of
the more recent curators, having worked and learned the
trade hands on, in the playing fields of Australia, and
Anuradha Polonowita who is now the authority on pitches
and grounds having been exposed to all parts of the
world in this trade have overseen the SSC facility. The
knowledge and expertise of these two gentlemen should be
made good use of and passed on to as many as possible.
Bandula came to the
Nondescripts at the age of 25. "After my studies at
Itapan Maha Vidyalaya I was looking for a job in
Colombo and that is how I came to work for NCC and with
the head grounds man Nandasena. Both Nandasena, and the
ground secretary, international cricket umpire Asoka De
Silva showed me the things that I ought to know about
preparing pitches.
Everybody agrees that we
have the best cricket pitch in the country, and my
colleagues and I want to maintain this reputation," said
an elated Bandula. His ambition is to be the best
curator in the country soon. He loves watching Kumar
Sangakkara bat and Lasith Malinga bowl.
Guidance
Bandula is very fortunate
that the veteran Alagasamy, still looking fit at the
age of 70 plus is always at hand, handling the
preparation of the pitches at the NCC practice nets used
by the national squads, to turn to for advice. They work
superbly as a team, helping each other.
"The Nondescripts, no
doubt is the most picturesque grounds in the Western
part of the country," says Bandula and I can't disagree.
Huge tress covered with lush green leaves adorn the
periphery, and it is great to see that the club has
decided to do away with almost all the advertising
hoardings which pollutes its appearance, sacrificing
money for natural beauty. They have adopted a very
green, environmentally friendly
policy.
"It has been my dream to
see the Nondescript grounds landscaped like a park and
providing a great relaxed place to play and watch
cricket. I am thrilled to find that my colleagues at the
NCC think the same way."
"Plans are afoot to
develop the landscape and beautify the grounds and its
environs. Our vision is to have lots of trees of various
types - fruits, ornamental, flowering and other foliage
plants, the lot," said Leslie Hewage, the president.
"Believe me, with the landscaping plans the NCC has in
mind it would be the most beautiful cricketing address
in the city. Watch out for the "The Cricket Parks," he
added. Bandula and his colleagues will have their work
cut out but in the end it will make them proud as they
would be a part of world class, beautiful cricket
ground, green as green could be.
Down memory lane
In the 50s and 60s head
groundsmen like Junaid and Alagasamy of the
Nondescripts, Perumal and Selliah of the SSC, Deen of
the Bloomfield, Nomis of St. Peter's and Colts, Rogus
Perera of St. Benedict's, Jayasena, and groundswomen
Mariamma and Innasi Amma of the Tamil Union, ruled the
roost.
They were respected
people, who knew their trade and every blade of grass on
the grounds they cared for. They were never questioned
by the cricketers and had total pride in what they did.
They had guidance from some excellent administrators
(ground secretaries) like K.C. Rasiah, Sunderam Pathma-
nathan, Derrick De Saram, K.M. T. Perera, Felix Perumal,
S. Skanda- kumar and Ian Peiris to name a few.
Foreign
teams that played in Colombo always paid a tribute to
the ground facilities that were laid out to them. The
Colombo
Oval - now the P. Sara Stadium was different then. The
outfield was like a carpet and the pitch was lightening
fast. A far cry from what we see today. With a will the
Oval could be brought back to what it looked like in the
old days. There are still a few men left with the
capacity to do so.
Groundsmen like Perumal
and Junaid (Junkie) bowled at the nets, and whenever
there was a need for a fielder in an emergency, they
took their place on the field too. Those were the early
days, but I saw the change coming in my last year in
club cricket when one of the younger captains in the
opposition objected to Junaid fielding even for a short
time because he was barefooted. That was the new trend
and it did worry me at that time as change was taking
place, but I was not sure it was for the better.
The biggest pride Sri
Lanka Cricket would have apart from the quality and
brand of cricket they project is their grounds,
facilities and infrastructure. Sprinklers and machinery
are basic needs and it is good to see that they are now
being provided.
I believe the cricket
administrators have now made it their responsibility to
pour in funds and assistance to the clubs and schools
that form the nurseries of our game, to improve and
upgrade their grounds and infrastructure. If this could
be done in a well phased out manner without any
consideration being given to whether the club's cricket
politics differed with that of the authorities, before
long we could proudly exhibit our club grounds to the
world. Of course transparency and accountability is of
paramount importance but one must be careful not to
stifle progress just because of a corrupt few.
