| Affable
and unforgettable Narangoda
By Bernie Wijesekera
It was more than three-and-a-half decades ago, in 1968, but we can
still remember the incident. It was the Ananda-Nalanda match at
the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, then known as the Oval. Occupying
the crease was none other than that epitome of elegance, Sunil Wettimuny
in full cry.
He
was four short of his century and as confident as ever he hooked
the ball and it was sailing over the fence for six….or…everybody
thought so. Suddenly a tiny figure was airborne and the ball was
plucked off the air at the square-leg fence inches off the boundary
to deny the maestro’s century. The catch was taken by Leslie
Narangoda who later came to be known as one of the best fielders
that country has produced up to date.
Leslie
was a born cricketer. He shone in every department of the game.
Though short in stature he had a very lively pace and while at batting
he had the ability to be counted as the top order batsman.
Narangoda,
played for Nalanda with the likes of Bandula Warnapura, Jayantha
Seneviratne etc. from 1968 to 1971. He was deputy to Warnapura in
1971. Nalanda went unbeaten. His heroics were his hawk-eyed fielding
that bordered on some of the best that the country had provided
in that era.
David Heyn at cover-point, Roy Dias at extra cover etc in the outfield
Leslie was awe-inspiring with his bullet throws to the ‘Keeper.
One
quiet afternoon The Sunday Times caught up with this cricketer of
yesteryear to take a walk down memory lane.
Q:
Who initially coached you?
A: The late Gerry Goneratne helped me. But it was Nelson
Mendis and Mr. Premasara Epasinghe who spotted my real talent. But
I’ve got to single out Nelson Mendis. Facts are stubborn.
He was the Prefect of games and he inspired and improved my skills.
Because of my agile fielding, Nelson Mendis paid special emphasis
on this talent of mine. I was made an example for others to emulate.
Motivation and mental toughness was vital for success. I worked
hard on my own. Today I adhere to self –belief.
Q:
One swallow does not make summer.
A: Yes. In 1971 I was vice-captain to Bandula Warnapura.
Nalanda enjoyed a fine season and remained unbeaten. I contributed
my share to its success.
Q:
Anything worthy to note in your school career?
A: In 1971 I represented Ceylon schools at that time. At
present it is tagged (Sri Lanka Under 19). The team was led by Mitra
Wettimuny, The team comprised a galaxy of stars. Some of them were
Asitha Jayaweera (vice captain) Jagath Fernando, Bandula Warnapura,
Dinesh Rajaratnam, Ajith de Silva, Duleep Mendis and Ananda Jayatilleke
just to mention a few. The team toured India and played 10 matches.
There we won six matches and gave notice of the team’s potential
despite not being a test playing nation. This was the benchmark
for the future of Sri Lanka cricket. Jagath Fernando was an elegant
opening batsman from Royal. He scored 200 runs against a strong
Zonal team. Quite a number of them later represented Sri Lanka while
Warnapura became the first test captain.
Q:
What was your contribution?
A: As a fielder I won much admiration. I was acclaimed
as the Best fielder on tour. The team maintained a very high standard
in discipline on and off the field.
Q:
What was your achievements at club level while at Bloomfield?
A: There are quite a number. I never went record hunting,
but always contributed much in a crisis. Once in a Maharajah trophy
tournament match Bloomfield were struggling at 3 for 1 against the
Board XI. Jayantha Paranathala in his first over captured a wicket.
Then in his second over he picked another two wickets in his first
two balls and was on a hat-trick. I walked out smashed his next
four balls to the fence and helped the side to recover and we won
the match.
I
made 93. In the same tournament against Tobacco who were virtually
fielding a national side, we were again struggling at 60 for 6.
I along with Ruwan Perera --another gritty batsman were involved
in a 180-run stand for the 7th wicket. I contributed 100 runs while
Ruwan made 79. In the end we won the championship.
Unlike
at present times club cricket was very competitive. No quarter given
none asked for. This is one reason for deteriorating standards at
national level.
I captained Bloomfield in 1978 and1979. In both years we went unbeaten
in the ‘Sara’ trophy. But we still were the runners-up
due to the points system.
Q:
Who assisted you at the start of your career?
A: It was that great cricket lover the late Chandru Bakshani.
He was a senior director of Baksons where I was employed. People
of his calibre are hard to find. He helped others too in many walks
of life. He formed the Moratuwa cricket club. The club entered the
Donovan Andree. I skippered the team. Won all ten matches and entered
the final. Lost the final to Tamil Union. But still we were promoted
to the ‘Sara’ (Div. 1).
Q:
Cricket is a way of life for you since you started playing as a
juvenile.
A: Yes. Cricket made me a man and taught lots of this –
ups and downs in life and to face setbacks. However I had the grim
determination to fight back. At present a level two coach has been
coaching for 25 years since 1979. At present I run the Nalanda Cricket
Academy and also have my own cricket school which I conduct at the
CTB grounds, Narahenpita.
Q:
What have you got to say about school cricket?
A: I see quite a number of cricketers taking up coaching.
But the skill levels have not improved. This is a major setback
for the future development of the game. Just to win at all cost
is not the answer. The young cricketers must be taught the basics
at grassroot level. Apparently some school coaches are not competent
to coach though they are armed with a certificate. They should possess
the practical knowledge, too. When I played for Nalanda for four
years the standard was pretty high. Most schools had a potential
future national player. A good example is the team that toured India
in 1971.
Q:
Were you involved with Sri Lanka cricket as a coach?
A: Yes. I was the Colombo District coach for a while.
Q:
Did you coach Nalanda?
A: Yes. For a short stint when Jayantha Seneviratne was
away.
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