Category Archives: child of empire

November 11, 2019 · 9:54 am

MCC Cricket Season to be launched at Galle in late March 2020

News Item, 31 October 2019, ….. https://www.lords.org/lords/news-stories/mcc-champion-county-match-to-be-held-in-sri-lanka

The traditional curtain-raiser to the new English domestic season, which dates back to 1970 in its current guise, will be played at the Galle International Stadium between 24th and 27th March 2020. The Champion County match, which sees MCC play the winners of the Specsavers County Championship in a four-day first-class match, was played at Lord’s until 2010 when the match first moved abroad.

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October 14, 2019 · 10:27 am

Farewell. In Memory of Aubrey Kuruppu

ONE: Hafiz Marikar –“Former cricketer Aubrey Kuruppu dies at 74″ …. Daily News, October 2019

Former Thomian, Saracens and University cricketer Aubrey Kuruppu died suddenly in Kandy at the age of 74 yesterday. Kuruppu collapsed at the Royal Maul Restaurant where he goes for his daily cup of tea. He was rushed to the Kandy General Hospital where he was pronounced dead. A postmortem will be held today and his final rites will be decided soon after. Born in Dehiwela on March 11, 1945 Aubrey was a complete cricketer, coach, cricket writer, administrator, an umpire, match referee and an internationally reputed cricket commentator.

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October 11, 2019 · 6:50 am

Murali celebrated in Sri Lankan Musical Rhythms via Alston Koch

Murali the official music video & song

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October 3, 2019 · 1:23 am

Not a Pukka Royalist! Cricketing Insights from the CJ Van Twest Scrapbook for 1957

 At the tender age of nine or so, one Christopher John Van Twest – “CJ” in family circles – was a budding young cricketer who attended Royal College in Colombo. His talents were admired THEN by his peers (for e.g. Eardley Lieversz who went on to captain Royal). CJ was also cricket mad. One dimension of this madness was the assiduous collection of newspaper items on cricket as reported in the Ceylon newspapers of the year 1957 in a SCRAPBOOK. This collection remained in his treasured archive and moved with him when his divourced mother decided to migrate in July 1958 with baggage and two children to Canada.

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September 17, 2019 · 4:52 pm

George Munsey hammers 127 n.o. in 56 Balls

For Ireland vs Netherlands at Malahhide in the tri-series with Scotland

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September 13, 2019 · 4:09 pm

A Memorable SSC Moment in 1973

Mevan Pieris has marked the occasion and identified all the cricketers unveiled and regaled in this photograph –a picture provided by young Shamara Wettimuny, daughter to Sidat

This photo was taken on the front lawn of the SSC after friendly match of SSC cricketers vs former Ceylon cricketers. It has been sent to the Wettimuny’s by LANA, Lucien de Zoysa.s daughter. The match took place around 1973.
Seated  L- R,  Brig Ramanayaka, PI Pieris, CI Gunasekara, Lucien de Zoysa, FC de Saram, Sargo Jayewickreme, M. Sathasivam, Bertie Wijesinha, Hector Perera, Mahes Rodrigo and Pandu Liyanage.
Standing –  Sidath Wettimuny, Gamini Manamperi, Ranil Abeynaike, Watma Wickremesekere, PLD Kariyawasam, Mevan Pieris, Priyantha Seneviratne, Neil Chanmugam, Sunil Wettimuny, Mithra Wettimuny and Andrew Wanduragala.
As you can see, the SSC team of 1973 was not at full strength being a very friendly encounter, and was carrying a few lame ducks. All the same a great picture
Regards, ….. Mevan

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September 10, 2019 · 8:50 am

Afghan Mountain Men bury the Bangla Deltaic Men

Result
Only Test, Afghanistan tour of Bangladesh at Chattogram, Sep 5-9 2019

Mohammed Isam, in ESPNcricnof,  9 September 2019, .”Afghanistan showcase benefits of long-term planning and fortitude,”  ,,, https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/27579972/afghanistan-showcase-benefits-long-term-planning-fortitude

If a team has just performed poorly at a World Cup, a structural overhaul of some kind is usually in order. With Afghanistan, there was a sudden change in captaincy just prior to the event, which hadn’t gone down well with some of the senior players. But, as they crashed out after losing all their nine games, other issues came to the fore, and even the players’ temperament was called into question. Changes were inevitable. In the period since, the ACB handed the captaincy reins to Rashid Khan, and when Phil Simmons left as head coach, they put Andy Moles, the chief selector, in his place on a temporary basis.

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September 10, 2019 · 2:48 am

Remembering Joe Hoad, A Bajan Man True

Joe Hoad passed way a year or so back due to a medical mishap. My appreciation of the man and his contribution to Sri Lankan cricket was recorded earlier in Cricketique via a ditty of my own in what may pass for “islander strain:”

Joe’s no Imran Khan,

He’s just a plain Bajan man, man.

You see Joe,

Da man could talk

Boy, how he could talk

That man know how to walk the talk, and even how to talk the walk

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September 7, 2019 · 4:22 am

Lankans castled by Astle and Kiwis ‘malinguered’ by MALINGA

Sri Lanka Innings

WIA Fernando…. b Astle …..6 ………..Over 6.4 bowled’m with a wrong’un! Avishka didn’t pick that up at all. It pitched around length outside off, turned in a fair bit and Avishka was on the back foot to steer it away after it turned away but it went the other way to knock over off stump 39/2
MD Gunathilaka ….. b Astle ………..30 …….Over 8.5 another wrong’un and another one beaten! ……This time it’s the well-set Gunathilaka. He pitched it nicely and slow with some flight on leg stump, Gunathilaka went back to defend it but the ball turned away and knocked over the stumps 50/3

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August 27, 2019 · 4:39 am

Lessons for Sri Lankan Cricket from Pakistani Cricket under Imran

Aubrey Kuruppu, in Sunday Times, 24 August 2019, with this title “Rameez Raja’s Sri Lankan link”

Chatting to Rameez Raja, a former captain of the Pakistan team, was not the daunting prospect that I feared. He put me at ease straightaway and, once started, he put me in mind of Tennyson’s Brook. The worlds, and thoughts, flowed and he was not averse to calling a spade, a spade.

Rameez, who represented his country in 57 Tests and 198 ODIs, also led the Pakistan team for a short period.Though initially n the shadow of his elder brother, the multi-talented Wasim Raja Rameez was good enough to go the distance and play in three World Cups.

As the former Pakistani opener says, he has a love affair with Sri Lanka. It has a great place in my heart”. His initial tour as an Under-19 player was to this country. His first century (122) in international cricket was at the Sara Stadium in 1986.

 

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