Susanthika out of steam?

Her absence could affect Sri Lanka's chances of winning medals in the forthcoming athletics championships

By Namal Pathirage and Ravi Nagahawatte

Sri Lanka's ace sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe who went to the United States for specialised training is reported to be facing great uncertainty as to whether her plans will come right , "The Sunday Times" learns.

It is also aware that the twenty-three year old is currently training by herself ,as her efforts to find a coach to fit her bill had failed.

Jayasinghe who went to the United States with 18 lakhs of her own money is likely to 'run out of steam' once her finances are over as America is a country where cost of living is very high . However athletics enthusiasts here in Sri Lanka have reason to believe that Jayasinghe could receive aid from Lankans residing there if she is faced with a helpless situation.The village girl could also receive sympathy from the expatriate Lankan community who seem to be aware of the mental trauma which she went through due to the harassment by certain sports officials. It is also a known fact that her earlier plans of travelling together with her husband too had not materialised as he had been banned from leaving the country.

Jayasinghe was forced to emigrate to a foreign country in the midst of threats to her life. Her efforts to slip away from these problems ,which had the potential to ruin her career, had been surpported by a group of lawyers and politicians.

The mentaly troubled Jayasinghe ran into bigger obstacles on the hazardous road she has been staggering along, when the International World Athletics Association imposed a two-year ban on her for taking performance enhancing drugs.

Her only chance of getting some consolation from an arbitrary committee which is looking into this matter is the reduction of the original banned period.

Interestingly the Amateur Athletics Association Of Sri Lanka has begun to show great concern over the affairs of Jayasinghe and are reported to have made plans to send a lawyer to represent their association in a crucial meeting which is to take place in Monte Carlo, Macau in the coming weeks.

Jayasinghe's absence could affect Sri Lanka's chances of winning medals in the forthcoming athletics championships .Coming up in the athletics calendar is the SAF Games in Kathmandu and the World Athletics Championships in which she obtained a silver medal last year .Luck however seems to not have completely deserted her as official reports confirm that her two-year ban will expire before the Year 2000 Sydney Olympics.Further good news which has come her way is the date of commencement regarding the ban which will commence according to officials as 6 March 1998 - the date on which the ban was announced - and not the day in which her case is to be taken up by the arbitrary committee.

The final occasion in which Jayasinghe represented the country was in this year's Asian Games in Bangkok. However it was sad to hear of her being harassed there too by certain officials who had not only mentaly unsettled her but also made her stay in Bangkok a total misery.The new ban which has been imposed on her reflects back on an earlier period which almost brought this "express train" to a halt. However Jayasinghe , like on the first occasion , has shown disapproval in the manner in which the doping proceedure was carried out and dismisses all allegations against her.Jayasinghe who is known to talk without tact and the proper selection of words , is also reported to have made public statments that all these allegations are the work of some officials in the Sports Ministry .

What Jayasinghe earned as the most successful woman athlete in Sri Lanka includes valuable luxury items and money amounting to lakhs of rupees. However today she is reduced to being one of the most unfortunate women in the athletics scene.It is evident now that the award(the silver medal Jayasinghe won inthe World Athletics Championships) she won for her country following the legendary Duncan White's silver medal fifty years ago , is most likely to be forfeited due to the ban .

Many feel that losing this silver medal could bring about more dishonour to the country than the initial glory which came with it.

And come judgsment day in the city of Monte Carlo this month , the blackmark which is to be heaped on Jayasinghe looks inevitable regardless what country she desides to reside in. This blackmark will have a bigger impact on the country she represented.

Top performers in the Inter-Club scene

Jayantha and Wickremasinghe lead

By Saif Izzadeen

Saman Jayantha made a sizzling180 against Galle CC to be the highest scorer in the Premier Inter-Club Cricket Tournament matches played over the weekend.

Starting this week The Sunday Times will keep a tab on the top performers in the Inter-Club scene. Players who score more than 50 runs and take over four wickets will be featured in this column. During the last fortnight 14 Inter-Club matches were played out of which Moors, BRC and Tamil Union scored resounding wins.

This fortnight's batting honours go to Singhe SC's right hand batsman Saman Jayantha who made a dazzling180 against Galle CC.

