| Nihal’s
236 n.o., for Nalanda still to be broken
Down Memory Lane
By Bernie Wijesekera
Nihal Ameradasa a dashing batsman who learnt the basic skills from
Kingsley Fernando at Thurstan as a juvenile later joined Nalanda
in 1951. He did proud for the school in the latter years of his
school career. His father T.D. Ameradasa an old Anandian played
the game with the late Dr. N.M. Perera in the early part of the
century.
The
Sunday Times met him at Bloomfield C and AC sipping a VB all by
himself on February 11, just prior to the opening of the Shiran
Wickremasinghe Memorial Sports Complex.
Q:
How come from Thurstan to Nalanda (as a junior in 1951)?
A: It was move made by my father. No regrets. At Nalanda
Gerry Gooneratne coached me at Under-14 assisted by Carl Obeysekera.
Q:
Anything special in your school career?
A: As a junior Gerry made me join The Saracens SC. There
I played in the Daily News trophy and scored three consecutive centuries.
At that time the game was very competitive and it was a stepping
stone to join the big brigade.
Q:
Cricket was a way of life to you.
A: Yes, It has helped me in many ways. At Nalanda I had
the privilege of coming under the tutelage of late Stanley Munasinghe.
He was the P.O.G, a firm disciplinarian who brooked no nonsense.
All had to adhere to a code of ethics. Misconduct means out of the
game. Today in some quarters apparently players misbehave. It attributes
to weak management.
Q:
Was cricket the only sport you indulged at Nalanda.
A: No, I played football for Nalanda and the Combined Schools.
I also was the athletic captain and ran the 400M and the relays.
Q:
What was your most unforgettable moment in your school career?
A: It was in 1959 scored 1,000 runs in just 16 innings.
This included 236 not out against Dharmapala. This is still a record
to be broken at Nalanda. I can still vividly remember how my father
travelled to Jaffna with Sanders (ex-police officer), a relation
of ours..
Q:
Via cricket it built a permanent brigade of friends
A: Todate some of those players are my friends.
Q:
At school you were a scourge to the bowlers. What have you got to
say about your club cricket?
A: Played for SSC under Bertie Wijesingha. But it was at
Saracens that I gave notice of my potential as an aggressive top
order bat. In that era we were playing three days of cricket --
Friday and Saturday and then a one-day match on Sunday. Then I played
for the Saracens (Div I) Under Roy Perera. The side had A.C.M. Lafir,
Sonny Yatawara, Talat Ismail, Keerthi Caldera and Chandrasiri Weerasinghe
etc. The Rifle Green Club was managed by the Marcan Markars. They
spent their own men and material to promote the game, providing
playing opportunities to lesser affluent cricketers.
Just
out of school I played for the Saracens in 1964. That year NCC was
led by Vernon Prins. NCC in their team had the likes of K.M.T. Perera,
F.B. Crozier, Mike Tissera, Kenneth Serpanchy, Nihal Soysa etc.
It was a real trial. I made 98. The match was drawn. At that time
the game was confined to eight to ten teams and was very competitive.
This knock was one of my best under pressure. In 1962 Saracens emerged
runners-up to SSC in the P. ‘Sara’ led by Ian Peiris.
Q:
Besides your exploits with the willow, you were a hawkeyed fielder.
A: Frankly it was late Dr. C.H. Gunasekera a friend of
my father who taught me the basics. This too was at the SSC. The
likes of Dr. C.H. are hard to find at present times.
Q:
Any cricketers whom you admire from Nalanda?
A: Left-hander Sarath Silva one of the best I’ve
seen and played with.
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