Kayts, a different world

My Police Memories
By S. Sivendran
(Retd. Snr. Supdt. of Police)

My transfer as O.I.C. Kayts in early 1971 made me experience a different world of life which lasted till mid 1973. Kayts Police Station looked after several islands which were joined by causeways, ferry and road service. As you enter the main Kayts island from Jaffna through the Pannai causeway you are in Allapiddi where there is the Mankumban beach which is famous for sea bathing. Then you come to Velani before reaching the Kayts town. On the northern side of Kayts is Karainagar which is across the Kayts lagoon and a ferry operates from early morning till evening. In the nights you cannot cross the lagoon as the ferry service does not operate by night. The Elara Naval Base too is in "Karainagar. The " Ham- mons Hiel", a fortress built by the Dutch is situated between Kayts and Karainagar. This was used as a remand prison to detain several AirForce personnel including some of their rugger players who were taken into custody in connection with the 1972 abortive insurrection by the J.V.P.

The island of Pungudutivu is connected to Kayts by a three mile long causeway and from Pungudutivu you have to take boat to go to Nainativu (Nagadipa) and Delft from Kurikattuwan jetty. The islands of Analativu and Eluavathivu were reached by boat service from the Kayts jetty. Kayts Police came under two members of Parliament.

One was Pundit K.P.Ratnam of the Federal Party who was M.P. for Kayts and the other was A. Thiagarajah who was M.P. for Vaddukoddai which electorate included Karainagar where the M.P. resided and he was the former Principal of Karainagar Hindu College. He was elected on the Tamil Congress ticket and then crossed over to the ruling S.L.F.P. These two members of Parliament were always at loggerheads and the two earlier O.I.C's of Kayts were transferred within very short periods as they could not meet the demands of both M.P.s true to the saying " You cannot satisfy two masters". In my case I never got involved with the politics of these two M.P.s and struck to my police duties and both M.P.s left me severely alone and I managed to survive in Kayts for three years very happily.

Most of the Kayts people were either farmers or businessmen spread all over the island especially in places such as Pettah and only the women were left behind in the islands and the husbands visited them once a year to lay the foundation for their future offsprings

When I went to Kayts the O.I.C's Bungalow was two miles away from the Police Station in a place called Oluwil. One day I had a call from " Bole" Rajan Philips who played rugger for the St Joseph's College and CR & FC and against whom I had played several rugby games in Colombo.

He had come to his ancestral home in Kayts. He was the nephew of Alfred Thambiayah former U.N.P.M.P. for Kayts and the Chairman of Cargo Boat Despatch Company who was the father of Shivantha Thambiayah and Ravi Thambiayah who owns Renuka Hotel. The Thambiyahs own three huge mansions in Kayts and Rajan Phillips offered me one of these which was provided with electricity by a windmill and was equipped with a swimming pool. Kayts had no electricity then.

Kayts was a peaceful place and for me and for my family it was like living in a far away place. The Naval Base at Karainagar had a lot of friends from Colombo.

The Commander of the Base was Fritz Dharmaratne. Lt. Commander, Malcolm Marshall who played rugby for the Navy and against whom I had played several matches too was based there and I used to visit them in the Police launch named S.S.John Attygalle which was like a mini yacht driven by diesel with all modern facilities including a cabin. I made my regular 22 mile trip to Delft across the Indian Ocean in this Police launch.

There were also a Norwegian couple who were working in the Cey-Nor Project who were staying close to my house and we too met frequently.

I was elected the President of the Islands Division Football Association and a football tournament was conducted for the " Leydon Trophy" and K.Palakidnar who was the Magistrate of Jaffna and Kayts graced the finals as the Chief Guest and gave away the trophies. Before him the Magistrate was Colleen Mendis another Magistrate who helped the Police to maintain law and order with his strict approach towards offenders.

The annual Kachchativu festival was very popular then and all the Police, Army, Navy officials made a trip to Kachchativu which included General "Bull" Weeratunge who was then the Tafai Commander at Palali and we enjoyed every bit of the journey in one of Navy Patrol Crafts.

At Kachchativu we were able to buy several Indian goods which were brought by the Indian traders to the island of Kachchativu for the annual feast of St Anthony.

To be continued next week.

