Hyasti Aponso brought fame and glory to Prince of Wales not only as a cricketer and a past captain but also in other fields of sports like athletics, football and table tennis. Our Moratuwa Correspondent Dilwin Mendis managed to track down Hyasti at his residence in Kaldemulla Moratuwa for an interview ahead of the Prince of Wales- St Sebastian’s Big Match that takes place next Friday and Saturday.
Q: What is your full name and date of birth?
HA: Hyasti Rakshonda Aponso, 4th January 1943
Q: Which year did you enter college and who was your first teacher?
HA: In 1947 to the Lower Kindergarten (Babies Class) and my first teacher was Mrs. Dorris Mendis.
Q: What made you take to cricket?
HA: From my boyhood days I had been very interested in cricket and in our neighbourhood I always played softball cricket with my friends.
At school too I watched our senior boys playing softball cricket and I too played with my class mates. One day our Lower School Head Master later Member of Parliament for Horana Sagara Palansuriya called me and asked me to come for under 12 cricket practices in 1953. So I attended practice and my first coach was at that time a first eleven senior cricketer Stanley de Alwis, who later went on to play for All-Ceylon. One day our former stalwart H. I. Fernando came to the ground and saw my close in fielding and told Stanley to give the wicket-keeping job to me. Since then throughout my career I was a wicket-keeper.
Q: You have opened batting also?
HA: At the beginning I went lower down and then came up to the middle order and later I opened batting until the end of my career.
Q: What happened after that?
HA: In 1953 I was selected for the under 12 cricket team under Senerath Rodrigo and we played only one friendly match against Royal College. During this period there was no tournament cricket. The following year I played under Sunil de Silva in the under 14 cricket team and in 1955 I was captain and we beat Ananda, Nalanda, Zahira, Sebs and drew with Royal. Next year I played in the under 16 team under Sunil and in 1956 I captained the team.
Q: Were you called for First Eleven cricket practice?
HA: Yes, that was in 1958/59 season under Suranjith Mendis. I played a few matches on and off and I was the reserve wicket keeper to Earl Fernando. In 1959 we won the Big Match.
Q: After that what happened?
HA: Under W. G. Fernando I was a unanimous choice for the first eleven team in 1959/60 and I opened the batting with Sunil and kept wickets. In the 1960 big match I scored 47 runs and put on a 97 runs partnership. Sunil and W. G. scored unbeaten 132 each and put on a second wicket partnership of 247 runs. That match was drawn. That year one of our distinguished and a very loyal old boys Aelian Peiris started the Big Match souvenir and in the following year our advanced level students including myself carried on and in 1964 we handed it over to another distinguished and very loyal old boy and teacher of our college Dunstan Perera. Since then I am very happy that the OBA has been doing this tedious task. In 1960/61 series I played under Roy Cooray and passed the 500-run mark. That year the big match was drawn. Instead of Roy, Lister Perera captained the big match.
Q: What was your last year in school?
HA: 1962. In 1961 and 1962 seasons I captained the college team and we beat Royal, Wesley, Richmond and we got the better of most schools including S Thomas’. I scored centuries against Royal, Kingswood and Richmond. But unfortunately we lost to St. Sebastian's. That season too I passed the 500-run mark.
Q: How did you lose the big match with such a star studded team?
HA: Both teams were well balanced and we played at Sebs grounds and in the first term Merl, Rajah and K. D. C. left school. Even then our side was good with Hemal (Snr), Munasinghe, Vernon, D. S. and Sarath de Silva and our star batsman who was in fine form was Ryle de Mel. Sebs was led by my good friend Priyantha Fernando and he had in the ranks Sumithra, Rex, Frank, Sunimal and speedster Nihal. It was a low scoring game. The main reason for losing the match was we expected a lot from Ryle. But unfortunately he was a failure in both innings. Hemal and myself got 80's but it was insufficient. I do not want to give lame excuses for a well deserved victory by our friendly rivals. It amply proves that cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties.
Q: What are the other sports you played?
HA: I got colours for cricket, football, athletics and table tennis and I played for the junior and senior tournaments. It helped me to get the eye while batting. I was the goalie of the football team and we beat our arch rivals Sebs in the big match. I won the Discus event and was a member of the school 4 x 440 yards relay team. I represented the College at the Western Group Meet and after winning I represented the public schools in the same events. I was a Junior Cadet for three years in 1956/57/58. We won the De Soysa Squad Drill Challenge Trophy in 1958. Since then we have not won this trophy. I was a senior cadet from 1959 to 1961 and in that year we won the Commandants Cup. We won several awards in other events too.
Q: You got a first division at the Senior School Certificate Examination in 1958?
HA: Yes. I did my HSC but I could not enter the Medical College. From school I joined the Central Bank and after some time I got an appointment at the Tyre Corporation and I was sent to Russia then Soviet Union on a scholarship for 1 1/2 years. There was no cricket in Russia. I did a little skiing and skating. After leaving school I played for Moratuwa Sports Club prior to leaving to the Soviet Union. After returning I played for Moratuwa SC and captained them in 1965. I also played for the Tyre Corporation in all divisions and was selected to play for the Nationalised Services team for several years. One of my team mates was former Thomian cricketer and our teacher D. S. Samuel.
Q: After leaving the corporation were you involved in anything?
HA: No. At present I am leading a retired life but I am not in good health. I am always following the college affairs because that is the place where I was moulded.
Q: You were in Australia in the recent past?
HA: Yes, both myself and my wife visited Melbourne to see our daughter and came back on 7th February 2017. My son is living with us.
Q: What is the advice you can give to our young Cambrian cricketers?
HA: I would like to advice the up and coming young cricketers to concentrate on the game by practicing hard and playing the game with devotion and dedication but within the rules. At the same time class room work should not be neglected at any cost as in this competitive world. You cannot get anywhere in life unless you are extremely talented and get to the top. God bless Prince of Wales' College and all the Cambrians young and old. Also wishing all the best to the two teams who are involved in the 2017 big match.
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