Courtesy of Nath Goonawardena
young Harry Solomons
Category Archives: reconciliation through sport
A Perennial Cricketing Traveller penetrates India’s Present SAF Series
Dannie Byrne
ONE: Arriving in Visakhapatnam and getting a ticket for the match
When my international flight landed in Delhi it was inevitably raining and I had to splash my way through a series of puddles and potholes to reach Terminal 2 and check-in for the next fight to Visakhapatnam. Once the flight was called from Gate 29 a bus was required to ferry us across another series of deep potholes before we were able to climb aboard the relatively small Indigo aircraft. I’d read in the Times of India an article by Aasish Nehra claiming Bumrah’s stress fracture to his lower back had nothing to do with his unorthodox bowling action. There won’t be too many pundits who agree with that but perhaps he’d had one too many Indigo flights leaving from Gate 29. I had to admire the staff working for the airline for their determination to get more rupees out of me. I had the foresight to purchase an additional 5 Kg baggage allowance when buying the ticket. When I checked the bag in at the Etihad desk in London it weighed 17.4 Kg. By the time it reached the scales at Indigo it had put on another 2.4 Kg and now registered 19.8 Kg. Normally I’d be worried about shampoo and other things that can spill being stolen from the unlocked part of my bag to potentially make it lighter. I couldn’t see the staff in Abu Dhabi adding a few extra bricks for a laugh and could only conclude that the scales were deliberately set in a very creative manner at the Indigo counter in Delhi’s Domestic Airport.
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
A Spinner We Miss
Rangana Herath was at the Colombo Oval on Day Two of the match vs the New Zealanders, together with his son Rangaru
Alas, Embuldeniya was unable to repeat the sort of feat that Rangana excelled in …but we hope he will develop in the same direction.
NOW if these two lads develop in the same direction, it will be, alas, for Lancashire and England. No matter, we can claim maternal links via Ranjit Fernando –especially if they become wicket-keeper batsmen.
An ODE for Harry
Harry the “Hassett” as “Harry The Bat”
There once was a wee lad
Named HARRY … incarcerated
In boarding school Aloysius
Stand Steadfast Together: Cricket’s Message to Sri Lanka and FOR Sri Lanka
Nuwan Ranasinghe, in The ROAR, 29 May 2019, where the title is “What Cricket Really means to Sri Lanka”
Contrary to popular belief, cricket has never actually been viewed as a religion in Sri Lanka. Whilst Sri Lankans do love their cricket, they are not essentially a cricket-mad people as is so often stereotypically coined by the Western media. Decades of civil war, a devastating tsunami, soul-destroying floods, monsoon rains and now this latest terror bombing has reminded Sri Lankans that there certainly are more important things in life than a simple game of cricket.
Lasith Malinga spearheads Sri Lanka’s attack at the 2019 World Cup. (Michael Bradley/AFP/Getty Images)
Harry Solomons: Cricketing Stalwart Beyond the Ordinary
Harry Solomons is a planters’ son and was educated at St. Aloysius College, Galle where he and his brother Mark were boarders. His love affair with cricket began then as he, as a little fellow, used to walk about with a bat. He was nicknamed Hassett because of this fact and due to a certain facial resemblance. No one knew then that Harry would end up in Hassett’s land and even meet The Don.
After he migrated, he set up the Kingsgrove Sports Centre in Sydney. This is a worldwide famous and has been a centre of activity for many visiting teams as well as the fraternity in Sydney. Harry and his mates have supported many charities everywhere — notably in Sri Lanka …….. and of course in Hikkaduwa and Galle. Just ask Kushil Gunasekera of FOG..So it can be saaid that Harry has more than fulfilled the Aloysian school motto; CERTA VIRILITER …. “strive valiantly.”
Moreover, Harry still wields a bat: he plays Oldies cricket as enthusiastically {albeit a little more gingerly) as he did at, and for, St Aloysius. Cheers, Mate.
Afghanistan in Breakthrough: Awarded Test Match vs India
Bipin Dani, in Observer, 13 December 2017
Former India cricketer Salim Durani completed 83 years on Monday. He had reason to remember his 84th birthday on two counts. First, Team India captain Virat Kohli married to Anushka Sharma on this day. Secondly, on this same day, the Indian cricket board has announced that Afghanistan would play its inaugural Test against India.
Thisara’s Humane Touch captivates Umpire Raza
Bipin Dani, in Pakistan Observer … https://pakobserver.net/pak-umpire-wins-heart-sri-lankan-skipper/
The 43-year-old Pakistani umpire Ahsan Raza has all praise for the Sri Lankan captain Thisara Perera. Before taking the field in the the last T-20 match between the two nations in Lahore on Sunday, Ahsan Raza became emotional and had tears in his eyes when Thisara Perera consoled him.
Viral flow for Sighting of Khawaja poking Zampa’s Behind?
“Australian cricketers get personal during anthem”, February 10, 2016, … http://www.watoday.com.au/sport/cricket/what-a-cheek-usman-khawajas-pregame-grab-of-adam-zampas-butt-20160210-gmq6bd.html
Australian opening batsman Usman Khawaja squeezes team-mate Adam Zampa’s behind ahead of the ODI against the Black Caps in Wellington.Some of the players were getting more than a little touchy-feely as they linked arms while Advance Australia Fair was played.
- Test, a short video clip has emerged of some emotional scenes during the national anthem before their ODI win over the Black Caps at the Cake Tin last weekend.
Australian opening batsman Usman Khawaja squeezes teammate Adam Zampa’s behind ahead of the ODI against the Black Caps in Wellington. Opening batsman Usman Khawaja certainly got busy calming the nerves of rookie spinner Adam Zampa. Khawaja laughed off being caught grabbing Zampa’s behind, playing it down when asked about the video on Twitter. “hahaha oh boy. Didn’t realize there were cameras filming from behind,” he tweeted. “haha it was all consensual. Just have a joke with the debutant #playon”.
Australia won that match to square the series, but lost the decider in Hamilton on Monday. The video clip was posted on Facebook and tweeted by The Crowd Goes Wild and was certainly proving a hit on the internet. … http://www.watoday.com.au/sport/cricket/what-a-cheek-usman-khawajas-pregame-grab-of-adam-zampas-butt-20160210-gmq6bd.html