The groundsmen being the
people that would maintain these facilities have to be
trained and motivated. As such, Sri Lanka Cricket, by
starting to recognise them is going in the right
direction. Our goal should be to be able to boast of
club grounds comparable to the best in the world or at
least in Asia for a start.
'Run before you walk'
There is an obsession
amongst sports administrators to build stadia whenever
they think of infrastructure development. This is a case
of trying to run before you can walk. All what Sri Lanka
cricket needs is grounds all over the country for our
youth to indulge in games as a form of recreation. This
will provide for healthy living and an opportunity for
the more talented ones to harness their talent and do
better things in the future.
Stadia, engulfed by tons
of concrete would never satisfy this need, and usually
end up as white elephants for want of maintenance.
Social Sport is the way
forward, and this has gone into oblivion in the last
many years in Sri Lanka. My plea to administrators is to
start thinking of constructing six to seven new grounds
in the country yearly, each with a small pavilion, but
more importantly entrust it to a school or club to be
responsible for looking after it. This is a recipe for
finding more P.D. Sirisena's, Murali's, Sanath's,
Malinga's, Dharsha's and Susanthika's.
The cricket grounds
during my playing days which was over 40 years ago were
in a far better condition than now. Despite the
thousands of new players who have taken up playing
cricket I can count on my fingers the number of new
grounds that have been constructed over the years.
Kadirana in Negombo, FTZ, and Air Force in Katunayake,
Rangiri Stadium in Dambulla, and more recently the
Thurstan College grounds, are just a few.
We must not forget that
the Nomads ground is no more, and is sadly lying in a
state of total disrepair. Identified for development,
but nothing seems to have happened as yet. A case of a
"dog in the manger" attitude. How could cricket keep
pace with the passion and interest young people have for
the game in Sri Lanka if we do not give them the grounds
and facilities?
Lauded
Opportunity is required
and the policy adopted by Sri Lanka Cricket to train
young science graduates in this sphere of activity
should be lauded. They could work alongside the
experienced men who have had on-the-job training, and
share their knowledge.
Both Lal and Bandula
speak with a great deal more confidence now. You can
straightaway realise what recognition can do. I hope
that the cricket authorities will look at granting the
curators of the premier club grounds a substantial
allowance during the premier cricket season. The
groundsmen are still lagging way behind in the
cricketing salary stakes unlike the other specialists.
The recognition of Lal and Bandula is only the end of
the beginning. Some progress has been made although a
lot more has to be done.
Acclimatising to hot conditions, a must - Collinwood
By Sunil Thenabadu
A media conference
attended by a large gathering of media, both print and
electronic was held at Hotel Taj Samudra on September
27, before the commencement of five match ODI series and
the three Test matches between the touring England and
Sri Lanka M/s. Bradford & Bingley of UK has announced
that they will be the official title sponsor for the
forthcoming one day International Series (ODI) which is
due to commence on October 1, at the Rangiri Dambulu
International Stadium in Dambulla as a day/night fixture
which runs up to Saturday the October 13. Bradford &
Bingley is already the proud sponsor of the Yorkshire
County Cricket Club and the managing director has
commented that they are delighted to be sponsoring this
exiting event.
No previous English team
has achieved a one day series win on Sri Lankan soil.
English Skipper Paul Collinwood commented very seriously
that the challenges posed playing in hostile hot
conditions, the absence of some key players. and the
five Nil grubbing they received from Sri Lanka playing
in their own den recently would no doubt motivate the
new comers in particular to come out trumps. The hot
humid conditions will suit the local team very much and
this is one of the most difficult places to get
acclimatised. It is going to be the stiffest challenge.
When questioned about the absence of Flintoff he
quipped that he is two in one player and his absence is
felt enormously. He has fully realised the magnitude of
the task and is hoping that a whitewash will not be
repeated. The hot conditions here will not make things
easier but when teams travel around the world they will
have to make adjustments. to the conditions. But the
many young players in the touring party are keen on
grabbing the opportunity to prove themselves.
