Sports

Sports

Schoolboys are enjoying the game
As the month of January nears its end, the schools first eleven season is starting to reach its climax. It’s after many years that they are not playing for points. The scramble to reach the top or the desperation of avoiding the bottom couple of positions does not exist in the mind of the boys. A sense of calmness prevails at the games. At times there was over-aggressiveness, at times there was ultra-defensiveness, all for the sake of gaining a few points or depriving the opposition of gaining a few points. This season those acts have been swept away. It is cricket as normal. But it could be said that all is not well. This game is an expensive affair.

Just to give an indication, a good bat is somewhere between fifteen and twenty five thousand rupees. There are numerous other expenditure that a school and the individual players have to bear. About twenty five to thirty schools are able to go on without too many hazards. Another fifty or so are able to get by, the rest find the going pretty tough.

This is the system that finds itself to be the cradle of cricket in the island. Boys from the game of about nine come through the system. Most of them play to gain enjoyment, develop their skills, spend their time profitably and represent the school. Some migrate on the way up to more prominent schools. A few have ambitions, to emulate their heroes in the national team. There is a view of some who follow school cricket that the standard has dropped and hardly any players are produced capable of reaching the top from the schools circuit. That is a fact, but the standard may not necessarily have dropped.

The competition has increased a great deal and some maturity is now required to get into the national ranks. With 'A' team tours happening regularly, those players are distinctly a few rungs above those who emerge from schools. There are many requirements to be ready to be part of the international fold. In a nutshell players should possess a very sound technique, a thorough knowledge of the game, physically very fit, mentally tough, highly disciplined and prepared to undergo a strict work ethic. Some of the exceptionally talented or the freak cricketers may sneak through without some of these qualifications but the majority, have to have the lot to progress.

It is not a possible task for schools to produce such finished products without adequate facilities. The infrastructure is lacking. In terms of equipment, indoor nets, bowling machines, gymnasiums, swimming pools - all requirements, Sri Lanka lags behind most of the other test playing nations. Then, the most important requirement, quality grounds, turf pitches and practice turf are so few outside the Colombo district. All up, there must be a dozen or so grounds, in the rest of the country that has these facilities. Totally inadequate to produce quality players. Most of the turfs are poorly maintained. It is only on good turf pitches that good cricketers are produced.

The youngsters who are out there playing, are unaware of all this. They are only concerned in playing, unaware of what they are missing. This sport requires facilities and opportunities for most to reach the top. It is particularly so in this day and age. At least for the present those engaged in first eleven are able to bat and bowl without the pressure of a points system. It is one step forward but the journey ahead is a very long one!

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