Jude Perera - a superb fielder

S M Jiffrey Abeen - Kandy sports corr

The skipper of St Mary's College, Kegalle, Jude Perera could lay his claims as one of the best fielders in the school cricket season just concluded as he held 59 catches during the season.

This tally is as good as that of wicket keeper where the opportunities are greater in taking catches. But he is no wicket keeper as he is a medium pacer too who opened the attack and captured 60 wickets during the season.

What is most remarkable is that he has taken more catches than the regular wicket keeper Sahan Opatha who took 29 catches and had 17 stumpings.

Jude Perera had a safe pair of hands and will not allow anything to get past him. He has been fielding close in and also in the covers and anyone lofting the ball towards him meets with his waterloo as he turns half a chance into catches by diving or positioning himself from the time the ball leaves the bat. For this he has to have a good eye and excellent judgement and he possesses both and puts them into play at the spur of the moment. They say that catches win matches and Jude Perera played a major role in Marians success during the season.