First a gentleman, then a cricketer

By Bernie Wijesekera

Sri Lanka cricket slowly, but surely blossomed into great heights in last two decades, thanks to its officials and the cricketers who displayed abundant determination on and off the field for the country to emerge to be a front-line cricketing nation in the world.

This renaissance was brought about by those who sweated with their own men and material after Independence (1948) sowed the seeds for the present generation to enjoy its fruits. Personalities like P. Saravanamuttu, Robert Senanayake, Dr. N.M. Perere etc., toiled hard to achieve its objective. But it was left to Gamini Dissanayake to put the icing on the cake. He made an epoch-making speech in the portals of the ICC for Sri Lanka to gain Test status in 1981.

Since then Sri Lanka cricket has blossomed to hold their own against the best, despite being tagged as minnows.

Leadership

In the process with a sterling team effort Sri Lanka won the World Cup in Lahore in 1996 under the dynamic leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga to etch its name in the world map whilst defeating Australia in the final.

It was a great effort indeed! But in some quarters apparently some players lost their bearings and kept on complaining whenever they were at the receiving end.

Well, we lost due to poor umpiring or they cheated. If you don't lose then you don't know how to win. There may have been few hiccups at home and abroad. But sportsmen in their first lesson must by taught to respect authority. Cricket is still a gentleman's game and its image has to be preserved at all costs, be it on or off the field.

Tarnished

Firstly, behave like a gentleman before becoming a cricketer. It's not the final outcome that matters, but how the team conducts on and off the field.

The Lankan team tarnished its image somewhat in the 1996 World series match played in Sydney, where some players refused to shake hands with their opponents after losing the match. It isn't cricket. As Ian Border, the legendary Aussie captain said, "you get good and bad decisions. Sometimes it's in your favour. It's part and parcel of the game as long as it's not cheating. Take it in the correct spirit. There is more cricket off the field than on the field. Apparently sledging is not going to help to overcome its ills. This is happening worldwide due to professionalism and big money, and player misconduct should be controlled. This resulted in the birth of match referees to observe the games and submit it to the ICC. This was done purely to bring about discipline among the players and maintain its dignity. It never happened in the past, but times have changed. It's no longer a gentleman's game.

In the recent Test series between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, three players from the host nation indulged in sledging. They were reported by the tour management to the match referee. They were severely warned. The players must be taught by their respective coaches and the powers that be that they should behave like gentlemen before they become cricketers.

Poor handling

This has to be taught at the school level. This has crept into the local fraternity, too, due to poor handling by some coaches. Some authorities, too show a blind eye. Even the umpires are to be blamed as some of them don't have the spine to pull up a player for his misconduct on the field. Unparliamentary language too is being used by players in some quarters. It's being ignored by the umpires and the players at times take control.

Some of the first class players are a bad example to the youngsters. Some players in the recent tours abroad made by Lankan teams were found wanting for misconduct and using vile language off the field. Instead of putting them under the carpet, action must be taken, so it will be a deterrent for others in the future.

Sri Lanka cricket will be starting the millennium amid pomp and pageantry with the mini youth World Cup being held here. This will also coincide with the start of the school cricket season proper (first term). It's going to be cricket luv'ly cricket all the way for the youngsters countrywide and to the avid fans.

Competitive

Competitive cricket for some participating schools - to win at all cost to be in contention for the final round. The coaches in some quarters do not believe in ethics, but will go hell bent to win the games. Techniques and fundamentals of the game become secondary. In the process the norms of this gentleman's game takes a back seat. It's also the breeding ground for some bowlers with suspect actions to go unnoticed and not corrected in the start of their career. Taking wickets is more important to keep on winning matches than the youngster's future.

At club level, they are in troubled waters with their actions, too late to rectify. Put aside their action, but some tend to behave in an ungentlemen-like manner on and off the field.

If the authorities taught them how to conduct themselves then this sad Situation may have been averted.

Garfield Sobers was never record conscious

By Bruce Maurice

Many of the game's greatest players have been very record conscious. They have always chased after records avidly. And the pursuit of runs for the sake of runs has always been a driving force.

They have a very good memory for their own scores and a great concern of having their names in the record books, while they always tend to forget why the runs are actually needed. This never applied to Sobers. If he broke a record it was only incidental. Records were never his prime objective. He scored his runs because his side needed them. Not to supply him with another century. For that he must rate with Denis Compton, who had exactly the same approach, as one of the most unselfish of batsmen.

