Senaka Dissanayake was a cricketer par excellence

Upananda Jayasundara - Kandy sports special corr

A batsman who started in his early years at Dharmaraja College, Kandy and who scored a fine double century on the Asgiriya Stadium, Senaka Dissanayake is putting his experience into practice and is now running his own cricket school at Kandy Police grounds on weekends.

Senaka Dissanayake of Dharmaraja College, Kandy made that magical double century knoch in the 1984 'Big Match' against Kingswood has not looked back once he came into Big Cricket. He captained the under 17 cricket team at Dharmaraja in 1971 and went from strength to strength and coming into the 1st XI team he played from 1982 to 1984.

Berides the memorable double century, he made 198 against Nalanda and 119 against Zahira Colombo. He scared 100 against St. Thomas' Matale and 105 against S. Thomas' Mount Lavinia. The high point of his career was his selection for the under 19 National team that toured Australia in 1984 led by Aravinda de Silva. That team also included Marlon Van Haght, another Kandy lad as vice captain, Asanka Gurusinghe, Roshan Mahanama, S. Don Arunasiri, Gamini Wickremasinghe, Kapila Dandeniya, Jerome Jayaratne and the late Sujeewa Kamalasuirya who was drowned in the tsunami.

In Australia, Senaka had opened batting in all three 'Tests' and one dayers. His highest score was 56 at the MCG and the effort that gave him the greatest pleasure was his partnership with Skipper Aravinda de Silva which realized 121 runs for the third wicket. Aravinda on that occasion scored 142 mns. Coming on to Inter-Club cricket, Senaka had a 10-year stint with his home town club, Kandy cricket club and he was among the runs. He scored 149 against Ambalangoda Rio on the Colts grounds, made 107 not out against NCC at Asgiriya and 104 against Galle also at Asgiriya, 102 against Moors Sports Club in Colombo and 116 against Sebastianites.

Senaka represented Central Province during his playing days in club cricket. He went across to Australia around 1995 and represented Chemiside Park Cricket Club for seven seasons as a player cum coach. He had the opportunity of passing the Level II coaching course. He had got through the Level I course earlier in Sri Lanka as a schoolboy.