“More people should play cricket. They should give it a chance before they complain about it being boring.” Seventeen-year-old Lakshika Randesh Serasinhe was instrumental in establishing the game of cricket in “the Bish” Secondary School.
Before moving to Ireland when he was ten, Lakshika had played cricket in his community near Colombo. Cricket is the number one sport played in Sri Lanka. Like football here, he and his friends would go out with balls and a bat, experimenting on their own until they reached eight or nine. Then they would get rudimentary instructions such as how to hold a bat. After ten years old, students participate in school matches. As teenagers, teams from different schools play each other.
Lakshika differentiates between playing and watching cricket. Although enthusiastic about playing he has lost interest for matches on television for the moment. He used to follow the major matches which last one day. Test matches, in which players wear white, go on for five days. “On TV it can be boring,” Lakshika said. “Playing it offers a completely different point of view.”
Cricket was sponsored by the “Bish” a few years ago after a group students, familiar with the game, approached the school with the idea. However, with the Irish weather, playing outdoors was impossible except for sometimes during the summer. “The Bish” gym was also ruled out because no guarantee could be given that windows wouldn’t be broken due to the force of balls. The school ended up renting space in another gym and the hard “leather” ball had to be substituted for tennis balls. Some students from St. Mary’s joined in. Leaving Cert and past “Bish” students helped. For those who say that cricket is too English, Lakshika responds: “It’s only a game. It doesn’t matter if it’s English.”
Not all who tried it were enthusiastic but Lakshika says there were at least three Irish-born students who took to it strongly. It can be informal. Normally 11 members on a team, they would take the number of people that showed up and divided it in half. Latshika enjoys batting among the other positions of fielding, wicket and bowler, both spinner and fast.
What makes cricket interesting? Lakshika says it’s the skill and the sense of danger. A proper cricket ball is like a rock and when it comes at your face at 60 mph, it can be unnerving and do serious damage such as breaking bones. In practise with tennis balls, normal clothes are worn but in competition when the hard ball is used, leg pads (that make it difficult to run) helmets and metal face masks are required.
Cricket here at secondary school level is temporarily suspended while funding is being sought and some of the students study for the Leaving.
*****
Lakshika may very well go on to a College team at either GMIT (team founded two years ago) or NUI, Galway. The NUI, Galway team was re-established in 2002 by Waquar Aziz and Shazad Javid. There had been a cricket club there since the 18th century when the college went under the name of Queens but it had been defunct for a long time.
The present club incorporates many nationalities: South East Asians, Asians, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans and English. President Nintan Bindal from Goa, India, says it is the college club with the most diverse membership. Irish natives are not left out. Out of six new members, two are usually Irish. Up to 20% of the membership is Irish, mostly originating from the east coast. Women can play if good enough and are welcome in the club.
Training consists of a three-hour a week commitment during term and a large amount of time is dedicated to beginners. Because of the weather, there are indoor leagues in winter and spring with matches against teams from Athlone IT, Shannon Business School and others. NUI, G hosted an 8-team indoor varsity the end of January. Outdoor summer varsity matches are organised in June among 4-5 colleges. There is also the Dick O’Neill Cup for the west and south of the country and the Connaught League.
Mr. Bindal says cricket is interesting if you understand it and keep up with it. “It is not really a slow game. It’s just spread out over a longer period of time. It tends to keep you more alert.” Played mainly at weekends, there is a friendly atmosphere as it is a low contact sport with a low incidence of fighting. “It’s like a social gathering,” says Mr.Bindal.
Watch out for the inter-college league (March-April) and the outdoor varsity in June. Cricket is also flourishing in the country under Dr. Steven Ellis of NUI, Galway. The pitch is located at Lydican, past the airport. Spectators are welcome.
Before moving to Ireland when he was ten, Lakshika had played cricket in his community near Colombo. Cricket is the number one sport played in Sri Lanka. Like football here, he and his friends would go out with balls and a bat, experimenting on their own until they reached eight or nine. Then they would get rudimentary instructions such as how to hold a bat. After ten years old, students participate in school matches. As teenagers, teams from different schools play each other.
Lakshika differentiates between playing and watching cricket. Although enthusiastic about playing he has lost interest for matches on television for the moment. He used to follow the major matches which last one day. Test matches, in which players wear white, go on for five days. “On TV it can be boring,” Lakshika said. “Playing it offers a completely different point of view.”
Cricket was sponsored by the “Bish” a few years ago after a group students, familiar with the game, approached the school with the idea. However, with the Irish weather, playing outdoors was impossible except for sometimes during the summer. “The Bish” gym was also ruled out because no guarantee could be given that windows wouldn’t be broken due to the force of balls. The school ended up renting space in another gym and the hard “leather” ball had to be substituted for tennis balls. Some students from St. Mary’s joined in. Leaving Cert and past “Bish” students helped. For those who say that cricket is too English, Lakshika responds: “It’s only a game. It doesn’t matter if it’s English.”
Not all who tried it were enthusiastic but Lakshika says there were at least three Irish-born students who took to it strongly. It can be informal. Normally 11 members on a team, they would take the number of people that showed up and divided it in half. Latshika enjoys batting among the other positions of fielding, wicket and bowler, both spinner and fast.
What makes cricket interesting? Lakshika says it’s the skill and the sense of danger. A proper cricket ball is like a rock and when it comes at your face at 60 mph, it can be unnerving and do serious damage such as breaking bones. In practise with tennis balls, normal clothes are worn but in competition when the hard ball is used, leg pads (that make it difficult to run) helmets and metal face masks are required.
Cricket here at secondary school level is temporarily suspended while funding is being sought and some of the students study for the Leaving.
*****
Lakshika may very well go on to a College team at either GMIT (team founded two years ago) or NUI, Galway. The NUI, Galway team was re-established in 2002 by Waquar Aziz and Shazad Javid. There had been a cricket club there since the 18th century when the college went under the name of Queens but it had been defunct for a long time.
The present club incorporates many nationalities: South East Asians, Asians, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans and English. President Nintan Bindal from Goa, India, says it is the college club with the most diverse membership. Irish natives are not left out. Out of six new members, two are usually Irish. Up to 20% of the membership is Irish, mostly originating from the east coast. Women can play if good enough and are welcome in the club.
Training consists of a three-hour a week commitment during term and a large amount of time is dedicated to beginners. Because of the weather, there are indoor leagues in winter and spring with matches against teams from Athlone IT, Shannon Business School and others. NUI, G hosted an 8-team indoor varsity the end of January. Outdoor summer varsity matches are organised in June among 4-5 colleges. There is also the Dick O’Neill Cup for the west and south of the country and the Connaught League.
Mr. Bindal says cricket is interesting if you understand it and keep up with it. “It is not really a slow game. It’s just spread out over a longer period of time. It tends to keep you more alert.” Played mainly at weekends, there is a friendly atmosphere as it is a low contact sport with a low incidence of fighting. “It’s like a social gathering,” says Mr.Bindal.
Watch out for the inter-college league (March-April) and the outdoor varsity in June. Cricket is also flourishing in the country under Dr. Steven Ellis of NUI, Galway. The pitch is located at Lydican, past the airport. Spectators are welcome.
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