Category Archives: backyard cricket

May 8, 2013 · 10:17 pm

Three Jaffna lads receive elite encouragement

Andrew Fidel Fernando courtesy of ESPN where the title reads “Jaffna players in Sri Lanka squads for tri-series”

 Three young cricketers from Sri Lanka’s war-affected regions have been named in the squads scheduled to participate in a one-day tri-series, which aims to prepare Sri Lanka’s national side for the Champions Trophy. Fast bowler S Silojen and wicketkeeper Rishan Tudor, both 19, have been named in the Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka Combined sides respectively, while top order batsman S Sanjeewan, 21, has been picked for Sri Lanka A.

 Tudor, who played for St. Patrick’s College, Jaffna, had impressed Muttiah Muralitharan and Kumar Sangakkara last year, after he was chosen for the Unity Team that traveled to Singapore in October last year. Sanjeewan, who played for St. Michael’s College in Batticaloa, had also been part of that side. Continue reading →

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April 30, 2013 · 2:31 am

SLC reaches out to the north

Courtesy of The Hindu

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/sri-lanka-cricket-to-launch-talent-search-in-former-ltte-regions/article4666802.ece

Sri Lanka Cricket to launch talent search in former LTTE regions

// In this file photo a former Sri Lankan girl combatant reacts during a cricket game in Colombo, Sri Lanka. AP AP –In this file photo a former Sri Lankan girl combatant reacts during a cricket game in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is to conduct a talent search for potential youngsters from the former LTTE controlled regions in the north and the east. For two days next month, the SLC would run coaching camps and conduct a talent search for under-14 to under-19 age categories in northern capital of Jaffna. There will also be programmes for coaches and the schools’ masters in charge, a SLC release said. The Jaffna programme will thereafter be repeated in the eastern provincial district of Batticaloa.

Cricket, the island’s most popular sport, was deprived to the north and eastern youth throughout the 30-year separatist war which devastated the north and east. The annual cricket match between Jaffna’s two leading schools, St John’s College and Central College was however continued throughout the conflict.

The north tasted high level cricket for the first time in decades when Murali Cup games were staged last year — a T20 tournament for the under-19 teams from the regions as well as the leading school teams from the south. Only very few Tamils have made it to the Sri Lanka national team since the country was admitted as a full member of the ICC in 1981. Muttiah Muralitharan, a Tamil of Indian origin from the hill country and Russell Arnold are those who made it big in the international arena.

// Keywords: Sri Lanka Cricket, under-19 cricket, Murali Cup

In this file photo a former Sri Lankan girl combatant reacts during a cricket game in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

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April 28, 2013 · 3:39 am

Northeastern youth-pacemen get tips from Chaminda Vaas

 Ranjan Anandappa, in Sunday Observer, 28 April 2013

chaminda-vaas-918635 In the quest of strengthening the Sri Lankan fast bowling armoury which cannot be considered the best at the moment, former Sri Lanka left arm fast bowler Chaminda Vaas is exploring the possibility of having a formidable set of speedsters for the future. Five talented medium pace bowlers from the north were specially brought down to Colombo by Vaas under the instructions of his former fast bowling colleague Ravindra Pushpakumara, who is in charge of fast bowlers in the Jaffna district.

This is not the first time that fast bowlers from the north and the east have emerged in the local cricket arena. In the past there were some lively fast bowlers from the northern province to name a few, the late Donald Ganeshkumar (Police), Anton Benedict (BRC) and R. Naguleswaran (CCC) who were fit enough to gain national honours. But with the ethnic problem and the civil war, the influx of cricketers from the north and the east gradually came to a standstill.  And now with the thirty year conflict ending, the Sri Lanka Cricket are on a hunt of spotting potential pace bowlers from the North and also from the East. In time to come, hopefully there should be a couple fast bowlers from the two provinces. Continue reading →

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April 12, 2013 · 2:16 pm

Cricket sprouts up north in Lanka

Andrew Fidel Fernando, in ESPNcricinfo, 12 April 2013

Cricket blooms after a war

Up in the north of Sri Lanka, through the decades of ethnic conflict, the fervour for the game has remained intact

murali cup crowd at KILI Crowd watching Murali Cup — Sept 2012

Not far south of the town of Mankulam, six boys are playing a neighbourhood match. All are dark and scrawny, none older than 12. The smallest of them takes guard in front of stumps improvised from a strip of reconstituted wood and propped up by old bricks. He grips his bat near the bottom of the crudely fashioned handle, and taps it on the ground as the bowler, a much taller kid with dangling arms, begins his approach. The run-up is rhythmic and the action smooth, but he has overpitched on where off stump would be. The batsman plants his front foot, raising a small cloud of red dust, then swings and connects. A forceful bottom hand helps the ball over mid-on, for four. Continue reading →

