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by S. M. Jiffrey Abdeen - Kandy Sports Correspondent

An unbeaten double century at limited over cricket in an inter Provincial cricket tournament organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL), that's the incredible record of 13 year old left hander Sachith Pathirana from Trinity College.

I was fortunate to have witnessed this innings which had all the class written over as he put the bowlers to sword. Pathirana's innings of 235 not out for Central Province Cricket Association against Uva Province Cricket Association had 26 sixes and 14 fours at St. Anthony's College grounds, Katugastota.

Uva Province captain S. S. Varushan won the toss and invited Central Province to bat, a decision which resulted in this epoch making innings which sent several records tumbling and in an overnight Sachith Pathirana had become a star.

When Pathirana came in to bat, the score was 62 for 2 which became 85 for 3 a little later. He was joined by 13 year old Mohammed Freshal from St. Sylvesters College.

Strangely Pathirana's first seven scoring strokes were all singles and this youngster wanted to settle down first before wading into the attack. Therefore it is obvious that his knock was no fluke as he had planned to build up a big knock if an opportunity prevail.

His first of the 26 sixes came only in his 14th scoring stroke. There after he opened the flood gates of scoring and by the time he had reached his half century he had hit five sixes in 23 scoring strokes. He raced to his century in 38 scoring strokes and 52 balls, with the aid of 10 sixes and 5 fours.

Next he had his eyes in completing 150 runs which he reached by scoring a further 3 sixes and 3 fours in 70 balls and 52 scoring strokes. There was no stopping for this little boy who bludgeoning the bowling, the way a blacksmith would do with his anvil. He reached his double century with a push to mid wicket with the help of 22 sixes and 12 fours in only 88 balls.

At one stage he was in such a belligerent mood that his scoring strokes were five consecutive sixes. He hit Chandika Laksiri for four consecutive sixes and in all took 29 runs in his fourth over. A. P. Manoj conceded 23 runs in his second which included 3 sixes.

Meanwhile his partner at the other end Mohammed Freshal enjoyed himself with a knock of 103 not out with 8 fours and 6 sixes. This pair put on a record unbroken partnership of 341 for the fourth wicket.

Pathirana's record breaking knock embellished with 26 sixes and 14 fours may be record for the number of hits to the ropes in a limited over match. This match was reduced to 40 overs per side and one could imagine the score if the match was played to 50 overs per side as originally decided. This youngster may have even gone for a world record knock at least in his level of cricket.

His innings of 235 not out equalled the ground record held by Peterite Tyronne Le Mercier established 35 years ago but certainly it was a ground record, Central Province record and a Sri Lanka record in limited over cricket. Two of Sachith Pathirana's hits cleared the ground and landed on the roof of the Primary school building and other in the car park of St. Anthony's College, thus staking his claim for the biggest hits at Katugastota.

Pathirana took to cricket at the age of nine and came under the watchful eyes of Sunil Fernando at the Kandy Cricket Academy which has produced a number of outstanding cricketers in the past. It must be recalled that it was the foresight and planning of Sunil Fernando which changed Muttiah Muralitharan from a pace bowler to a spinner in his formative years at junior level which made him the Greatest spinner the world had seen.

Sunil Fernando taught him the basics and corrected his flaws and chiselled him to be a pugnacious hitter of the ball.

At Trinity College he played for the under-13 team and captained it and the senior coach at Trinity College the experienced H. M. Muthalib saw the talent oozing in him and by passed both the under-15 and under-17 teams and included him in the senior cricket team. This was a gamble which paid off as many junior cricketers when blooded into the senior team have often ended up a cropper. In his very first match against Wesley College, this youngster batted for 90 minutes and stemmed off a possible collapse. It was not the score which mattered in this innings but the time factor which took the sting off the Wesley attack.

In the next match against Kingswood College, coming at No. 3 he put on 121 for the second wicket with Ishan Ratnayake (211) who went on to complete a double century - the second Trinitian to do so after Nihal 'Tikiri' Marambe's 204 also against Kingswood at Kandles Hill in 1968.

His real acid test came in the Big Match against the traditional rivals St. Anthony's College at Katugastota. In reply to Antonians total of 204, the Trinitians were reeling at 89 for 7 and faced the ignominy of a follow-on shortly after lunch on the second day. But little Pathirana came to the rescue of the Lions from the dare of the Eagles with an innings of 52 which was worth its weight in gold before he was run out.

Pathirana is a promising and a proficient player who could bat according to the demands of the situation - who could hit the ball hard if the necessity arises or put up a back-to-the-wall defence, if the match is to be saved. He could also deliver his left arm spinners at an awkward angle.

Pathirana's value in the side is his air of authority as he plays the bowling according to its merit and this creates and instils confidence into his team mates or rather within the side.

His sheer artistry of shot execution is a treat to watch. In his record breaking knock he used his feet and took control of the bowling with apparent ease and grace and often bludgeoned it with bruising power laced with elegance.

Little Pathirana confided to this correspondent that the light weight bat which brought him a debutant's fifty in the Big Match and the limited- over double hundred was gifted to him by none other than Sri Lanka's 'Master Blaster' Sanath Jayasuriya as he is a family friend. Pathirana's idols have been Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva and of course Sanath Jayasuriya and from his younger days, he always wanted to bat like one of them. He was all praise for his first coach Sunil Fernando who chiselled this youngster, and to H. M. Muthalib for taking great pains in polishing him. Trinity and Kandy is proud of Sachith Pathirana's achievements.

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