Results - Matches played on Januray - 22, 23 and 24

SSC - 118 for 7 dec. and 204 lost to Moors SC -158 and 168 for 9 by one wicket. Galle CC - 233 and 221 for 8 dec. lost to Panadura SC - 158 and 297 for 5 by five wickets. NCC - 313 for 9 dec. and 33 for no loss vs Tamil Union - 175 - draw. CCC - 154 and 143 lost to BRC - 111 and 187 for 5 by five wickets. Bloomfield - 166 and 187 for 7 vs Colts - 106 -draw. Antonian SC - 166 and 205 for 6 dec. vs Singhe SC - 199 and 71 for 5 - draw. Kurunegala YCC - 409 for 9 dec. vs Sebastianites - 256 - draw.

Results -Matches played on Januray 29, 30 and 31

Tamil Union- 199 and 215 for 5 beat BRC - 94 and 170 by 150 runs. Bloomfield - 236 and 158 for 5 dec. vs Moors SC - 148 and 186 for 3 - draw.

Singha SC - 304 and 298 for 8 vs Panadura SC - 340 - draw. CCC - 204 and 340 vs SSC - 240 - draw. Colts - 215 and 230 vs NCC -275 and 119 for 7 - draw.

Police SC - 285 and 280 vs Antonian SC - 258 - draw. Sebastianites - 418 and 87 for 4 dec vs Galle CC - 283 and 11 for 1 - draw

Weekend Honours

Batting (over 50 runs)

180 - S.Jayantha (Singha SC) vs Panadura SC,127* - C.Silva (Panadura SC) vs Galle CC, 117 - H. Boteju (CCC) vs SSC,112 - M. Perera (Sebastianites) vs Galle CC, 111*- K. Dharmasena (Bloomfield) vs Moors SC,108 - M.Silva (Panadura SC) vs Singha SC, 101* - K. Weragoda (Galle CC) vs Panadura SC, 100* - C. Hathurusinghe (Moors SC) vs Bloomfield, 92 - R.Jaymon (Kurunegala YCC) vs Sebastianties,90* - R.Wimalasiri (Police SC) 90 - D.Samaraweera (Colts) vs NCC, 88 - A. Riddigamanagedera (NCC) vs Tamil Union, 85 - I.Batuwarachchi (BRC) vs CCC, 84 - T. Munasinghe (Kurunegala YCC) vs Sebastianties, 81 - C. Liyanage (Sebastianites) vs Galle CC, 79 - S.Malwewella (Kurunegala YCC) vs Sebastianties, 77 - J. Kulatunga (Colts) vs NCC, 77 - N. Munasinghe (Kurunegala YCC) vs Sebastianites, 77 - T.Kodikara (Antonian SC) vs Police SC, 75* - G.Wijekoon (Tamil Union) vs BRC, 75 - D. Perera (BRC) vs CCC, 72 - P.Siriwardena (Antonian SC) vs Police SC, 70 - S.Janaka (Colts) vs NCC, 67 - B. Silva (Panadura SC) vs Singha SC, 64 - A. Hettiarachchi (Antonian SC) vs Singhe SC, 63 - J. Jayantha( Singhe SC ) vs Panadura SC, 63 - S. Kalavitigoda (SSC) vs Moors SC, 63 - S. Fernando (Colts) vs NCC, 62 - M. Silva (Panadura SC) vs Galle CC , 62 - T.Dilshan (Sebastianites) vs Kurunegala YCC, 62 - J. Kumudu (Singhe SC) vs Panadura SC, 59 - J.Kumudu (Singhe SC) vs Panadura SC, 59 - V.Waragoda (Galle CC) vs Sebastianites, 58* N.Weeraman (Tamil Union) vs BRC, 58 - N.Weeraratne (Tamil Union) vs SSC, 58 - S.Kumara (Tamil Union) vs BRC, 58 - S.Kumara (Tamil Union) vs SSC, 57 - R. Peiris (Galle CC) vs Panadura SC, 56 - R.Yasalal (Sebastianites) vs Galle CC, 54 - I.Gallage (CCC) vs SSC, 53 - D. Wickremasinghe (Galle CC) vs Sebastianites, 53 - P. Perera (Antonian) vs Singhe SC, 52 - A. Wewelewela (Singhe SC) vs Antonian SC, 52 - N.Nawaz (NCC) vs Colts, 52 - P. Wanasinghe (Galle) vs Panadura SC, 52 - R.Arnold (NCC) vs Colts, 51 - T. Sampath (Singhe) vs Panadura, 50 - A.Priyantha (Police SC) vs Antonian SC, 50 - M.Peiris (Sebastianites) vs Kurunegala,50 - N. Tharanga (Matara SC) vs Kurunegala YCC,

