When Sethupathy hit Jim Laker for three consecutive fours

Elmo Rodrigopulle

[Appreciation]

Anton Marion Sethupathy, the former stylish left hand batsman who sported Ceylon colours in the late fifties passed away after a brief illness in Melbourne on Christmas day.

Sethupathy was one of the most stylish left handers produced by Ceylon in the pre Test cricket era. His trade markshots were the classic cover drive and the drives in the V.

Sethupathy is best remembered for the three consecutive fours he hit of former champion England off spinner Jim Laker. Laker was on his way to Australia with Peter May’s 1958 team to defend the Ashes.

The England team as usual broke journey to play two games in Sri Lanka. Laker was then the most feared off spinner in the world having mesmerized the Australians in the 1956 Ashes clashes in England and had the record of having spun out 19 Australians for a match bag. That record still stands.

When the Englishmen played the first game at the SSC, Sethupathy was in that team captained by the Prince of captains – Vernon Prins.

When the game began heavy clouds were hovering and rain looked imminent.

But the rain gods held back and came down in buckets only after Sethupathy had treated the large gathering of spectators with his exhibition of classic cover driving. The three fours he hit of Laker had to be seen to be believed.

With twinkle toed footwork he got to the pitch of the ball and with rare timing sent the three deliveries screaming to the boundary.

Laker who had baffled the Australian batsmen, could not but admire, stand and applaud his every stroke. Such was Sethupathy’s brilliance.

That match is very vivid in my memory, because I was a schoolboy cricketer at that time and took in the action with four of my buddies – Kenneth Dabrera, Cosmas Perera, Edward Sumanasekera and Patrick Perera. Our happiness of watching more action from Sethupathy did not materialize as the rains came down in buckets and the game had to be called off.

When the Sri Lankan team toured Australia in 2005 and when in Melbourne, Sethupathy invited Cliff Landers and me to dinner and his gracious wife and son Bryan spread a home made dinner with string hoppers, hoppers and an assortment of curries and did we not enjoy and recall the good old days and the cricket we played for St. Benedict’s College and Tamil Union. Son Bryan played cricket with distinction for St. Peter’s College, Bambalapitiya.

In a Sara game between Tamil Union and the Burgher Recreation Club played at Havelock Park and he was captain of the Wanathamulla Club, I still remember the catch I took on the mid wicket fence off G.D.Bertus to dismiss Sethupathy who was captain of Tamil Union and was threatening to make mincemeat of the BRC attack.

Incidentally Sethupathy learnt his cricketing lessons at St. Sebastian’s College Moratuwa before joining St. Benedict’s College. Sporting Benedictine colours, he became the first Ben to score a century against arch rivals St. Joseph’s College, Darley Road in 1951. The next Ben to do similarly was Malcom Mack who was captain of the Bens.

As a schoolboy cricketer, he was a left hand bat and wicket keeper and played against outstanding school cricketers of that era in Stanley Jayasinghe, Ken Serpanchy, H.I.K. Fernando, Phil Kelly, Abu Fuard, Carl Obeysekera, Channa Gunesekera, Wilson Wimalaratne, Abdul Lafir and the Classens.

Sethupathy also shone for the Treasury, Forbes and Walkers. He led the Tamil Union batting taking over from the great Mahadevan Sathasivam and his highest score for the club was 222.

Sethupathy later on qualified as a coach and did stints with the Peterites and two of the stars he produced were Rumesh Ratnayake and Rohan Buultjens He also coached his old school St.Benedict’s College,Kotahena.

When I met him in Australia he presented me with two books on the game which I still treasure.

May the turf that he walked like a colossus rest softly on him.