Former Wesley College cricketer, Junior Athlete and Senior House Captain, Saracens Sports Club, Burgher Recreation Club, Galle Cricket Club Sara Trophy and Mercantile “B” Division cricketer, Cricket Umpire, Coach and Director Coaching Oscar Dissanayake spoke to the Daily News at his residence in Kotte.
Q. Can you tell something about yourself and your family in brief?
A. I am Oscar Dissanayake and I was born on 11th August 1953 and I am the only child in our family. My father is Clair Dissanayake and he was at the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs and my mother is Iranganie Dissanayake nee Seneviratne.
She was a housewife. My wife is Tilaka Dissanayake nee Boange and we have a daughter and we hail from Panadura.
Q. What is your school?
A. I studied at Wesley College, Colombo from Lower Kindergarten to Advanced Level and entered in 1958 the Principal was Harold Nonis and my first class teacher was Miss Norma de Silva. Later Shelton Weerasinghe assumed duties as the Principal.
Q. Did you participate in sports?
A. I played cricket and was a Junior Athlete and a Senior House Captain. I am a right hand bat and a right arm bowler. During my time it was all friendly matches in the under 14 and 16 and traditional matches in the first eleven. I played for the under 14 and was the vice captain in my first year and my captain was Nilaraj Coomarawel and the coach and MIC was Shelton Weerasinghe. I batted at number three and bowled off spin. My under 16 captain was Tyronne Jansz and L. C. R. Wijesinghe took over as the coach and asked me to open and to concentrate on batting. The following year I captained the under 16 team.
Q. Did you play for the first eleven?
A. My first year was in 1968/69 under Amaresh Rajaratnam and the following year too he captained and Edmund Dissanayake was the MIC and Coach. Under Rajaratnam we won the Lifebuoy Trophy I was the Best Batsman that season. In 1970/71 Delmer Achilles captained and I got 566 runs and against Kingswood I scored 81 versus Trinity 81. We beat Thomians. I was awarded the Best Batsman Trophy at the College Prize Giving and I won Colours. The following year A. J. Cader and Tyronne Jansz led the side.
Q. Did you lead the College team?
A. In 1972/73 I captained and D. H. de Silva was the coach and MIC was L. C. R. Wijesinghe and my Vice Captain was Granville Hamer. In the Sir Frank Gunasekara Trophy we beat Royal on first innings.
Q. What is your unforgettable match under your leadership?
A. Against Trinity we traveled down to Kandy and Trinity had a very strong side and the match was played on the turf but we were used to the matting. They under estimated us and their captain was Ranjith Dissanayake. In this game we won on first innings. Athula Wickramasinghe got a scintillating 107 and I got 74 and put on a record partnership of 177 runs in 114 minutes. The same year against Richmond we won the E. R. de Silva Trophy. In the Kingswood match Rennie Devadasan got 107 and I scored 81 we put on another record partnership of 180 runs.
Q. Can you tell the names of your under 19 squad?
A. Granville Harmer (Vice Captain), Rennie Devadasan, Geethal Peiris, Athula Wickramasinghe, Wilhelm Vandort, Dayalan Sellamuththu, Carlyle Peris, K. Dayaparan, Lalith Fernando, Eric Solomons, Russel Kern, Vevele Perera, Weera Pathirajah, Mahesh Samaraweera, Anura de Silva and Roger Cock.
Q. How do you fair in athletics?
A. In the Junior Level I did 100, 200, Relays and High Jump and I was in Lemphers House. In the Senior Level I did not take part in athletics but I was the House Captain of Passmore House.
Q. Did you play club cricket?
A. I played Sara Trophy for Saracens, B.R.C. and Galle CC. Ralston Burke and Percy Perera captained Saracens and I opened with Merryl Dunuwille while Gerry Wouterz and Vernon Wambeck led B. R. C. I opened with Bernard Wijetunge. Saliya Wijewardene and Harith Weerawarna invited me to play for Galle CC and I played under Tissa Dias and Neranjan Withanage and scored six fifties in a row.
Q. What is your employment and did you play cricket for them?
A. I was at Kundanmals and I played in the Mercantile “B” Division and later “C” and “G”. I captained in 1981 and scored an unbeaten 130 with Hirdramanis and I carried away the Best Batsman and the Highest Scorer of the tournament in any division trophy called the Bartleet Trophy.
Q. Were you involved in coaching?
A. I am a Level One coach. I commenced with first eleven at St. John’s College, Dematagoda, Wesley Juniors, Carey and Sir Baron Jayathilake schools first eleven teams and St. Thomas’s Prep. I was an umpire too. In the mean time I got an appointment in Saudi Arabia and I played for ABV Rock Camp. I was the president of Rock City Cricket Club for two years and came to Sri Lanka and went to Doha Qatar. There I coached Lanka Lions cricket team for two years and I was the Director Coaching of the Qatar Cricket Academy. Then I joined United Nations Mission in Siera Leon and came back to Sri Lanka.
Q. Are you involved with your OBA activities?
A. I was one of the Vice Presidents of the OBU and a member of the Old Weslyites Sports Club and a member of Saracens SC and Colts CC and a life member of the Galle CC. In addition I am a Methodist and a member of the Methodist Church, Nugegoda and a Parishioner at Christ Church, Kotte.
Q. Who is the Best Schoolboy Batsman and Allrounder during your school career and at club level?
A. The Best Batsman was Roy Dias and Best Allrounder was Garry Melder and at club level it was Anura Tennakoon and Michael Tissera.
Q. Does your daughter do any sports at school?
A. Her name is Shivanthi Dissanayake and she was at Ladies College, Colombo. She captained the Schools Senior Table Tennis team. Presently she is domiciled in Australia and both my wife and I might join her soon.
Q. What is the advice you can give to young sportsmen?
A. Firstly you must obey your parents, elders and teachers and whatever the religion you are, you must practice it and then the studies. In the present day youngsters doesn’t want to take up defeat. For this you must do at least one sport and play the game in true spirit.
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