V K B Ramanayake was a fine sportsman

V K B Ramanayake is a versatile sportsman from the southern province. He was a cricketer, soccerite, athlete, volleyball player, boxer, table tennis and carrom player.

In an era when cricket was the game of the elite in Colombo schools, Rahula College Matara, slowly and steadily introduced cricket as far back as 1920s.

Some dedicated coaches at Rahula were L B Gunasakara, D P Atapattu and his younger brother Dr D A Atapattu of Royal College, Colombo who were mainly responsible in shaping and promoting cricket at the school.

Rama's highest score was 77 not out against a combined colleges team, Trinity, Dharmaraja, St Anthony's, Vidyartha. In bowling his best figures were 8 for 24 in the same game. (a formidable performance indeed).

A notable feature of his school career was that he represented two leading school in the south Rahula and St Thomas's Colleges. At St Thomas' he was coached by Major G W S de Silva a distinguished Richmandite. Such was the very high standard of his coaching that both years 1946 and 1947 he coached St Thomas' and won both the 'Big Matches by an innings defeating the Arch rivals St Servatius', Matara. His athletic coach at St Thomas' was Oswald de Alwis, a very tall gentleman a past student of S Thomas'. He too was a champion mile runner and ASP R E Kitto, an ace athlete and winner of All Island one Mile race conducted by the Ceylon Athletic Association.

His running with him in the practice runs round the Matara Uyanwatta Esplanade improved their pace in the long distance running, with a champion athlete of his caliber. At practice they were given a boiled egg, marmite on toast and raw gram for power to strengthen. At STC he was a prominent member playing center forward position of the college soccer team.

At cricket he came two down in batting fielding number two slip and boundary line fielder at the tail end of the game when the players start to accelerate the score, for he had very safe hands and very rarely missed catches.

In the years 1946 and 1947 he consecutively annexed the 'Best all - Rounder's Cup' in the Big Match at Soccer.

In athletic he was second in the 'Open Mile' Race, where in leading athletes of the time such as Nero Ranasinghe, a past Thomian who secured the First Place in all the years he ran and others from Galle, Kamburugamuwa, Ahangama, Weligama, Ambalangoda and Dickwella. At the 1946 'Big Match' he was the highest wicket taker 4 for 24 and 2 for 10 major contributions to win the game.

On leaving school he was awarded the colours of the college (St Thomas's in Cricket, Soccer, and Athletic).

At Rahula he was the Skipper of the cricket, vice captain of the Soccer team captain being S Pandithasekera and captain of the Volleyball team and House captain of the Vijaya House, House Master was Justin Wijayawardana, who was the Art Master and President of the Sinhala Literary Association, who wore the National Dress who later became the Member of Parliament of Sri Lanka for Matara. Rama was one of the Vice Presidents of the Sinhala Literary Association others being S J Sasanapala and Secretary was S Pandithasekara and M Premaratne the Treasurer.

He was a Carrom, Table Tennis player who won the first place in Carrom and 3td place in TT annually conducted by the Kandy Railway Institute. V K B was a Boxer too coached by S Kandappa at the Talawakele Bi-lingual School.

At a Carnival conducted at the St Thomas' College grounds a leading player from Colombo, with long hands and very tall threw a challenge for any one to come forward for a bout with him. No one came forward.

There was a long spell of silence.

Then V K B boldly accepted the challenge rather hesitatingly, and boxed with him for about 14 minutes and boxed him with a huge thundering shot to his tummy the crowd at the ground began clapping and cheer Ramanayake who was a short person. Of course he was defeated on points.

V K B Ramanayake was the youngest member of the Volleyball team of the Nawalapitiya Town club team, being a schoolboy in the then Junior School Certificate form, where he scored highest marks in the whole examination at Nawalapitiya schools and was placed first.

While being a schoolboy he taught English to the Bhikkhus of the Mahamanthinda Pirivena dividing the Bhikkhus into three classes. In return he was taught Pali by the Anu Nayaka Thera of the Temple.