CARVE THEIR NAMES WITH PRIDE

Since I received the photographs of Afzal's visit to an Anthonian cricketing great, Tom Deen in Sydney, I have been off on a dream reliving that epic Trinity - Anthonian cricket encounter in 1954 - the centenary year of college - which resulted in an innings win for the Maroon Double Blue. Parting the veil of time, I have recorded the names of members of that elite squad who covered themselves - and St.Anthony's - with glory that day. As I recall, they were:

1.       A.C.M. Lafir

2.       Ronnie Stevens

3.       Nihal Fernando

4.       Wijaypala Premaratne

5.       Tom Deen

6.       Sali Doranegama

7.       P. Sivanandan

8.       M. Abdeen

9.       A. C. Thaha

10.   Cuthbert Pereira

11.   Guy Fernando or Ranjith Doranegama

I am not sure who No.11 was and have emailed Tom Deen for confirmation. As a ten-year-old in the "Rainbow Cottage" my fellow boarders and I were filled with eager anticipation and excitement when the great day dawned and we made our way to the terraces after lunch clutching our college flags and waving them with gusto. As Lafir and Ronnie walked out to open the innings, little did we tots realise that cricketing history would be enacted before our very eyes. The atmosphere around the grounds seemed to infect everybody, judging by the deafening roar as both teams took the field. And what a hive of activity it was! There was constant movement with cars driving up the road past the Tuck Shop and crowds jostling for vantage points as every inch of ground seemed to be occupied. What ensued in a short while has now gone down in the record books as champagne cricket, because that is what the Anthonian opening pair served up - and the roaring crowds savoured every sip and bubble with unbridled exuberance. I do not wish to go over familiar ground, but when the scoreboard read 250 for no loss, the crowd in stunned amazement could barely believe what they were seeing......

Meanwhile, please pardon me if I digress to include another segment in this article. While Lafir and Ronnie were piling on the runs out in the middle, over in the college Tuck Shop, Mrs. Pillai and Banda were piling on the Breads, Vaddais, Plantains, and Teas to keep the ravenous hordes at bay! The Tuck Shop did a roaring trade that day and we as "small boys" had a tough time getting a look in, to purchase a lollipop or popsicle often being elbowed or edged out by someone much bigger! The Popsicle incidentally were a favourite and came in all the colours of the rainbow! The tuck shop tea was the nectar of the Gods, and never have I tasted a more delectable cup of tea up to now! Into the frothy milky brew was added two or three drops of vanilla which gave the tea its unique 'Tonian taste. One sip, and it was like a party in your mouth!!

While we carve the names of that elite team with pride, the unsung "Anthonians" who were at the grounds witnessing cricket played at its best should not be forgotten. There was Jamis our own Master Chef, Mr.Saram who was in charge of the plumbing and all pipe work, Solomon the Head Peon, "Kajja" the Barber, Francke (Frankay) who was in charge of the piggery and Pakiri . Even Mr.Siriwardena who was in charge of the college farm hung around near the pavilion caught up in the spirit of the day. They all had their vantage points in different parts of the ground. Into this pantheon of "Anthonian" stalwarts comes another much loved figure - Albert the gram seller who was an Anthonian at heart. Albert usually plied his trade near the main entrance to college and was well known to day scholars and boarders. Sometimes on Saturdays he would shift his wares to a spot on the road which ran just below the college grounds, overlooking the Rahula college playing field. The delicacies he had on offer tantalised and titillated the taste buds of many an Anthonian! On this day, when the two leading colleges in the hill capital were due to battle it out for supremacy with the willow and leather, Albert, anticipating the large crowd that was sure to follow secured a prize spot for himself at the opposite end of the ground in the vicinity of the scoreboard to open his innings. He had 5-star 'food' for the hungry. Apart from the standard gram ("Kadalay" at five cents a 'gotta') there was "Seenikuru" which was sticky to touch but sweet to taste! His Piece-De-Resistance was the boiled 'Veralus' with a pinch of salt and a touch of chilli which was enough to set your mouth on fire! Then there was the 'Ambarella' fruit, pineapple slices with salt, and to round it off, the ever-popular milk toffee. With such an orgiastic feast to stun the senses Albert hit the jackpot!