*denotes not out

Bowling (over 4wickets)

8 for 47 - P.Wickremasinghe (Bloomfield) vs Moors, 6 for 33 - D. Fernando (Moors) vs SSC, 5 for 38 - K. Perera (Galle) vs Panadura,5 for 36 - B. Jeganathan (Tamil U) vs BRC, 5 for 47 - R.Kalpage (NCC) vs Colts, 5 for 106 - R. Pushpakumara (Singhe) vs Panadura SC, 4 for 20 - M. Peiris (Sebastianites) vs Galle, 4 for 25 - R. Kalpage (NCC) vs Tamil U, 4 for 27 - R. Farook (BRC) vs CCC, 4 for 28 - M. Mudaliage (BRC) vs CCC, 4 for 36 - S.Fernando (Colts) vs NCC, 4 for 37 - U.Hettiarachchi (Antonian) vs Police SC, 4 for 39 - A. Riddigamagedera (NCC) vs Tamil Union, 4 for 39 - P. Wickremasinghe (Bloomfield) vs Colts, 4 for 43 -S. Fernando (Colts) vs NCC, 4 for 41 - K. Jayasinghe (Moors) vs Bloomfield, 4 for 42 - M.Fernando (Antonians) vs Singhe, 4 for 47 - R. Kalpage (NCC) vs Colts, 4 for 51 - M. Fernando (Antonians) vs Singhe,4 for 52- I. Amarasinghe (Colts) vs Bloomfield, 4 for 55 - P.Wanasinghe (Galle) vs Panadura, 4 for 55 - R. Madurusinghe (Kurunegala) vs Sebastianties, 4 for 55 - V.Ranweera (Police) vs Antonians 4 for 63 - H.Boteju (CCC) vs SSC, 4 for 65 - N.Rupasinghe (CCC) vs SSC, 4 for 71 - P. Serasinghe (Police) vs Antonians, 4 for 74 - S. Ranatunga (SSC) vs CCC, 4 for 75 - M. Bandara (NCC) vs Colts, 4 for 91 - G.Perera (Galle CC) vs Sebastianties.

Letter

Still searching for excellence

Much has been written in the media on the peculiar selection process for the Asian Games, the abysmal performance of the swimmers ending with the untimely passing away of the National Swimming Coach, Mr. Rizvi Zain. Still, the organising body maintains a stoic silence on the whole issue.

The story is that certain officials have already begun canvassing the clubs for their support for re-election at the next election. Do we the sports loving public of this country have to tolerate these officials for yet another term?

Are we to allow the youngsters who take up to this sport to spend hours & hours training for honours, to finally disgrace themselves & the country, merely because these officials have no clue how to improve standards?

(Incidentally, not a single NAASU official was present at the Airport when Mr. Zain's body was brought home - it was the parents of swimmers who assisted the family at the airport)

Have these officials no shame that they have to keep clinging to positions of power, just to satisfy their pompous egos without offering anything by way of tangible results or benefits?

These are the questions each and everyone of the officials of NAASU must ask themselves (in the interests of decency, fairplay and honour) in their moments of quiet contemplation.

To me the answers are crystal clear. This lot must go. They have been abject failures. They must be replaced by those with commitment, sincerity of purpose, dedication and a genuine love for the sport. This is the only way the country can ensure Mr. Zain has not given his life in vain.

One stormy summer

At the end of the past few cricket seasons in Australia "Channel Nine" together with the ACB produced highlights of the one day triangulars on video cassette. 'The captions given to these cassettes were connected with the game barring the one of 1995-96. That was when Sri Lanka, West Indies and Australia clashed. A real clash it was, in every sense, between Sri Lanka and the host nation. The video of that season bore the title 'One stormy summer'.

1998-99 has been a return of the "stormy summer". The cricket has been enthralling and entertaining. The games have blotted out the interest and following of other international goings-on around the world. The quality of cricket has been class and the controversies scarey.

These three teams are amongst the very best right now. No side has been able to dominate with regularity. Add South Africa to the list and that will complete the list of contenders for the forthcoming World Cup.

The value of playing in Australia is that the pitches vary so much from state to state. That brings the best out of the players. No one type of player can be totally successful unless he adapts perfectly to the conditions and the pitches at all the venues.

England's Graham Hick occupies top position amongst the performers. His triple centuries has carried the English batting. One thing that he has done is playing each delivery on its merits. Even the improvised strokes he plays he does so after sighting the flight of the ball. That can be done when a player is going through a purple patch. All the correct messages are passed from eye to brain to body and the body reacts without erring.