On the other hand Mahela,
Sri Lankan Skipper said his team is in a strong position
and is pinning hopes on another series sweep, without
taking any chances. He went on to say it is true. We
were runners up in the World Cup, but just because of
that only every thing is not rosy. This is a new series
and we are poised to do well. He said Trevor is there
to help us out in the identical manner Tom Moody groomed
and nurtured us. Like Tom he is pushing us all the time.
There is no doubt that Muttiah Muralitharan who missed
ICC World Twenty/20 owing to a bicep injury sustained
while playing for Lancashire will not be risked at any
cost. He is sure to miss a few marches or perhaps may be
the entire ODI series. He will have a more important
role to play as we are scheduled to play a number of
Test matches in the next six months, which are more
crucial to us. The visitors have only one warm up match
to play against the President's XI before leaving to
Dambulla for the curtain raiser of the ODI series.
The media manager,
Samantha Algama, must be commended for publishing an
informative tour guide for the media personnel, both
print and electronic, furnishing all details pertaining
to the long tour of the visitors.
President's
Trophy a farce, rugger fans cheated
As expected, the Caltex
President Knock out Tournament 2007 wasworked out at
Longden Place, the finals being played last Sunday
between CR & CH.
Quarter final stage of
the tournament was a big yawn for the spectators as the
matches were played farbelow the expected level of
rugbyfrom A division clubs in the country. First it was
a walkover by Dimbulla ACC to double championsKandy
Sports Club. Obvious reasons must be financial
constraints and a prolonged rugby season.
Then the match between
Police & CH&FC, which latter was won by 12-6, lacked
purpose and the poor ballhandling was obvious. In the
other quarter final matches, CR&FC overcame Army by
24-20 in aclose encounterwhile Havelocks in a second
halfrallypulledoff victory against Air Force, 29-8.
In the Semi-finals,
themighty Kandy had a shocking defeat at the hands of
CH&FC by 59-8. Kandy Sports Club officials were quick to
come outwith excuses saying their key players were
rested due to injury anddue to national commitment for
the forthcoming Asiad.In the other semi final game,CR&FC
over came their traditional rivals Havelocks 18-8,most
of the points were scored in the first half.
In the finals, CR&FC beat
CH&FC by 22-11, in somewhat a different game that we
witnessed during the season between the two teams. Basic
infringements saw both teams conceding penalties and
aimless kicking and poor ball handling ina final of this
magnitude,where high quality rugby is demanded, was
unpardonable.
All in all, this
tournament was afarcry from the League and Clifford Cup
and none of thegames created any excitement. It was an
insult to the game and for the discerning spectators who
were ripped off their pockets. This should be an eye
opener for the Union to make sure tournaments are played
to the highest standards and clubs maintain their
standard of rugby too. This will help to muster support
from sponsors and equally from the spectators as well.
RubenThananayagam
Lankan
volleyball to yet another phase
Volleyball is Sri Lanka's
national sport. DSI, Sri Lanka's No. 1 footwear, is
proud to be associated with this sport, as it affords
young Sri Lankans an opportunity to participate and
progress in this national event. This tournament also
acts as a precursor for identifying future talent at a
national level.
The premier DSI
Supersport Interschool Volleyball Championship,
sponsored by DSI in collaboration with the Sri Lanka
Volleyball Federation and the Sports division of the
Educational ministry, launches its 9th successful and
consecutive tournament this year. The Championship is
scheduled to be held in the months of October and
November 2007.
The DSI Supersport
Volleyball Championship, recognised as the premier
tournament in the field of volleyball, accommodated a
record number of 2301 school teams last year. It was
expected that more would participate. However this year
the organisers foresee almost 3000 prospective teams.
The championship will
take place at the district, provincial and national
levels. Participants should belong to the Under 18,
Under 16 and Under 14 categories to be eligible to
contest.
Superkids
Volleyball Fiesta
In addition to the
Supersport Volleyball Championship, this year, DSI
ventures to launch the 'DSI Super Kids Volleyball
Fiesta.' This is one of its kind in the island, and is
intent on promoting volleyball as a fun filled sport
among the younger categories, specifically to the Under
12 category of both boys and girls. We are happy to
announce that the response to this has been generous and
we have already obtained over 1000 applications.