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March 29, 2013 · 3:14 am

Emma Levine on pulsating cricket and the Royal-Thomian

Emma Levine from http://emma-levine.com/journey.asp … Cricket a Kind of Pilgrimage

If I were to be asked what I thought was the best example of audience participation in sports, it would be a close-run finish between a Calcutta Test match (an occasion I had the pleasure of witnessing in 1993, and provided the nearest feeling to a religious experience 1 have had) and school cricket in Sri Lanka.  

11 Classic Catch on StreetTwo years ago I had the good fortune to learn of the unique and mad world of the Royal-Thomian (the most notorious and best known match in the country) and during England’s tour of Sri Lanka I broke off from their Test match to go and see it. It was beyond my wildest expectations, and I made sure that the next time I went I would be better prepared for it. It was one of the highlights when I returned for a grand tour of Sri Lanka’s end of year big matches. It was a tour that took me to many of the school matches, which were usually between rival colleges placing a highly competitive and celebrated two- or three-day match. My first taste of these matches was at the Royal Thomian, which is the most famous cricket match in the country. For this reason it is also the match responsible for the greatest number of hangovers that a cricket match could ever be responsible for! This is because the whole occasion is one great drunken tradition. This should have come as no surprise, as the very nature of cricket is conducive to tradition, whichever country it is played in.  Continue reading →

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Lasith Malinga as gonibilla

MALINGA UNBARED  ALSO SEE  “Lasith Malinga’s Hair Style: Sri Lankan Roots” … http://cricketique.live/2011/04/15/lasith-malinga%E2%80%99s-hair-style-roots/

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December 22, 2012 · 12:54 pm
December 19, 2012 · 10:02 am

Hitler’s confrontation with Sri Lankan cricket

SEE  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=03SaJojicyU

HITLER 33

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September 8, 2012 · 4:35 pm

Jaffna Schools stun Trinity College in Murali Harmony Cup

Media Release

Jaffna Combined Schools stunned Trinity College, one of the tournament favourites, with a brilliant four-wicket win on the opening day of the Murali Harmony Cup on Sunday. The upset by Jaffna’s talented young cricketers was one of the highlights of an action-packed first day to the tournament that included 10 matches played in Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mankulam, Oddusuddan and Vavuniya.

The IODR Oval school cricket ground in Oddusuddan is the flagship venue of the 20-team reconciliation tournament staged to promote community-building and friendship in post-war Sri Lanka.The five-day tournament has been jointly organised by Muttiah Muralidaran’s charity the Foundation of Goodness, travel company Red Dot Tours, the International Cricket Council and the Sri Lanka Army.

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March 4, 2012 · 2:11 pm

Ravindra Pushpakumara in search of talent in Mullaitivu

News Item in The Sunday Island, 4 March 2012

A talent search was conducted in Mullaitivu district with the aid of Sri Lanka Army by World Cup winning fast bowler Ravindra Pushpakumara. The picture on left shows Pushpakumara, who is a Provincial Coach attached to Sri Lanka Cricket responsible for the development work in North and East Provinces showing how to bowl the in-swinger. In the other picture, Security Commander of Mullaitivu district Major General L. B. R. Mark is seen alongside Brigade Commander Brigadier Ranjith Samarasinghe and General Staff Officer 59 Division Lieutenant Colonel Sanjaya Wanasinghe.

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January 29, 2012 · 8:15 am

Sri Lankan Aussies and Greek Aussies celebrate Australia Day thru Cricket

Trevor Rodrigo reporting from Melbourne in Sunday Times

Athula Samarasekera led a spirited Sri Lanka team to a convincing 50-run win over a well balanced Greek side in an exciting T20 cricket encounter organised by Serendib News to mark Australia Day at Sheply Oval, Dandenong. The Sri Lankan side batting first lost quick wickets and at one stage were precariously placed at 54 for 4 with its stars, skipper Samarasekera and former Sri Lanka opening bat Michael Vandort dismissed cheaply. But a superb hustle by the middle order and some lucrative rear guard action saw them recover to make a par score of 141 in their allotted over’s. Greece, with some talented club cricketers in their ranks including Dandenong District cricketer D. Nanapolous, a top all-rounder, were behind the eight ball when they let their opponents off the hook after some tight bowling early, and then faced an imposing target set by the Lankans. Continue reading →

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