The other two outstanding performers for England have been Darren Gough and Niel Fairbrother. Fairbrother the very experienced campaigner has the ideal temperament for the tense one day match situations. The ability to stay calm and collected and undistracted from the immediate task is so very vital in this shorten form of the game.

The faster bouncier pitches with some sideways movement have been ideal for Gough. Even in limited overs cricket Gough aims at dismissing batsmen. Should a bowler be able to do that without giving away many runs then he becomes a captain's dream.

Mahela Jayawardena's century rolled out the cricket coaching manual. lt was not brutal as many one day centuries turn out to be. Not even partially. Elegance and grace was written on every run that was stroked. That innings should give Jayawardena the confidence and the self-belief that he is up amongst the big boys. Upul Chandana has been a silent achiever Down Under. He has not gone for too many runs with the ball and the contributions with the bat have been very useful. On a couple of occasions Chandana has made runs when the top order has wilted. One reason for the run-making is his sound foot and body positioning and being balanced to play the ball. When that is the case it is possible to time the ball sweetly, as well as hit out powerfully. Sri Lanka's skipper Arjuna Ranatunge has been his solid self in the middle of the batting order. The burdens on his shoulders have increased with the injury caused to Aravinda de Silva. He has handled it all admirably. Amongst his many talents in the batting department is his ability to adjust his method of play to suit the conditions.

He has scored runs wherever he travels in this world. There is a golden rule involved with striking a ball. "Keep your eye on the ball until you make contact". lt is so surprising that a vast number of those who play the sport do not do it. Arjuna Ranatunga is a player who is a prime example when it comes to having the eyes glued onto the ball.

The host nation has an army of players to select their team from. It is not often the Australians juggle around too much with team selection. They have been forced to do so this season. Proven stars Mark Waugh and Glen McGrath have been the steadying influences of the Aussie outfit. Although not being able to reach three figures yet in this tournament Mark Waugh has held the top order together and continues to carve his runs with ease. He is surely the most elegant batsman to watch when in full flight.

Glen McGrath has stood out and stood tall above everyone else in the bowling department. He is not far away from the mantle of best fast bowler in the world. Talk of batsmen adjusting themselves to play according to the pitch. McGrath does exactly that when it comes to bowling. His five wickets spell against the Sri Lankans at Adelaide underlined just that. He bowled that rising short pitched delivery with almost pinpoint accuracy, offen bordering on a no-ball, but yet so difficult to be called. His second and third spells against the English two days later was so very different. Then he speared the ball in at the batsman's feet, to curtail run scoring and looking for the LBW and bowled. Now that is a complete fast bowler.

Embroiled in the Cricket has been the "Muralitharan" controversy. Much has been said and written about the related issues. What did happen will be debated and argued for many, many years. Right now a solution must be found. lt is an issue where the lCC has been passing the ball around.

Cold Stores to sponsor schools cricket upto 2003

With the pull out of Coca-Cola, the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association has tied up with Ceylon Cold Stores in sponsoring Inter School Cricket tournaments upto the year 2003.

The tournament will be called the Elephant Lemonade Cup and will be worked off in two stages: The Lemonade Cup League Tournament and the Lemonade Cup Limited overs Tournament.

One Hundred and thirty five schools will participate in the schools' premier tournament which will be played on a league basis which will see four new schools in the fray.

They are Kataragama Central, St John's Bosco Hanwella, Vidyaloka Vidyalaya Galle and Kavantissa MV Ampara.

The league championship will be played in three Groups, A,B and C.

Group A will consist of 25 schools, Group B 27 schools and Group C 83 schools.

After the league tournament, 32 schools will be selected to play for the limited overs tournament with the first round commencing on March 25. The pre- quarter finals will be on March 28, the quarter-finals on March 31, the semi-finals on April 2 and the finals April 4 at the SSC grounds.

The 32 schools qualifying to play in the limited-overs tournament will comprise 18 schools from Group A.10 schools form Group B and 4 schools from Group C.

The limited overs final will be played in coloured clothing.

Awards will be made to the best batsman, best bowler and best all-rounder in each group plus an award each to the best batsman, best bowler and man of the match in the limited overs final.

A man of the match award will also be made from the pre-quarter final stage onwards.

International Badminton Referee

Ajith Wijayasinghe was included to the IBF panel of referees in July 1997 and has been appointed Referee for the Iran Open Championship in Tehran from 28th January-3rd February '99.

