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by Gerry Vaidyasekera

The New Year dawned in schools in Sri Lanka with the advent of the school cricket season. But sad to find that there is no cricket played in schools in the Polgahawela electorate.

Dutugemunu Madhya Maha Vidyalaya, Potuhera, has neglected the Concrete Pitch put up by me in the small Public Park at Potuhera; thanks to the generosity of Hemaka Amarasuriya, Chairman, Singer (Pvt.) Ltd., Ian Pieris, a former President of the Board and a Cambridge Blue, and residents of the area. Jayantha Paranathala, newly appointed DIG advised me as to the lay out of the pitch. It developed quick reflexes among the students.

Cricket gear to the value of Rs. 50,000 was presented by Kusul Gunasekera, Colombo Rotary Club (East), Mahinda Wijesinghe, Janaka Kaluhendiwela and the late Shantha de Alwis of Wattala, to the Potuhera School and to St. Bernadette's Model School, Polgahawela.

A Shield was offered by me to the Potuhera School for their Annual Big Match and a Trophy called Mapa Ratmale Trophy by the retiring Principal of the Polgahawela School. These Trophies are now lying idle in the safe almirahs of these schools. The last Big Matches were played five years ago and ceased with the first match.

The cricket gear presented to the Potuhera School is now in the safe hands of students in their homes. It is very sad to reflect that at the ripe of age of 83, I introduced leather ball cricket into these two schools, organised their Big Matches and coached their boys in hot afternoons as a sacred duty.

With the advent of new Principals into these two schools, cricket has been driven away into the darkness. These heads have never played cricket before nor are they fluent in English. They are square pegs in round holes.

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