A’pura Central’s Div. I Cricketers ‘hard-pressed’ to avoid relegation
Down but not totally out; Anuradhapura Central cricketers when they travelled to Colombo to play their third match on turf - Pic by M.A. Pushpakumara
If playing Division I Cricket is prestigious to top Cricket-playing schools in Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura Central College (ACC) knows what it really means. ACC, one of 36 schools competing at the highest level in School Cricket- Division I, may look like rookies to the league, but they are certainly a spirited bunch.
Unlike popular schools engaged in Division I Cricket, ACC is currently undergoing a tough period with many obstacles confronting them. A reputed National school for its academic achievements, ACC is at its nadir in its Cricket. The only school from the Northern half of Sri Lanka to play Division I Cricket, ACC even finds it difficult to attract 15 players this season.
The main reason behind the 70-year old educational institution’s setback in Cricket lies beyond the boundary ropes, according to ACC’s cricketing mentors, Keethi Gunaratne and Lalith Rajakaruna. For years, both Gunaratne and Rajakaruna have worked tirelessly, and of their own free will, for the school, which eventually saw ACC reach Division I in 2013. But, given the setbacks confronting them, ACC is at risk of being demoted to Division II, after 4 seasons at the top, along with Mahinda College Galle, Dharmapala Vidyalaya Pannipitiya and De Mazenod College Kandana.
“We underwent much hardship to get here but, are faced with greater hardship afterwards, with demotion to Division II staring us in the face. ACC Principal H.M. Abeykoon, has been very helpful towards ACC’s success. But sadly, the attitude of the parents, negligence of certain top cricket authorities and lack of proper facilities have dragged us to this dismal state. We are trying our utmost to stay on top though,” a disheartened, yet committed, Gunaratne told the Sunday Times.
Classes at ACC begin from Grade 6, for students of surrounding schools who have attained high marks at the Grade 5 Scholarship exam. This lends to a mindset among children and their parents that the institution is only focused on academic activities. Parents of ACC’s students are very keen on committing their children to full time education, with little or no encouragement for extracurricular activities such as sports. However, ACC has been able to reach great heights in Sports, with Cricket, Rugby, Football, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Badminton and Athletics currently gaining popularity and recognition.
“The main adversary at present is tuition classes. Some even take time off during school hours for private classes. Nowadays, it’s become a trend in Anuradhapura. Sadly, most of them are ignorant that an ‘Education only’ policy for children does not help towards cultivating a well balanced, allround contributor to the country. Parents do not look at sports, particularly Cricket, positively. We have already proved their belief wrong, when, virtually, the entire 2013 team, which helped ACC reach Division I, qualified for university admission. Today, because of this misconception, Cricket is suffering,” stated Master-in-Charge Rajakaruna, a sportsman and a cricketer in his youth.
In addition, ACC sadly lacks the proper facilities needed for Division I Cricket. On reaching Division I, the powers that be of Cricket in the country, had promised two practice pitches for the the school, which, to date, still remain as promises to be fulfilled. The closest facility for net practices is at Rangiri Dambulla Stadium, which costs around Rs 11,000 for two hours. The amount, surprisingly, is slightly less than what the school spends on a 1st XI tournament fixture. Their home venue, the Samadhi ground in Anuradhapura, costs them Rs 2,500 per day, with the matches played on matting wickets. The hard-pressed, die-hard ACC Cricketers and the despairing coaching staff were disheartened to learn that the Cricket authorities bypassed their pleas for basic needs, and provided a turf wicket to a Division II school in Jaffna.
“We need support from the top. Though there are development plans to help out schools like ours’, which will be much appreciated, nothing has reached us. The school authorities are really helpful but, they too have their spending limits. We spend around Rs 15,000 per match at home and, if we travel out, the expenses are much higher. The school spends around Rs 1 million on all age groups throughout the year, with the 1st XI alone incurring around Rs 500,000. The school also allocates about Rs 100,000 for pads and gloves, while the rest are players’ personal gear. When we compare with other teams, what stands out in the past 3 seasons is the lack of parents’ commitment to their child’s sports activities. In Colombo and its suburbs the support is overwhelming,” Rajakaruna, who is set to retire in 10 months, added.
ACC’s Cricket began in the late 1970s, and they even played a ‘Big Match’ for a number of years against neighbouring St. Joseph’s College, before it was abandoned around 20 years ago due to disputes. Due to its drawbacks, AC is not able to attract talented players from other schools. Some top schools in Division I grant scholarships to schoolchildren talented in sports, from lesser-known schools, but ACC being a National School cannot do so.
If ACC is permitted to grant scholarships to Athletes from other schools, a major shortcoming faced by it will be addressed easily. ACC has many neighbouring schools playing Cricket only in junior age groups and, if the Education Dept authorities permit ACC to admit them, it would be a double-edged sword in ACC’s armour. Nevertheless, ACC continues to play Cricket in all age categories from Under (U)-13. Their U-13 and U-15 Cricket teams are currently in Division II, and besides their U-19 team, their U-17 team is also in Division I.
“We are rookies to Division I, when compared with other teams in the segment, but we have stayed there for 3 seasons. We have proved a fact here. That is, if we have the basic facilities for Division I Cricket, as other schools from Colombo and its suburbs, Kandy and Galle do, we can produce good cricketers into the mainstream. We beat one of the top Colombo schools in a Limited-Overs match two seasons back, but none of our achievements were highlighted. One of our players was in the final 20 of the Sri Lanka U-19 squad. In short, we are the less fortunate ‘poor relatives’ of School Cricket, which is ‘outside the radar’ of the shortsighted powers that be in National Cricket, to make it worth their while to give us our due.
Our objective is to take the sport forward while maintaining its standards. It’s not easy. We need a lifeline from those responsible for Cricket and Education in the country,” Gunaratne and Rajakaruna pleaded.