His long and dedicated services to the game have many commendable achievements. Having come into Badminton Administration in 1978, he was instrumental in the formation of the Mercantile Badminton Association in 1982.

In 1985, Sri Lanka staged the John Player International Badminton Championships conducted by the MBA of which Ajith was the organizing secretary. This was followed by the 2nd John Player International in 1987. Since then he has the unique record of being organizing secretary of every International Badminton event in Sri Lanka, which include the SAARC Airline Championships, World Airline Championships, South Asian Badminton Federation Games and the Asian Satellite Championships.

A former Junior National Champion and National Player he has been the coach to many leading players, and has served as coach for the National Squad in 1985, 1986.

He has also served as Coach/Manager for the Asian Championships; Commonwealth Games and Thomas/Uber Cup competitions on many occasions.

In the field of administration he has served the SLBA as Secretary for 3 separate terms and has a record of being uncontested on all occasions. He is a Vice President of the Mercantile Badminton Association and the Secretary General of the South Asian Badminton Federation.

In recognition of his services the IBF Meritorius Service award was conferred on him last year.

Briefly

Lanka's hockey on upward trend

National Hockey has made giant strides in the recent past under the sponsorship of Singer (Sri Lanka) Limited. Singer's sponsorship commenced in August 1995 and will continue upto August 2001. By this time, the Sri Lanka Hockey Federation hopes to restore the standard of hockey to the prime level where it was in the sixties. Improvements are already well underway and is reflected in Sri Lanka's narrow defeat at the hands of India, the ultimate gold medallists in the recent Asian Games, by 3 goals to 2 in the third Test of their hockey tour to India in November/ December 1998.

Both the Sri Lankan men's and women's teams have made giant strides and 5 of our men's players and 2 of our women's players were selected to the All Asian Pool in 1997. Despite these giant strides, unfortunately the Sri Lankan Hockey team could not make it to the Asian Games in Bangkok.

Part of the promotion and development plans of the Sri Lanka Hockey Federation is to expand the game to the provinces and establish a national identity for hockey. With this goal in mind, a coaching program sponsored by Singer Sri Lanka was held at the Uyanwatte Stadium and 9 schools, Mahamaya B.M.V., St. Mary's Convent, President's College, St. Thomas' Boys School, Sariputta M.V., Rahula M.V., Matara Central College, St. Thomas' Girls College and Sujatha B.M.V. participated under the guidance of the national coach Mr. J.A.N. Perera and two Asst. coaches Messrs. L. Ittapana and Claude De Silva. 95 boys and girls of the under-17 age group followed this excellent program and 5 selected schools were rewarded with hockey equipment consisting of 14 hockey sticks, 6 hockey balls and 1 pair of goal keeper equipment each.

The Matara District Schools Hockey Federation headed by Mr. K.A. Somapala, Principal; Matara M.M.V. will take this program forward in 1999 with the support of coaches from Colombo.

Under the able leadership of Mr. A.P.B. Harasgama, President of the Sri Lanka Hockey Federation, this same program will be replicated in 2 other new districts in 1999. The Sri Lankan Hockey Federation has started its preparation for the 2002 Asian Games in South Korea and hopes to scout for new talent island-wide to further strengthen its pool.

All set for Bristol tour

The Bristol Tour de Ratnapura will be a severe test of skills and strength for racing cyclists to be held on Sunday February 14 commencing at 7 a.m. opposite the Ratnapura Town Hall conducted by the Ratnapura District Cycling Association.

Over 150 cyclists are expected to face the starter in this 140 mile race under the UCI (Union Cyclists Internallae) rules and regulations of the one day classic with endurance riding.

The winner and first runner-up will be awarded a trophy plus Rs 20,000/- and Rs 15,000/- in cash respectively. Cash prizes and certificates will also be awarded to the first twenty who complete the race. Four feeding points will be named before the start of the race.

Accommodation will be provided to the cyclists and should collect their numbers and register their supporting motor cycles on Saturday, February 13 at the Ratnapura District Cycling Association at No. 26 1/1, Church Road, Ratnapura.

Veterans basketball

The over 40 men's and women's 5-a-side cager tournament conducted by the Veteran's Basketball Association will be held at the Otters Basketball courts from February 22 to 28.

This year's tournament will be sponsored by Scanwell Freight Express. This annual 5 a side tournament is open to clubs, firms, banks, service organisations and non-affiliated bodies.

