Dream cricket season for Thomians
Captain Sithara Hapuhinna
S. Thomas College, Mt. Lavinia is known to have a proud cricketing history and they share one of the oldest rivalries in the history of school cricket in the world.
Recently they won the best school cricket team in the country for the second consecutive time at the Dialog 4G-the Sunday Times Schoolboy Cricketer Awards 2019.
This year they won the Battle of the Blues. An All-round performance from Kalana Perera helped the Thomians to win the prestigious D.S. Senanayake Memorial Shield after 12 years.
After their successful cricket season, Captain Sithara Hapuhinna and Vice-Captain Kalana Perera sat down for an Interview with the Sunday Times. The duo expressed their thoughts on regaining the D.S Senanayake shield.
“It was a dream cricket season for us. We were consistent. That was the most important aspect throughout the season .We regained the D. S Senanayake shield after 12 long years and that was the highlight of our season” Hapuhinna said with a sense of satisfaction.
The Thomians played 15 matches and they won six outright victories and the other nine were first innings victories.
Kalana Perera, the vice-captain had an outstanding season with both bat and the ball. He scored 510 runs and claimed 97 wickets in 14 matches.
“It was an honour to play for S. Thomas and I was fortunate to become the vice-captain this year and I am very proud of what we have achieved,” Kalana said.
The young left arm pacer had fond memories about the Royal-Thomian rivalry. He has 21 wickets in the three matches that he played against their arch-rival.
“I am always hungry for wickets and as a bowler you should have the passion for the game. Cricket is a team game, if you perform well, it will be beneficial for the team” He emphasised.
Commenting on regaining the DS Senanayake Memorial Shied he said, “It’s a proud moment for me. We have waited for 12 long years. We have been working tirelessly for more than six months. We had a good team spirit throughout and all we wanted was to win the D.S. Senanayake Memorial Shield and I took three fifers in the three matches I played and it is a record too.”
Hapuhinna praised his team’s fielding standards and highlighted it as one of the reasons to emerge as the best team for the second time in a row. He also praised their long-time coach Dinesh Kumarasinghe for his unstinted support.
“He worked tirelessly with us over the last few years and he always knew the talents and the capabilities of the players. He monitored our fitness levels frequently and as a result of that we were able to overcome the challenges and I think we are reaping the rewards now,” Kalana recalled with gratitude.
The Thomian captain was awarded as the Best captain. According to him captaincy is something that he always enjoys.
“Captaincy is a challenge, but I enjoyed every moment. It was a great experience, a captain needs to be a role model. Captaining the big match was one of my greatest memories as captain. When you are the leader in the team, there will be a lot of expectations. You have to be brave at decisive moments of the game. When your team is under pressure you have to hold your nerve and fight until the end. That is the beauty of cricket,” Hapuhinna noted.
On the other hand Kalana Perera expressed his thoughts on being a quality all-rounder and the challenges that lies ahead of him.
“These days an all-rounder plays an important role in a cricket team. I always considered myself as an all-rounder. If I score runs it will be a confident booster for me. It will be beneficial for the team as well. My responsibility is to take wickets but you can’t be a successful cricketer if you only consider yourself as a bowler,” he emphasised.
He also praised Shalin de Mel and Dellon Peries for their commitment.
The Thomians went on a tour to Australia and he had an outstanding tour, where they went on to win the Chappell Brothers Challenge Trophy. This young left-arm fast bowler was adjudged Best Bowler of the Tournament.
They also went on a tour to England. Skipper Hapuhinna shared some of the memorable moments from that historic tour.
“It was a memorable tour for all of us. It was a challenging tour. We played under overcast conditions. It was a great test of our skills and temperament. It was my dream to play cricket in England” he said.
The skipper also praised the vice-captain for his dedication and commitment he had showed throughout the season.
“Kalana always wants to be involved in the game. I think Kalana is a great example for a player who commits everything for the game and I hope that he continues to work hard and represent our National team in the near future,” Happuhinna added.
As they bid farewell to the school cricket, they also spoke of their great dream of representing the National team in the near future.
Furthermore the captain thanked their passionate fans for their support which helped them to have another successful cricket season.
“This season will be remembered as a season that was dominated by the Thomians and we are proud of what we have achieved and the credit should go to each and every member of the team” Hapuhinna concluded.