Volleyball is not just promoted as a game, but is
wrapped in fabulous fun and is given a whole new
carnival atmosphere. The event will be carried out
according to the international mini volleyball rules and
regulations and will be supervised by the Ministry of
Education and the Volleyball Federation of Sri Lanka.
The first Superkids Volleyball Fiesta will take place on
October 3, at the Vincent Dias Grounds, Badulla.
For inquiries call, Sri
Lanka Volleyball Federation on 011-2686632 or DSI
Marketing Division, Nawinna on 011-4301212.
SSC have already
collected first innings points
SSC have already
collected first innings points and were well set to take
a massive first innings lead over Chilaw Marians SC on
the opening day of their SLC under 23 division one
cricket tournament final worked off at Maitland Place on
Friday.
Scores - Chilaw Marians
SC: 123 (R. Fernandopulle 20, M. Siriwardena 26, C.
Gunasinghe 4 for 46, S. Karunanayake 4 for 36, S.
Senanayake 2 for 6). SSC: 171 for 3 (D. Karunaratne 68,
N. Perera 45, H. Fernando 18, K. Silva 20).
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Sports happenings at
a glance
Monday
Rugby
CR&FC beat CH&FC 22-11
The League and Clifford
Cup runners-up CR&FC won the President's Trophy by
defeating CH&FC by 22-11 at Longden Place.
South Africa in Quarter
Finals
South Africa remained
unscathed after being given a real fight by Tonga to
become the first team to enter Rugby World Cup 2007
Quarter Finals.
Australia beat Fiji
55-12.
Cricket
Chilaw Marians SC,SSC in
finals
Chilaw Marians SC beat
Ragama CC on first innings at SSC, while SSC beat arch
rivals NCC outright by 82 runs at Reid Avenue in the two
semi-finals.
Sussex retain
championship
Pakistan spinner Mushtaq
Ahamed was the hero as Sussex retained the English
County Championship, beating Worcestershire by an
innings and 14 runs. His match haul was 13 for 225.
Tennis
USA sight Davis Cup final
Defending champions
Russia are battling for their Davis Cup survival as they
trail Germany2-1 going into Sunday's, final day of their
World Group Semi-Final in Moscow.
Swimming
SL Schools C'ships
St.Joseph's and Mahamaya
Girls' School, Kandy won the overall C'ship in Men's and
Women's categories. In the 34th Sri Lanka Schools
Swimming and Diving championships held at the
Sugathadasa Swimming Pool. At the meet five new records
were established.
Rowing
Colombo Rowing Club win
The Colombo Rowing Club
annexed the Jerry Silva Challenge Trophy at the 23rd
Rowing Championship Regatta sponsored by Mobitel
concluded at the Beira lake.
Tuesday
Cricket
India beat Pakistan
India held nerve to
defeat Pakistan in a thriller by five runs at the New
Wanderers' Stadium in Johannesburg, in the Tewnty 20
World Cup match.
SL Invitaion XI take
honours
Nisal Randhika a young
middle order batsman smashed an unbeaten 101 as Sri
Lanka Invitation XI reached 244 for 6 wickets in reply
to Tamil Nadu total of 252 runs all out in a warm up
game ahead of the prestigious Gopalan Trophy encounter
played at Police Park.
Josephians on top
At the end of first days
play in the first XI encounter Isipatana were reeling at
35 for 4 wickets in reply to St.Joseph's 1st innings
total of 209 runs.
Rugby World Cup 2007
All Blacks, Australia
Cruise into Quarters World Cup favourites New Zealand
and twice winners Australia secured an untroubled
passage to the quarter finals in the World Cup Rugby
2007.
Tennis
US - Russia in Davis Cup
final
Andy Roddick swept the
United States into the Davis Cup Final by defeating
Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman in straight sets. Roddick's
6-2,7-6(7/3),6/4 win over the veteran home player in the
first of the reverse singles which gave McEnroe's Team
an 3-1 lead.
Wednesday
Cricket
Joes draw with Isipatana.
Scores: St Joseph's 1st
Innings 209 all out and 2nd Innings 101 for 9 dec. (P
Sankalpa 20,Anton de Livera 25,Vimukthi Deshapriya 5/25)
Isipatana 35 for 4 o/n 142 all out.
