Mendis devoted his entire life for cause of cricket
View(s):Lionel Mendis, a renowned cricket coach of Sri Lanka passed away at the ripe age of 80 on Friday. A cricketer and a coach of the highest caliber Lionel Mendis was described as a man ‘with a great cricketing brain.
Lionel learnt the basics of the game at Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda under Tom Fernando, an old Thomian and SSC cricketer. He joined Richmond College, Galle where he represented the First XI for three consecutive years in the mid fifties.
Lionel Mendis started his career as a school teacher and his first appointment was to Karandeniya Central College in 1959 and passed out from the Government Training School, Maharagama in 1961. Mendis then joined the staff of Sri Sumangala College and also coached the Sumangala cricketers.
At the same time he also joined the Army cadet’s school and was commissioned officer of the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force.
Mendis also played for the Education Department in the Government Services ‘A’ Division and also represented Sri Lanka Army at cricket. In 1969 he was transferred to Nalanda College and in the afternoons worked as the Junior Cricket coach.
Joining Ananda College in 1975 where he started a long inning. He devoted his entire time to Ananda College in various roles, like senior cricket master, junior cricket coach, Prefect of Games, Deputy Warden of the hostel, Teacher-in-charge of Prefects.
At Ananda College Lionel moulded some cricket giants in the likes of – Arjuna Ranatunga Brendon Kuruppu, Dhammika Ranatunga, Charith Senanayake, Nishantha Ranatunga and Duleep Samaraweera to name a few. In 1982 he started the Nondescript School of Cricket and produced great cricketers in the caliber of Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Dharmasena, Sanjeewa Weerasinghe, Niroshan Bandaratilleke, Avishka Gunawardena, Thilan Samaraweera, Naveed Nawaz, Jehan Mubarak and Hemantha Boteju. In 1999 Lionel went to Jaffna at the height of the war risking his life to coach underprivileged boys of the Northern Province.
Lionel Mendis was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Sports by the O.I.U., an affiliate to O.I.U. in USA in 2002. He also received the ICC Centenary Award in recognition of his outstanding service to Sri Lanka Cricket.
Brendon Kuruppu, a former Sri Lanka and Ananda cricketer:
“The void created by Lionel Mendis’ death cannot be filled and is a great loss to Sri Lanka cricket as well as for the youngsters. I came under the wings of Mendis as a toddler captaining the Under 14 cricket team. He taught us the right way to move in the society first instructing us to dress well and even how to have our meals. We learnt every aspect of cricket through Lionel Mendis in bowling, batting, field placing and making bowling changes.
The guidance of Mendis sir guided us to be in the position where we are now as cricketers and good citizens. He is known as the coach who produced the largest number of national players.”The name Lionel Mendis will find a special place in the hearts of every Anandian and Sri Lankan cricketer.