All wishing to participate in this tournament could hold their practices at the Otters Courts on Sunday February 7 from 7.30 a.m. and also on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6.30 p.m.

Entries will close with Trevine David the tournament Secretary at Equity Services at No. 30, Hunupitiya Road, Colombo 2, on February 17th. The draw will be held at Captains at No. 138, Havelock Road, Colombo 5, at 6 p.m. on February 17th.

Six wicket win for Lankan CC

Lankan CC helped by a record 96 runs for the last wicket enabled them to beat University of Colombo by 6 wickets in their division 2 premier championships played at the University Grounds at Thurstan Road.

In the 10th wicket partnership, Sampath Wijesinghe scored a unbeaten 60 and Ratnasiri de Silva scored 35. Instrumental in bowling out the University side twice was the match bag of 8 for 75 by Preethi Jayawardena. Scores:
University of Colombo -116 all out: U. Fernando 43, J.Gunawardena 25, Sampath Wijesinghe 3 for 20, Suranga Silva 3 for 22 , Preethi Jayawardena 3 for 42 and 132 all out. U. Fernando 45, T.A.N. Silva 43, Preethi Jayawardena 5 for 33, Bandula Dissanayake 3 for 20.
Lankan CC 313 all out: Sampath Wijesinghe 60 not out, Prasanna de Alwis 38, Ratnasiri de Silva 35, Waruna de Alwis 27, S. Jayaweera 5 for 51, S.Saparamadu 3 for 68 and 36 for 4. Preethi Jayawardena 22 not out, Aruna de Silva 10 not out, U.Fernando 3 for 12.

Easy win for Colombo University

The Colombo University Staff team beat the Excise Department by 6 wickets in their State Services limited overs tournament played at the University Grounds at Thurstan Road.

Excise Department - 130 all out: A. Pusphakumara 10, P. Fernando 39, A.Gamage 11, P. Nugegoda 18, K.A. Kulasiri 3 for 22, S. Walpita 2 for 40. P.Dunatilleka 2 for 23.

University Staff 131 for 4 wickets: T.N. Jayakody 12, S. Walpita15, P. Dunatilleka 17, P.de Silva 15 S. Dayawansa 10.

Skanda inspired many a young 'un' - Athula

Bernie Wijesekera, reporting from Australia

Former Sri Lanka allrounder, Athula Samarasekera, who was a member of the Sri Lankan team in the 1992 World Cup in Australia and in New Zealand, is now a resident of Victoria and playing cricket and coaching Bright CC under-14 team. Athula, who started his cricketing career at Mahinda College, Galle, came up the hard way to reach the top. Athula was one of those many Sri Lankans who were there to cheer and support the Lankan team. Besides Athula there were many other Sri Lankan cricketers whom this scribe met at the MCG, who are playing district cricket. Samarasekera, who was with his wife to watch the match in Melbourne was interviewed by the Sunday Times

Q - Are you enjoying your stint here?

A - I am really enjoying my cricket and helping the junior cricketers with my experience. The youngsters are very keen and dedicated and work hard at the nets. That's the secret behind their success at the higher level he added. Well I came up the hard way and know what life is all about he nodded. If I went places then I owe a token of gratitute to the present president of the Tamil Union S. Skandakumar. Initially from school it was with the Tamil Union that I started wielding the willow at the higher level. He enouraged not only me, but several other cricketers from the outstations - especially from down South. He is a source of inspiration to most of the youngsters, who were trying to make an impact in life be it on or off the field. He is a fine motivator, he added. Later I shifted to CCC, but it was at the Tamil Union that I really started my cricket.

Q - Any other cricketers of repute playing in Victoria?

A - Diminutive Gamini Perera a fine allrounder, who captained Royal in 1997. He has made his mark here, Perera, turns out for Ringwood CC.

Former Sri Lanka allrounder, Ravi Ratnayake, captain coach of Morabbin C.C. District cricket here, is very competitive and the standard is higher than some of the clubs playing Div. L cricket in Sri Lanka.

The ACB is helping the game at grassroots level with men and material. It's well planned, not just putting up concrete pitches here and there. Their infrastructure is hard to beat.

Though Mark Taylor, Ian Healy, twins Steve and Mark Waugh are reaching the end of their career, there are quite a number of young hopefuls on the wings to take over from where they stop to continue their good work. This attributes to good planning for the future.

