Billy was outstanding
It has been said that a captain must be everything he desires his
team-mates to be. It has also been said, if the cap fits then one should
wear it.
Billy Balthazaar, lovingly referred to as 'skipper' by his team-mates
at St. Joseph's College, Colombo and the Mayflower Cricket Club 1967,
certainly did wear the cap, and it was a perfect fit! He started his
career as a planter, thereafter he worked at Liptons and finally at
State Plantations until his retirement at the age of 62.
A cricketer of outstanding reputation, he built a team on which the
Mayflower Cricket Club of the day called (and I quote) "the ability to
inspire others by personality and example, to weld them into a team, to
evoke loyalty from them, to bring out in them the need for self-
discipline and to make them do their best to achieve success." The teams
expectations were high, and he led them he did! All the way to the top,
to success upon success, winning every match of the season and meeting
every challenge eye on the ball by taking four catches behind the stumps
in the match against CCC who were, as the local newspaper headlines
screamed, 'mowed down' by Mayflower on that fateful day at CCC grounds.
The Mayflower Cricket Club never had a better 'innings' in all their
existence. They were proud to hold their heads high and prouder, still
of the standards Billy Balthazaar the skipper had set for the team in
just two years of tournament cricket.
There were many more sparkling victories in his long career as a
captain, cricketer and coach that are too numerous to make mention of,
here. His final year at St. Joseph's College saw some brilliant
team-work - a well balanced all-round combination under his captaincy
and unbeaten season which went on record in 1950. Billy opened batting
and kept wickets for St. Joseph's in 1948, 1949 and 1950.
He opened batting and kept wickets for the Ceylon Combined Schools in
1948. He played hockey for college. He boxed; Billy won cricket and
hockey colours at St. Josephs. He played Sara cricket for Kandy United
as wicketkeeper/opening batsman. He played for CPCA against the MCC in
1952. He played cricket and hockey for the Old Josephians in the
Quadrangular and Andriesz Shield. He captained the Old Joes at cricket.
In his early days as a planter he played for Dimbulla and Upcountry
against Foreign teams.
I believe we should start looking. As a fitting tribute to this past
Josephian successful cricket captain, priests of the calibre of Rev. Fr.
Joe de Mel, Rev. Fr. Lucien Dep, Rev. Fr. Felician Ranjith Perera and
the present Rector of SJC Rev. Fr. Sylvester Ranasinghe, all Josephian
stalwarts officiated at Billys funeral at Borella Kanatta recently.
Billy passed away peacefully at the age of 79.
May his Soul rest in the Saviour's embrace until that day.
Francis Wilhelm
Milhuisen,
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