So while Mrs.Pillai and Banda opened the bowling from the tuck shop end with their Breads, Vaddais, and Teas, and while Sivanandan (affectionately known as "Bowler Siva") beguiled the Trinity batsmen with his spin, Albert notched up a century of his own from the scoreboard end with his cordon bleu fare!! And Albert was an Anthonian supporter!!! When play ended on the first day, the talk of the town was the classic centuries by A.C.M.Lafir and Ronnie Stevens. Sections of the crowd, particularly the supporters from Katugastota, Akurana, Mawilmada, Gohagoda and the environs (Not Anthonians - just dyed in the wool supporters of college) lingered on towards the tamarind tree end and the paddy field end of the grounds as if expecting play to continue through the night!! We boarders had no alternative. Boarding rules were strictly enforced, and it was back to routine again - showers, rosary and benediction, studies, dinner, another short period of recreation, then off to bed and lights out - with dreams of another day’s glorious cricket on the morrow.

Day two dawned sunnier than day one, and the grounds were full long before play commenced. When Trinity opened their innings, the roar and cheering from supporters of both schools and the sight of the colourful flags fluttering in the breeze, could well have been a scene from a jousting tournament in medieval England, or even a gladiatorial contest in ancient Rome! Like an avenging titan in some Norse epic, Deen struck hard, and he struck fast, clean bowling Roland Aluvihare one of the Trinity openers when the score was only ten. In cricketing terms, the pace of Deen, Sali Doranegama, and the wily spin of Sivanandan was like the charge of the Light Brigade, and Trinity were back in the pavilion shortly after lunch. When Trinity was sent in for a second knock the atmosphere around the grounds was electrifying. They collapsed for 104 in the second innings. Again, the blitzkrieg pace of Deen and Doranegama and the mesmerising spin of "Bowler" Siva tore through the Trinity line-up with the ferocity of a hurricane, typhoon and tsunami combined!! St. Anthony’s redefined the word 'Victory' that day.

As the euphoria of this victory sunk in and was savoured with delight, Reverend Father Rosati the Principal declared Monday a public holiday. After the match, a convoy of cars sporting the college flag wound its way from Katugastota to Kandy, with the occupants of some cars singing the college anthem all the way!

LATE CUTS:

"Bowler" Siva's inclusion in the first eleven is a fairy tale story. He was in the maroon house, at a time when inter-house cricket featured high on the sporting curriculum. Mr. George Macky supervised practices for the maroon house in the grounds near the piggery, and Sivanandan was in the house team. However, Mr. Macky having watched this talented spinner surmised he was cut out for greater things. At practice one day he summoned young Siva and told him "I want you to go and report to Mr. Maurice Pereira (The Coach of the 1st eleven team). Tell him I sent you and you should practice in the 1st eleven team immediately!" When Mr. George Macky issued an order, it was obeyed without question! And thus, Siva practiced with the 1st eleven team - the rest is cricketing history.

In 1954 A.C.M Lafir represented the all-Ceylon team as a schoolboy when he opened the batting with C. H. Gunasekera against the M.C.C. who were on their way to Australia for a test series. This formidable team was led by Len Hutton and had in its side, cricketers of the calibre of Jim Laker, Alec Bedser, Dennis Compton and to top it all, two of the fastest opening bowlers in test cricket - Brian Statham and Frank - "Typhoon" Tyson, a terror of test batsmen. The word "Typhoon" said it all. However, Lafir was not fazed by all the hype. In the first over he faced from Tyson, he square cut him for four, and repeated this feat in the second innings. He scored a gallant 19, but had he continued a big score was the anticipation of the crowd. A young Michael Macky and his dad were among the spectators watching this game.

Sivanandan had a rather cute habit before each delivery. Walking up to his bowling crease, he would bend down slightly, and with a deft flick of his fingers lift up the fold of his trousers about two inches above the knee. Then came the delivery. This habit earned him the affectionate sobriquet "Bowler Siva".

As the sun says goodbye in the mountains, the shadows have long since lengthened across the grounds, and no longer do we after all these years hear the sound of leather on willow. Some of that gallant bands of cricketers are no longer with us. But they have left their names for posterity, their deeds in the record books and their memories in our hearts. And I conclude with a confession. I agonised for three days in choosing a title for this article which would pay homage to that gallant team of 1954 but was unable in cricketing terms "to play a single shot". Then, while trawling through my memory bank I recalled a war classic I had read many years ago as a schoolboy, titled "CARVE HER NAME WITH PRIDE" written by R. M. Binney. It was about the war heroine, Nancy Wake.

Taking the easy way out I paraphrased the title of this book. "How's that?" I hear a chorus of voices appeal in unison. I see the umpires finger go straight up as I hear the unspoken words "Clean out!" With an aching heart I begin the long, lonely walk to my pavilion of dreams.