Royal Panadura win by
10 wickets
Scores:Taxila Central 77.
S.Saranga 20, Dhammika Ranawaka 4/17, Ashan Chathuranga
3/7 and 50 D.Lakmal 24 Krishan Dinidu 7/23, Dhammika
Ranaweera 3/12)
Gopalan Trophy again
Sri Lankan Cricket
together with the Tamil Nadu District Association has
taken efforts to revive the once famous M.J. Gopalan
Trophy. The four day tie will be renewed when Sri Lanka
Cricket XI take on the Tamil Nadu side.
Badminton
Sri Lanka major honours
At the 13th Travel Trade
Sports Club Badminton Championships conducted at the
S.Thomas' College Indoor Stadium,SriLankan Airlines
Shuttlers swept the board winning all three titles. The
event was once again sponsored by BOC Travels Pvt.
Ltd.They won the Mens,Females and the Veterans titles.
Rugby
Easy win for Petes
St.Peter's trounced
Vidyartha by 40 points to 5 in a one sided game in the
Inter-School Milo President's trophy semi-final
encounter played at the Royal Sports Complex at Reid
Avenue.
Tennis
Becker beats Moy
Unseeded German Benjamin
Becker beat the fancied fifth seed Carlos Moya in
straight sets in the first round 7-6,6-4 at the Thailand
Open.
Thursday
Cricket
Tamil Nadu struggle
on day one
Tamil Nadu sent into bat
by Sri Lanka Cricket Invitation XI were bowled out for a
paltry 74 runs in 34.4 overs at the Colts grounds.
Scores: Tamil Nadu Ist
Innings 74 all out (K.H.Gopinath 18, C.Ganapathy 14,
R.Naresh 12 n.o, Chanaka Welagedera 5/34, Dhammika
Prasad 3/18)
SLCI Ist Innings 202 for
2 at close. (Tharanga Paranavithana 105 n.o., Michael
Van Dort 32, Malinda Warnapura 26 n.o.)
Warnapura Team, champions
Sri Lanka Insurance
sponsored Sri Lanka Legends six a side tournament.The
Team Warnapura emerged champions over team Ranatunga in
the Final. Jeewantha Kulatunga was adjudged the "The
Best Bowler," while Saman Jayantha carried away "The
Best Batsman ," and "The Man of the Tournament," awards.
Athletics
All Island Schools
Sports Festival
A record number of 584
children from Northern Province alone will take part in
the All Island Schools' Sports Festival at the
Sugathadasa Stadium.
Tennis
Jithmie, Amritha in semis
Jithmie Jayawickrema and
Amritha Muttiah of Sri Lanka are in the semi -finals in
the girls' singles event at the ITF Junior
under-18Tennis tournament, now in progress at the SLTA
courts.
Friday
Cricket
England Team arrives
England's build up to
their M/S Bradford & Bingley sponsored one day series in
Sri Lanka has been hit by a stomach bug sweeping through
the squad. Captain Paul Collingwood, fast bowler Stuart
Broad, Luke Wright and Alastair Cook have all been hit
by the stomach virus and are doubtful for the England's
only warm up match against a Sri Lanka President's XI to
be played at the P . Sara Stadium.
Joes take honours
Josephians took major
honours in their inter-school cricket encounter against
Isipatana concluded yesterday at Darley road.
Scores: St Joseph's Ist
innings 209 all out and 101 for 9 dec. Isipatana Ist
innings 142 all out and 49 for 1 wicket at close.
Sri Lanka on top
Sri Lanka Invitation XI
were on top at the end of day two in their revived
annual Gopalan Trophy encounter played at the Colts
grounds.
Scores: Tamil Nadu Ist
Innings - 74 all out and 2nd Innings -154 for 4 wickets
at close. Sri Lanka Invitation XI Ist Innings 372 for 9
dec.
Table Tennis
Yohan beat Prasad
Bottom seed Yohan
Deshapriya of MAS Intimates beat top seed Indika Prasad
of Seylan Bank Sports Club in straight sets (3-0) to
clinch.
Rugby
Samoa beat United States
Samoa withstood a second
half fight back from the United States to salvage their
World Cup pride with this win in a Pool A match after
losing to South Africa,Tonga and England badly.
- Compiled by Sunil
Thenabadu |
