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| Thursday, 12 February 2004 |
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Sohan Boralessa first Peterite to bag 10 wkts by Richard Dwight A bowler taking six wickets in an innings, is considered to be on par with the batsman notching a century, when he claims three wickets, it's comparable to a batsman scoring fifty runs and the securing of a hat-trick by a bowler, which is highly commendable is found to be a few and far between occurrence. The bowler however does not dream or think of capturing all 10 wickets in an innings, it does not simply enter his mind. Merely because it has come to be accepted, as well nigh impossible, especially in the art of bowling within an exercise that is spoken of as a team game. It's primarily for this reason, that we regard the Peterite left-arm spinner Sohan Boralessa's performance of taking all 10 wickets in the Wesley College first innings at Bambalapitiya on Monday as phenomenal to be unique. A singular effort such as this, where Boralessa was responsible for dismissing all 10 Wesley batsmen, stands out as a major happening to be extraordinary for never before in the realm of Peterite cricket history has there been a bowler who has achieved this most coveted feat. The only bowler who comes close to this, was the former Peterite captain, Dion Walles, when in 1946 in the "Big Match' he brought victory to his team by claiming 9 for 53. The 18-year-old Sohan does therefore merit a brief narrative here. Boralessa hails from a devout Catholic family and has had all his education from Grade I at St. Peter's College. From his formative years, he nurtured his love for cricket and with his businessman father's support and mother's encouragement, he played in the under-11, 13, 15 and under-17 teams before making it to the first eleven cricket team in the year 2002/2003. He takes pride in the fact that he was a member of the champion under-15 and under-17 teams, under the guidance of Bandula de Silva as cricket coach. Boralessa is a right hand bat and left-arm bowler, is a second year coloursman. According to cricket advisor Kitto Fernandopulle and Coach Nishantha Hennanayake, Boralessa is no trouble at all, he takes cricket practices seriously and never fails to inform, when he is unable to make it. It was gathered from them that he is basically a team man and is together with his colleagues, be it success or failure. He is an orthodox leg-spinner, with the ability of sending one with the arm and able to deliver a well concealed faster ball too. He had fair amount of success last year and this year has claimed three and five wickets against Royal and St. Sebastian's respectively. In addition, he has two good fifties with the bat to his credit. The Prefect of games, Rev. Fr. Sunil Ranjit Perera and Master-in-Charge of Cricket Bernard Jesudasan, are of the view that cricket apart, the modest mild mannered Boralessa is a good student of Maths in the Advanced Level form, given to sober disciplined ways. He has done well to mix his cricket with his studies, one being complementary to the other the classroom and the sports field. He will do well to ensure that progress in his cricket goes hand in hand with his ambition to be an engineer. Sohan Boralessa, who did himself and St. Peter's proud with his 10 for 30 - is the second of three brothers, the elder is keen on doing medicine after successfully completing his Advanced Level and the younger about to sit for the Ordinary Level Examination. |
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