Sanga to be felicitated

S. M. Jiffrey ABDEEN Kandy Sports Corr.

Sri Lanka's cricket captain and Cricket Lion Kumar Sangakkara will be felicitated by Trinity College at a ceremony to be held at the Asgiriya Stadium on October 09.

Sangakkara is one of the finest products to come out of the portals of Trinity College where he excelled not only at cricket but also in studies and went on to win the 'Ryde Gold Medal' awarded to the best allround student.

Kumar Sangakkara's passion for sports stated before he had reached his teens when he took to tennis under the guidance of former Board XI cricketer D. H. de Silva who was then Municipal Commissioner in Kandy. He was a top class tennis player along with his sister Saranga and this duo carried away almost all the junior tennis titles in the championships they participated.

At the age of 12 he took to cricket under the guidance of that famous cricket coach who gave Muttiah Muralitheran to the cricket world Sunil Fernando. Reminiscing Sunil Fernando told this correspondent that one day St. Anthony's College played Trinity College in a junior cricket match which the Antonians won comfortable. Sangakkara also played in that match for Trinity. Impressed by the performance of the Antonians, Kumar's father a former Antonian cricketer approached Sunil Fernando whether he could guide young Kumar. Being the coach of the Antonians Sunil Fernando was placed in a difficult situation.

Sunil Fernando wanted to somehow help this talented youngster to sharpen his tooth at cricket and he approached the then Principal of St. Anthony's College Rev. Fr. Stephen Abrahams who not only granted permission to coach Kumar but also gave permission to use the practice nets at St. Anthony's College.