When Trinity showed claw to win the big one

Sharm de ALWIS

CRICKET: It was a star-studded Trinity cricket team that took on St. Anthony’s in their Big Match in 1986. Trinity captain Thusha Weerasooriya, Mevan Balalle and Denham Madena found it to be the icing on the cake that they had walloped right through the season against all schools when they were awarded the coveted Lion.

Chaminda Unantenne received his Lion in the next year. Other worthy protagonists of the willow and the red cherry were Susil Premasinghe, Sanjeeva Jayawardene, Romesh Jayawardene, Priyantha Nanayakkara, C.I. Fernando, Selvaratnam Ratnakumaran and Dasarath Kiridene.

In the same year the Trinity captain Thusha Weerasuriya was adjudged the best All-Island Captain and also the Most Popular Cricketer of 1986.

Not a single century was notched against them in the entire season in which they possessed a fine blend of bowlers with Weerasuriya and Denham Madena opening the attack. C.I. Fernando with his wily leg spin.

Ratnakumaran, off-spin and Priyantha Nanayakkara, left arm orthodox. In the batting department Trinity had the luxury of 5/6 left/right combination and the commander was the impeccable Old Royalist opening bat of ‘62, ‘63 and ‘64 and team mate of Imran Khan in Oxford, Shaw Wilson who was coach and father figure to the team.

It was with the confidence begotten of success that Trinity entered the fray and the coach interspersed his pep talk with, “I had a dream. I dreamt last night that we won the Big Match.”

SACK had the first lease of the Katugastota turf but at 126 it was a matter of “love-lies- bleeding.” TCK, in their first essay fared worse with the Big Guns silenced by hostile bowling of the Anthonian captain Rienzie Perera who snared 6 for 39. Only Chaminda Unantenne came good with a cameo knock of 38 but that did not add luster to a pitiful total of 98.

Grassed chances which helped boost the SACK 2nd Innings coupled with astute field settings by the Trinity Captain to lull false hopes had Rienzie Perera declaring at 160 for 7 wickets, a sporting chance for TCK to acquire the near 200 runs in 90 minutes plus the 20 mandatory overs.

Suresh Peiris and Anurudhdha Seneviratne were the chief scorers with 40 and 47 respectively whilst Ratnakumaran (3 for 67) and C.I. Fernando (3 for 39) were the cats amongst the pigeons.

Shaw Wilson bade the Trinitians get a result and the openers noticed a slack body language when they were cruising along with no imminent breakthrough for SACK. Premasinghe and Ballale decided to force the pace.

Wilson’s diet of raw eggs as an eye opener every morning was taking effect and it was only at 93 in the third mandatory over that Premasinghe was scalped by Ruwan Kalpage.

With Sanjeeva Jayawardene run out on 19, Mevan Balalle continued the onslaught and with 10 boundaries and a glorious six he backed up too far at the bowler’s end to be run out on 81 and the total at the tenth mandatory over being 144, just a whisper away from glory.

Chaminda Unantenne (2 fours, 2 sixes) with his first innings knock, made 25 and with Romesh Jayawardene blasted the required 36 runs in less than eighteen deliveries with six overs to spare.

The Antonians Sports Club made a fine geture by way of cash award to the Trinity team for their glorious victory after 35 years. Omnipresent right through the cricket season were the parents of the players, giving ample moral support and nutrituion and Sarath Jayasinghe provided boxes of chocolates everyday of the matches.