There were many unforgettable innings that Sobers played. The greatest one being the century he made in the Lords Test in '66. On the first day the West Indies were dismissed for 269 on a wicket that helped the seam bowlers. England replied with 355, and then their seam attack struck again and the West Indies were 95 for 5. This meant that the West Indies were virtually 5 wickets down for 9 runs because they were 86 behind England. The ball was still seaming and defeat was staring them in the face. It was at this stage that Sobers was joined by his cousin Holford. With everything stacked against them, they went on to put on 274 runs, which enabled Sobers to declare at 369 for 5. With Sobers not out one hundred and sixty three and Holford not out one hundred and five.

Their record breaking stand was more than a determined rearguard action. They both made their runs at a run-a-minute rate, so that Sobers could have declared. Although the game was finally drawn, Sobers had demonstrated yet again his belief in playing attacking cricket whereas many other captains would have only thought of saving the game. In fact the West Indies would have won that Test if Colin Milburn had not come to their rescue with a century. During their record breaking stand, Sobers deliberately did not try to shield Holford. He always believed that if he batted sensibly, his presence would inspire his partner. And this is what exactly inspired Holford to play the innings of his life. Sobers always believed in allowing his partner to stand on his own feet and not monopolise the bowling. If he showed the way, then the more bowling his partner received the more confident he would become.

For his next great innings, one has to go back to '58 and the third Test against Pakistan at Sabina Park. Upto that Test, he had made very attractive fifties. But he had never made a century.

However, when Pakistan went to the Caribbean many knew that a Sobers' century was not very far off. But nobody ever dreamt that his very first hundred would be a tripple hundred and it would break the then world record. When the West Indies started their innings, they faced a Pakistan total of 328. Sobers went in at No. 3. He first took a good look at the Pakistan attack and then together with Conrad Hunte, went onto take the Pakistan attack to pieces.

They put on 446 runs before Hunte was run out. But Sobers went on until Hutton's record appeared on the horizon. Clyde Walcott was now his partner and Walcott knew exactly what the record would have meant to the young Sobers. He told Sobers to keep on getting the runs while he took care of the other end.

With this encouragement Sobers went onto score 365 at which point Alexander declared with the score at 790 for 3. Sobers took only ten hours and eight minutes for his score of 365 and he hit 33 fours. Whereas Hutton took thirteen hours to score his 364 at the Oval in '38.

Kempton saw More and More Business

By Ismail Khan

Pertemps King George VI Chase a Grade One event run at Kempton, the showpiece of Boxing Day jump racing at National Hunt level worth more than Pounds 110,000 saw excellent Business being done on course where P. Nicholl's See More Business romped home to a popular win at 5/2 from Go Ballistic and Dr Leunt.

Ridden by M.A. FitzGerald See More Business having 21 wins tucked up under his belly jumped exceedingly well and had more than a few lengths to spare over closest rival Go Ballistic. It was a stupendous effort as the going too was on the very soft side.

The other big race Feltham Novices Chase worth £40,000 and run over 3 Miles and 19 fences went to Adrian McCoy ridden. Gloria Victis from Zafarabad and Mister One. She was sent at 2/1 at the off.

Here are a few horses which caught my eye in their run-up at Kempton.

KEMPTON

King Kato: Nibbled at a few timbers, consequently finishing 3rd to Afrostar. Could do well in subsequent outings.

Gloria Victis: Martin Pipe's super novice chaser jumped well the smaller obstacles beating Zafarabad and Mister One handsomely. Good material for Cheltenham's Festival Meet in March next term. But before that could be winning a few more races Follow.

Alka International: Beaten on run-in by 25/1 Veridian. Forget lapse. Follow next run.

See More Business: Won well the King George VI Chase. Shaping up for a tilt at the Grand National next term at Aintree. Has the potential to carry away more chases over long distances.

The last two races were abandoned due to thick frost.

Thus ended another Boxing Day Meet though the going was not conducive for competitive horse racing, leave alone jump events.

The horses who shaped well at this Kempton Park meet will do well anywhere under any conditions as the conditions they raced under was most difficult.

So have all the above horses short listed for future reference.

