Richmondite Kamindu Mendis joins school cricket’s hall of fame
Kamindu Mendis from Richmond College, Galle, receiving the award for Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2018 from Graeme Labrooy - Former National Cricketer and Present Chairman, Selection Committee, Sri Lanka Cricket who graced the awards ceremony as the Chief Guest. Also in picture is Harsha Samaranayake - General Manager, Brand and Media, Dialog Axiata PLC
He walked down the aisle more than once down the aisle and there was cheering and fanfare that shook the BMICH. Then at the end he sneaked from behind the chief guest of the day Graeme Labrooy and yet, the cheering was deafening. Yes, it was how ambidextrous Kamindu Mendis of Richmond College Galle became the Dialog 4G-the Sunday Times Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2018 this Wednesday, giving a fitting end to a six-month long campaign of honouring the schoolboy cricketers.
Kamindu, the former skipper of Richmond College and the skipper of the Sri Lanka Under-19 team for the ICC Youth World Cup 2018, had all the necessities in being crowned as the Dialog 4G-the Sunday Times Schoolboy Cricket of the Year. His allround effort in batting, bowling and fielding made him the recipient of two other important awards – the Best Batsman and Best Fielder in the All-Island Schools segment. In addition Kamindu led the 15-member Sri Lanka Under-19 team that participated at the ICC Youth World Cup 2018 in New Zealand, that was recognised by two of the most sought after entities in the media and telecommunication industry.
While Kamindu the pinnacle award of the evening, there were a heaps of other award winners too. These young lads had worked hard and done exceptionally well above the rest during the School Cricket season of 2017/2018 with the leather and willow. The evening belonged to all those who had made it big and made their schools proud by being selected as the best schoolboy cricketers of Sri Lanka.
Kamindu, who played only five games during the concluded season, was fully committed to national duty but in the handful of games he played, he was impressive. With the bat he made 609 runs with four centuries and a best of 158 while latching on to 18 catches. He was a star all-rounder for the Sri Lanka Under-19s and claims a rare gift of being able to bowl with both hands and still be an effective off-spinner.
Even the Chief Guest, Graeme Labrooy, outlined the importance of preserving talented players with the long term goal of taking the young players to the Sri Lanka team. His oration was probably a fitting tribute and guideline for Kamindu, who shows great potential to be the next star in the making.
Labrooy said “We were during that era, that cricket was not so structured as it is today. Today it’s so well structured and developed in most parts of Asia and the rest of the world, that came about an ‘A’ team and Emerging team concept as well. So today the Under-19 player has loads of opportunities to recognise because of these concepts”.
Breaking new grounds the Sunday Times and Dialog Axiata also initiated a new category for Girls’ Schools besides the top two — the All-Island Schools and Emerging Schools. Kavisha Dilshari of Devapathiraja Maha Vidyalaya, Rathgama will go down in history as the first ever schoolgirl cricketer to win an award, that of for the Most Promising Player from the girls’ tournament. Devapathiraja MV claimed the award for the Best Team while Anula Vidyalaya Nugegoda emerged runners-up at the introduction of this new set of awards. This year the organisers also introduced a new set of awards in addition to the Girls’ Category and the Special Recognition of the Sri Lanka Under-19 team that participated in the ICC World Cup 2018.
As the competition amongst youngsters get better and better year by year, the number of awards categories keep adding up to the tally of the Schoolboy Cricketer event. The Chief Guest, Graeme Labrooy outlined the importance of maintaining a healthy balance in all activities despite the ever improving standards of the sport.
“I would request the principals to encourage the youngsters to take up many sports as possible. Why, because they need to develop the competitive edge, not only in cricket but in other games, experience the wins and losses and also develop their physical strength as well. Many players in the 80s and 90s would say they would play two to three or even four sports and they still had time to study and excel in them.”
Adding more excitement to the show were the entertainment acts as the event took a smooth flow from start to finish with the leadership of the Master of Ceremony, veteran Faizal Bongso and his assistant Umayangana Wickramasinghe, a popular actress. Other activities outside the main hall were galore and participants were seen highly engaged in those. Overall the show on June 20, Wednesday, had a lot to remember for years to come for these youngsters, which the Chief Guest too endorsed.
“I salute the Sunday Times and Dialog Axiata for their continuous efforts to recognise, honour and reward these players at school level. I believe these two parties would work to continue this effort in many more years to come.”
(For more on Dialog 4G-the Sunday Times Schoolboy Cricketer 2018
refer ST II section)