Ruwan Bandara - first Vidyarthian to score 1000 runs in a season

S M Jiffrey Abdeen - Kandy Sports Correspondent

Right hand opening batsman Ruwan Sanjeewa Bandara created the record of becoming the first batsman from Vidyartha College to score 1000 runs during a season and he achieved this feat this season.

It is on record that Vidyartha College first played school cricket in 1949 and their fist captain was a Muslim Boy the name of O A Haleem who captained the side for two years. But then school fixtures were very few and in Kandy it was only Trinity, St Anthony's, Kingswood and Dharmaraja which played cricket. Later on St Sylvesters, Gampola Zahira, St Thomas Matale, St Paul's (later Sri Sumangala) and Sri Rahula took to the game. Thus it took over 60 years for a cricketer from Vidyartha to reach 1000 runs. Even today though the schools play between 15 to 20 matches per season reaching 1000 runs is a rare feat.

Ruwan Bandara hails from Ampara and he started playing cricket for D S Senanayake College, Ampara. He also played for the Ampara district and the Uva Province before his talents were spotted by the Uva Provincial cricket coach Chaminda Kodikara who advised to play for a better known school so that his talents could be recognized and he will get more exposure against stronger opponents so that his real talents could be assessed. Thus he came over to Vidyartha College and made it to the first XI and at the same time had qualified to be in the GCE Advanced Level class.

This season he has scored over 1200 runs and is in the junior national pool and also plays club cricket off season to keep himself in touch. His scores this season are:

88 Vs Kegalu Vidyalaya

38 Vs Dharmaraja College

50 Vs Piliyandala Central College

66 Vs Panadura Royal College

66 Vs Kingswood College

50 Vs Kalutara Vidyalaya

82 Vs St Anthony's College

88 Vs St Mary's College, Kegalle

08 and 64 Vs Maliyadewa College

64 and 30 Vs St Thomas College, Matara

04 Vs St Annes College

21 and 41 Vs Tissa Central College, Kalutara

112 Vs Wayamba Royal College

11 and 2 Vs Sri Devananda Vidyalaya

130 Vs St Thomas College, Kotte

54 and 26 Vs Carey College

76 Vs Moratu Vidyalaya

He scored over 800 runs last season including a century against Kingswood College. He was all praise to his mentor Chaminda Kodikara for giving an opportunity to play for a Kandy School which has developed his cricket as otherwise his earlier school player only about four matches for a year and there is no much of a competition.

He was also full of praise to his present coach Susantha Basnayake who polished his rough edges and helped him or guided him to build up longer innings. He also thanked the present Master In Charge Jayantha Kumara for motivating him in many ways. When he is dismissed for a lower score, he encourages him to play better in the next knock and make up for the earlier lapses. Lastly he thanked the Principal P A S Alwis and the Assistant Principal Ananda Upatissa for encouraging and guiding a rural boy like him to make the grade in a bigger school and he is ever so grateful to Vidyartha College for all it has done for him to make the grade. His ambition is to play top level club cricket and perhaps one day for the country by which he will be the first from the Ampara district.