New format needed

Reader Col. Gamini Balasuriya suggests recommendations for a first class cricket tournament in Sri Lanka

I am a very keen follower of the game and I am aware that we do not have a first class tournament in the lines of what Australia, England, South Africa or India has. Till such time the industries and the economy of the country become decentralised and in the case of the north and the east peace is achieved, the major cricket activities would be concentrated in Colombo and perhaps to a lesser extent in Kandy, Galle and Kurunegala. This is a reality.

Therefore it is essential that to be on par with the other cricketing nations we have to at least devise a system to overcome our shortcomings keeping our limitations in mind.

As such I have worked out a basic system for a first class cricket tournament. The details are given below.

Board XI 'A' Board XI 'B' Board XI 'C' 'Board XI 'D' Provincial XI Under 23 Schools 'A' Schools 'B' From provincial clubs only.

The tournament will consist of eight teams as above.

Each team will have a separate selection committee consisting of five members of which four would be nominated by the main board and the fifth from an outstation list.

Each outstation cricket board will nominate a member for selection to the selectors panel.

Of these names through a lottery system six names would be drawn for inclusion into the selection committee except for the school teams.

Team selection sequence will begin with the Board XI 'A' from the overall club players then 'B' and so on and so forth.

Each team will also have a coach appointed by the main board for the board teams whilst the schools board will appoint theirs.

Four members of each of the schools selection committees will be appointed by the schools board. One member each will be nominated by the main board.

Each team pool will have 13 members. They will consist of five specialist batsmen, one wicket keeper, two allrounders, three pacemen and two spinners.

At the beginning, statistics for the past season to be computed and the selections to be made.

Statistics to include fielding ability and discipline for which club reports may be obtained.

In subsequent years the performance in the tournament will be considered for retention or for dropping from these teams.

Standards for batting, bowling, fielding, and wicket keeping would have to be prepared to cater for this requirement.

Every year a review of the teams has to be done taking into consideration laid down standards.

Based on the performances players would be transferred from one team to the another.

Good performances will allow players to be promoted and bad performances will cause players to be dropped from any team.

Such vacancies in the teams would be filled from bottom to top and players from the 'A' team would progress onto the national team. Club players would fill in the vacancies so created in the lower teams.

With this system entry to the national team would be progressive. However in the initial years changes to this format is expected especially in the standards aspects.The tournament would consist of each team playing the other team in a one off test match and two one dayers.

The aim of this type of system is threefold. The first is to ensure that a first class representative tournament takes root in Sri Lanka as we do not have one.

The second is to create a sound environment and a futuristic progressive system with these teams as the cricket nursery in the country. Thirdly to create the competitive environment needed for our cricketers to gain experience and be mentally and physically geared to perform at international level.

This is the very reason that an age limit has been imposed for selection to the teams. Sponsorship for each team and/or the tournament is a necessity.

It is also necessary that the main board obtain the services of a club and its ground for each of the team and its officials to function from. I hope the above would be of some assistance in evolving a suitable system for the development of our cricket in the long run and if called upon I would be more than happy to help in the process.

Book on Sports Medicine

Kreeda Vaidya Vidyawa, (Sports Medicine) is the first ever book to be published in Sri Lanka on sports medicine in Sinhalese.

The launching of this book on January 3, 2000 will mark an important milestone in the field of publishing in Sri Lanka, which is faced with a dearth of books written in any language by local authors.

This book covers many basic concepts of sports medicine ranging from causes and effects of many common sports related injuries to different organs, warming up techniques, sports psychology and rehabilitation after sports injury.

These concepts have been expertly explained in a lucid and easy manner and has been supplemented by more than 50 photographs and diagrams.

The author, Dr. Satyajit Rohan Jayasinghe, himself an active sportsman is a past pupil of D.S. Senanayake Vidyalaya, Colombo. He graduated from the University of Sydney, Australia with an M.B.B.S. (Honours) degree in 1997 and began his M.Sc. in Sports Medicine at the University of New South Wales, Australia.

At present he is employed as a Registrar in Cardiology in Prince of Wales Teaching Hospital and is also a member of the medical team.

This book will no doubt, fill a great void that upto now existed in this country in the field of sports medicine. It will be an essential companion at home as well as in the field to the many sportsmen and women of Sri Lanka who until now had no source of information to clarify their many queries in their chosen field of activity.

This book will be presented to S.B. Dissanayake, Minister of Samurdhi, Youth Affairs and Sports and is published by S. Godage Brothers Ltd.

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