By the Scorer - (TitBits) West Indian Steve Bucknor was honoured with a bronze medal for standing in his 40th Test match in Adelaide last month. National Grid of U.K. is behind this recognition of umpiring achievements. England's David Shepherd was the first to receive for his 40th Test match duty in March '98. The umpire who officiates in 50 will receive a 'Silver'. The 'gold' awaits for his 60th Test.

Dean Headley grandson of legendary 'Black Bradman' George and son of Ron Headley was picked for the English team that toured the West Indies. Dean was congratulated by the West Indies Board on his selection for the tour of England. The O.B.E. that was awarded to his grandpa George for his cricketing deeds is treasured by Dean. On his arrival with the England team to the West Indies, he made a special trek to the cemetery to see his grandpa's grave and to his dismay there wasn't a graveyard.

George's last will was that his body should be buried in the sea and forgotten and no monuments for future generations to see. Ironically his grandson Dean, was one of them. Incidentally George was tagged as 'black Bradman', alongside the legendary Sir Don Bradman. Sir Don still going strong despite reaching the nervous 90s, is still respected by the Aussies and worldwide. Sir Don and George never went for money, unlike the present day cricketers, who are apparently involved in big money and betting scandals. Both played the game the way it should be played and believed in simplicity in life.

Crazy to call 'Murali' a chucker says Abdul Qadir

Former Pakistan spinning legend, Abdul Qadir, was interviewed by the Sunday Times for his views on the ongoing controversy now raging over Muralideran's bowling. Qadir was met by this scribe at the Kingsgrove Cricket Academy on a two- day coaching assignment for the youngsters in the fundamentals of leg-spin bowling. Qadir is one of the masters of leg-spin bowling, with a bag of 237 Test wickets and a personal best of nine wickets against England in one innings at Lahore.

"Anyone, who calls Murali a chucker must be crazy. When he is spinning the ball he is not straightening the arm in the process of delivery, but only his wrist spins. Here is a bowler, who has taken over 200 Test wickets, who has to suffer the ignominy of being no-balled for chucking, that too only in Australia.

First, I saw him in Pakistan. I told Aravinda de Silva and Ranatunga, that the little fellow is going to be a great bowler. They will confirm it. Allan Border and Ian Botham have agreed with me. The I.C.C. must settle this issue, rather than tarnishing this man's cricketing future", he added.

"Imagine Murali and Kumar Dharmasena are bowling in the same match. Murali is being called, but not Kumar."

Q- "Are you sure?" "I know what I am talking about. Even the ACB, too should take the blame. The umpires should be told to leave him alone. That means he's in the wrong dock" - "You are right".

The Kingsgrove Cricket Academy, is run by a former Sri Lankan from down South in Harry Solomons, who is doing much for the development of cricket in N.S.W. with his own men and material.The likes of twins Steve and Mark Waugh and many others have benefited. The recent bowling sensation, leg-spinner Stuart McGill, when contacted by this scribe said 'Harry is like my foster father. His generosity towards me while turning out for N.S.W cannot be measured but had to be treasured. That means River of no Returns to him? Your are right.

Qadir, who helped Shane Warne with the finer points of leg- spin bowling, to emerge the best in the world, said the Kingsgrove Indoor nets is one of the best he has seen and well equipped. Well, seeing is believing! It put out Cricket Foundation's Indoor nets to shame.

Abdul, still plays circket for Carlton C.C. in Melbourne. What has happened to Sri Lanka's Spinners Clinic? Time that the C.B. draws a proper re-development structure for the future betterment of the game rather than striving to build an International Stadium at Kandalama. It would do well to get a personality like Qadir, who will be, too happy to help neighbouring country Sri Lanka.

Daya promoted

By Ravi Nagahawatta

Outstanding sportsman , Daya Jayasundare, has been promoted to the rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police with effect from 1 February 1999.

Jayasundare, who hails from Kandy, had represented his school, Dharmaraja ,in many sports before he joined the police.He had been deployed in many areas which were mostly terrorist infiltrated towns .It is known that he had served in Batticaloa for lengthy period of ten years and had even been on duty in Ampara two weeks before his appointment .

Blessed with a stocky build which is ideal for boxing , Daya had excelled in the boxing ring from 1960 to 1963 before getting the opportunity to represent Sri Lanka Schools .The talent in him to master any sport was strikingly evident during his stay in school when he ended up representing his alma -mater in cricket, hockey and soccer . He is the second of seven brothers who are all sportsmen in the family including Sarath, A/Director Police Headquartars and PA to IGP and Brigadier Gamini Jayasundare of OCCC Colombo.

