Stars of Yesteryear

By Rohan Wijesinghe
With the new ball ‘Duly Dented’ by Sidath Wettiminy and …

Dr CH for his part lost no time in passing on ‘that’ cable to the ‘Kingmaker’ as it were of English cricket

Equally adept with the mason’s spoon as with a cricket bat; he could mix cement and dent a new ball with equal elan

An old keepers fingers, so gnarled, so bent; so disfigured and yet so precious. A line I picked up someplace, and which line fits Dr HIK, like a glove no less.

He was either splitting stumps with sheer pace or guiding the city’s chaotic traffick to peace

A genius of a bowler in his time, extending from the 60’s and well into the 80’s.

This mild mannered Aristocrat displayed fearless brilliance against these star studded sides that toured this country for a work out, each game rather ‘step motherly’ doled out, two years apart

Taking his first tentative tottering steps at St Joseph’s College Darley Road he was subsequently poached by Wesley College Borella somewhere in the early twenties

A slight frame, garbed in his beloved Blue Black and Blue is poised to blow out 90 candles on the 24th of May 2010 .

His hand upon his precious heart, Derrick De Saram did what he thought was best for Royal College, Sinhalese Sports Club and his Country

With 9 year old David swinging his little bat for the Peterite under 12’s by the year 1954, it didn’t take coach Cyril Ekanayake long to discover that the energetic little chap was blessed with a rich repertoire of resplendent run getting shots.

Mike, was courteously articulate and besides never ever led his regiment from the rear, a pre-requisite to the make up of a great captain.

Anura, a cricketer and a gentleman in the widest sense of the phrase is a class act by any yardstick indeed, from his thoroughbred stride to his unbridled charm and his exquisite stick work at the crease.