To Sir with Love

Premasara EPASINGHE

The role of a coach is simple. The great coaches all over followed a simple philosophy.

What is the role of a coach?

To assist his charges to improve their skills and enhance their personal performances.

What are his aims?

They are simple too. To create improvement so that a batsman scores more runs, a bowler takes more wickets, a fieldsman takes more catches, saves more runs in the field and seizes more opportunities to create runouts.

In his brilliant career as a cricket coach for more than three and a half decades, (1947-1982) at Nalanda Vidyalaya, Colombo, he not only taught us, how to bat, bowl, field or lead a team, but also moulded our character and personality to be productive disciplined citizens of the country.

He is our Dissapamokarcharya one and only Gerry Gooneratne, a charming and charismatic personality and a fine human being.

Nalanda will ever remember two great names, that saddled all Nalanda cricketers to greater heights. They are T. Kandaswamy Master-In-Charge of Cricket Prefect of Games and Gerry Gooneratne, our beloved cricket coach. It was a chance of a lifetime, these two great stalwarts met at Nalanda. The rest is history.

Today, they are no more. However, we respect and venerate these two personalities. This was the best "Cricket Combination", Nalanda ever possessed. Their dedication, commitment, helped Nalanda cricket so much, it became a living force, with all odds against them, when the so-called "Elite Schools" looked down upon Nalanda, two of them proved a point, showed the world locally and globally that Nalanda cricketers are second to none and they are of international standard. Bandula Warnapura and Mahela Jayawardane lead the Sri Lanka cricket teams.

One of the best cricketing products

Educated at St. Joseph's College Colombo, Gerry Gooneratne enjoyed a varied and colourful career. He was one of the best cricketing products produced by St. Joseph's College. In mid 1930s he played with great players like Malcolm Spittle, Farlie Dalpadathu, Makin Saliah, Benjamin Leonidas, Hector Perera, the fastest bowler Ceylon ever produced D. S. Jayasundera.

He was born on December 5, 1916 at Vauxhall Street, Aitkens Spence Company premises. His father was Mudliyar Willie Gooneratne. He was a senior executive in the Estate Tea Department. As a child, Gerry was adventurous. Added to cricket he showed prowess as a "Marksman". At the age of 15 years he was responsible in shooting a man-eating crocodile in the Beira Lake, which hit the headlines in early 1930s.

Gerry Gooneratne was a cricketing genius. He played for SSC, NCC and captained Saracens for many years, with distinction. He was a fine stylish left hand batsman and a fine left arm spinner and a brilliant fielder. Gerry Gooneratne was also a very astute captain.

In 1941, he won his "Ceylon Cap" and in an unofficial Test against India, Gerry Gooneratne scored a brilliant 94 not out at Chepauk, Chennai. When I went to commentate on the first ever Test India-Sri Lanka at Chennai I met some of the past Indian cricketers.

They told me Gerry Gooneratne was a batting artist and the best cover fielder they have ever seen. His "Stunning Catch" at covers to dismiss Indian batting maestro Vijaya Hazari, and this 'Magical Dismissal" in 1940, was still etched in their mind.

Gerry's some of the outstanding contemporaries in the Ceylon side were M. Sathasivam, F. C. de Saram, Sargo Jayawickrema, Malcolm Spittle, Vernon Prins, Bertie Wijesinha, Lucien de Zoysa and wicket-keeper Ben Navaratne.

With the advent of Gerry Gooneratne the "Golden Age" of Nalanda cricket, dawned. Fatherly figure, Gerry Gooneratne was more than a coach. He was a philosopher, guide and teacher.

From Stanley Jayasinghe to Asanka Gurusinha, this ever green coach produced dozens of Sri Lanka cricketers. Out of the many cricketers he coached, three of his "Star Products" brought credit and honour to Nalanda as well as Sri Lanka in foreign soil. They were Nandadeva Perera, who captained Nalanda in 1972, the winner of the first ever Vasline Trophy.

He excelled as a brilliant all-rounder in the Indian soil and Hong Kong for many years.

Another outstanding left-hander Daya Sirisena (he holds the highest number of Sixer-243 in Sara Trophy Cricket) played in Canada. Premaratne Mahawatta, who captained Nalanda in 1958, excelled in England in the years 1960-1970.

Some of the outstanding club cricketers who played under Gerry Gooneratne's captaincy for Saracens were Abdul Lafir, Chandrasiri Weerasinghe, Roy Perera, Doolanad Bultjens, Sonny Yatawara and Nihal Amaradasa to name a few.

Cricket was his life. Gerry Gooneratne held many prestigious positions in the cricketing arena. He was once Chairman of the National Cricket Selection Committee. Further he served as, Sri Lanka National coach for many years. He had a nerve of a poker player,the poise of a financier. Human understanding of a psychologist all rolled into one.

A great coach

Gerry was a cricket coach par-excellence. I was the master-in-charge of 1969 Nalanda outfit lead by Lalith Kaluperuma. The team included Seneviratne brothers, Palitha and Jayantha, Bandula Warnapura, Nandadeva Perera, Daya Sirisena, Leslie Narangoda, Nalin Perera, Gamini Mahasinghe, Sarath Soysa and L. P. Weerasinghe etc.

Nalanda cricket team was to travel to Galle to play Mahinda College on Thursday. I was taking practices at the centre wicket, till Gerry's arrival. Kaluperuma was batting. He was completely off-colour on that day. When Gerry came I told him that Lalith was not at his best today.

"Kalu, pads",

He took his guard, Bandula and Nandadeva took the new ball. He did not play his normal game.

"Kalu, what's the matter?

What's wrong with you? You are not bringing your foot properly. Playing half-hearted shorts," Gerry yelled.

Gerry came closer to Kaluperuma, had a good look at Kaluperuma from head to toe, he examined his eyes, touched his forehead.

"My God, chap Epa, this boy is having high fever. Take him immediately to a doctor." I took him to his cousin Dr. Mahinda Jayasinghe, who captained Ananda in 1956, two of us took him to General Hospital, Colombo and admitted him to Professor Rajasooriya's Ward. Kaluperuma had an attack of jaundice, a disease caused by an excess of bile in the blood, which makes the skin and whites of the eyes become abnormally yellow.

This incident shows how sharp Gerry as a cricket coach.

They say that in every man's success, there is a woman behind. Gerry Gooneratne, married Grace Udugama of Udugama Walauwa, Matale. Mrs. Gooneratne was undoubtedly driving force of Gerry Gooneratne. Their two sons are Nihal Gooneratne, an international figure in the tea trade who ended his career as the Managing Director of Lipton's and Brooke Bond. His second son Mohan Gooneratne is in the Oman Police. Both of them boxed for S' Thomas College, Mount Lavinia and brought credit and honour to Sri Lanka in boxing.

Dear Sir,

We are ever grateful and indebted to you, Above all we remember you as a great human being.

His Life was gentle and elements so mixed in him, Nature Might Stand Up and say to the World. This was a man.