The war deprived many of the north’s school cricketers of proper playing facilities or exposure to the game’s fundamentals for several years. However this worrying fact, that a treasure trove of limitless talent was not being tapped or nurtured, also served to motivate Coach Lionel Goonetilleke to journey all the way to St. John’s College in Jaffna.
Mr. Goonetilleke, the only English Cricket Board (ECB) level three coach in Sri Lanka, stayed with the boys for a few weeks, teaching them the basics of bowling, batting and fielding. He also shared with them a wealth of knowledge relating to the history of the game, such as the instance when Garfield Sobers scored 36 runs in an over.
Coach Lionel Goonetilleke.
Pix by Bertie Mendis |
“The boys were very eager to learn, some of the leg spinners had a lot of talent and I tried to add to this by teaching them the googly. I was surprised how quickly they picked it up,” Mr. Goonetilleke revealed.
Mr. Goonetilleke is by profession an Agricultural Engineer who spent several years in England before coming to Sri Lanka in 1996. However he has shared a close relationship with cricket throughout his life. After going to the UK for his further studies he played for teams in Oxford and Scotland, before moving onto play league cricket in the Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire counties.
He then decided to make the transition from playing to coaching and proceeded to undergo training at Lord’s to qualify as a coach at the National Cricket Association (NCA). He then passed his senior coaching award and after the NCA became the ECB he was appointed a Level three coach.
Another cause he is working tirelessly for, is to secure a gate at Maitland Crescent for M. Sathasivam the former All Ceylon captain, an individual Mr. Goonetilleke regards with great respect.
Mr. Goonetilleke did not charge the school for his services because he said his coaching was not for financial gain but solely to help the students understand the game and perhaps one day even represent the country.
“Even though they have been through a lot of hardship and lack so much, they were so enthusiastic, disciplined and hospitable. The only major problem I had was they did not speak English, but I managed to communicate with them,” Mr. Goonetilleke said.
His dream is to one day see a Sri Lankan side built up of members from all the country’s communities in equal numbers and until he achieves this he will carry on coaching.
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