Oscar Dissanayake was a fine cricketer

Dilwin Mendis, Moratuwa Sports Correspondent

Oscar Dissanayake who represented Saracens, BRC and Galle CC in Sara Trophy and became the Best All-rounder in the Mercantile ‘B’ Division Cricket Tournament held in 1981 representing Kundanmals ended up his cricket career after taking up an appointment at Sierra Leone, South Africa had the distinction of captaining one of the prestigious educational institutions of the island Wesley College in 1972 and 73.

During this period inter-school games commenced at 12 noon on both days and no mandatory overs at the end and the Sara Trophy and Donovan Andre Trophy matches at 1.45 pm on first day and 10 am on day two and Daily News Trophy matches confined to Sundays.

Weslyites, the Campbell Park lads were reckoned as Masters of Matting Wicket (now a turf wicket) and not so easy to beat them over there.

They had a tough fixture meeting the hill country Giants the Trinitians at Asgiriya whom are difficult to beat at their own den not only in cricket but in any other games too.

Wesliyetes took the wings to meet the Lions of Hill Capital, Kandy on 15th February 1973 and the match was fixed for 16th and 17th February 1973 and the team comprised of Oscar Dissanayake (Capt), Granville Hamer (Vice Captain), Willam Vandort, Athula Wickramasinghe, Dayaian Sellamuttu, Rennie Devadason, Geethal Peiris, Anura de Silva, Carlyle Peiris, K Dayaparan, Lalith Fernando, Russel Kern and Eric Solomons and out of them Athula, Anura, Carlyle, Lalith, Russel and Eric are domiciled in foreign countries.

The Trinity Skipper Ranjith Dissanayake with his deputy Rohan Perera and his men were eagerly looking forward to take the visitors on task.

It was a great coincidence that both the captains were Dissanayakes and the two vice captains Rohan Perera and Granville Hamer were wicket keepers.

Granville is the younger brother of Russel and Mervyn. But Oscar and his team mates had other ideas.

Oscar called the coin correctly and thinking the wicket will suit bowlers invited his opposite number Ranjith to take the first lease and his gamble paid off with Lions walking into the den at regular intervals and finally were all out for 177 runs with Rohan Perera making the top score of 51 runs.

The day two belonged to the visitors. Skipper opened with Carlyle but no sooner wickets tumbled then joined the Hero of the Day Athula and put up a fine partnership of 166 runs for the fifth wicket in 113 minutes in Carribean style pulverising the Trinity attack by hitting to all the corners of the ground like spraying bullets.

Finally Athula got out for a scintillating 107 runs which included 17 hits to the ropes and three towering sixes occupying the crease for 116 minutes. Oscar contributed 74 runs with four fours and one six and the declaration came up at 232 for 8 with 228 minutes batting with a first innings win on 55 runs.

Trinity bowling was propped up by the speedsters A Weerasinghe and Ravi Obeysekera claiming 2 for 39 and 2 for 20 respectively.

While the West Indian Player Rodney Cantrill claimed the prize wicket of Athula stumped by Rohan Perera for his first local wicket.

Homesters in their second essay batted until the close and were all out for 156 with opener Ravi Obeysekera making the top score of 32 with six fours, Rohan Perera 21 with five fours and R Ranasinghe 30 and P Jayasundara unbeaten on 22.

Medium Pacer William Vandort had a fine bowling analysis with a match bag of 8 for 133 (3/63 and 5/70) while Russel Kern took 3 for 36 with his off spinners.