"I never had any injuries during my sports career " says Jayasundare in exuberance whenever he speaks of his smooth run in the sports field.

"Being a non-smoker and teetotatller has also helped me to be successful in sports" said the new DIG while engaging himself in an interview with "The Sunday Times".

Jayasundare took up rugby while in the police and made it to the national team in 1971 as a flanker, and later toured Hong Kong with the Sri Lanka side during the 1972 ASIAD.

The strict diciplinarian was well recieved and loved by all during his coaching stint with the police team which he continued for six years. "I made it clear that all had to be punctual at practice " said Jayasundare while reflecting on his coaching days where his players -the police team-were feared by all.Apart from coaching Jayasundare contributed immensely to the sport of rugby by officiating in games.He has been an A division referee since 1978.

When asked what he had to say about his appointment , Jayasundare had this to say. " I have earned it. Whereever I worked the public wanted me" .

The sporting public in Sri Lanka wish him well on his appointment .

It's back to the drawing board

By Ranil Abeynaike

Last Sunday's game between the Sri Lankans and the Australians was a vital one for Sri Lanka in terms of mustering a win to stay alive in the Carlton and United Breweries series. Alas, it was not to be and now it is a case of getting back onto the drawing board and starting afresh.

When the Aussie openers blasted away in the early overs it seemed a massive total was imminent. Then both Adam Gilahrist and Mark Waugh fell in quick succession. Such turn arounds can sometimes change the complexion of the game. In this case it did slow down the scoring rate and in fact continued with both teams locked in a fairly even contest.

With half-a-dozen overs to go the Sri Lankans were in a position to restrict the home side to a score of around 250 which on that pitch looked very gettable. But the Aussies raced away and got to about twenty runs too many. That does happen with a team playing well. They are able to break loose at crucial stages of a game to make the task of the opposition that much harder.

The task was certainly uphill. It required a briliant innings from one of the top order batsmen to reach that target of 275. Sanath Jayasuriya embarked on one of his demolition acts. He has looked very threatening in some of the innings that he has played but somehow he has not been able to go on for long enough to help Sri Lanka to add the finishing touches. But then, fate struck a cruel blow, to sideline one of the world's entertaining batsmen for two months.

This Australian tour has been one where the stumbling blocks have kept appearing to curtail every stride. Now which way should the side turn ?

The overall reception the team received was far from ideal. Sport in Australia has great appeal and is a form of entertainment. Every single sport played in that country is well marketed to attract the crowds. In the old days spectators who watched cricket knew about the game. They were students of the game, had they played or not and enjoyed the varying fascinations of the game. Not so today. Most of the education is derived from what the scribes put on paper and what the commentators say on the electronic media.

The Australians love to win and could well be described as poor losers. Their media are now well embroiled in it - at least a majority of them, to whom it is their bread and butter. They must sell their story. They threw every possible stone at the Sri Lankans to distract them and put their game into disarray. The whole "Muralitharan affair" and the "Ranatunge inquiry" certainly had its effects on the team's performance.

You simply cannot concentrate solely on your performances when such issues are hanging over your head. Should it have been an intentional ploy by the Aussie media then they truly succeeded.

Sri Lanka are not the first team to be subjected to such mental torture. The lesson to be learnt is that mental preparation to counter such situations with qualified psychologists is an absolutely vital requirement when embarking on an Australian tour.

From those unfortunate incidents the team stumbled onto injuries to some of their main contributors. When thinking of the future that is a major concern. When injuries of this nature occur the total game plan is thrown into disarray. To make immediate adjustments is very tough.

The one very clear message of the moment is that it is a must to have replacements and good replacements ready in the wings. The glories of 1996 is now very much history. Is the Sri Lankan outfit ready with a squad of players to perform against the best in the world?

There is no purpose in packing and attempting to make drastic changes. After all mid-way through last year everything looked in order after the team's triumphant performances in England, in both forms of the game.

It does happen when players have to go on continuously that injuries do crop up. It then means that the work-load must be reduced to get a few more years of cricket out of the senior players, should they be still performing consistently.

The main thing though, is to introduce players who are capable of adjusting to play at the highest level without taking too much of time. The time is ripe to decide which players must go, who should be blooded in order to stop the boat from sinking any further.

It is natural for human beings to turn away from losers. In fact in Australia there is a saying "Winners are grinners". It is the time when all concerned should get back to the drawing board and work together with a common goal, as patchwork will not be sufficient to bring back the winning ways.

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