Wijesekera fine cricketer and coach | Daily News

Wijesekera fine cricketer and coach

Ananda Wijesekera
Ananda Wijesekera

Ananda Wijesekera is an outstanding cricketer as well as a fine soccer player who had the privilege of captaining both cricket and soccer teams of Dharmaraja College,Kandy. He was also equally good in coaching cricket at his alma mater and he helped the Under 12 Cricket Team of the College to become Champions at the All Island Schools Cricket tournament under the captaincy of Buwaneka Ekanayake in 2003. the Under 19 all Island Championship under the captaincy of Muditha Wijekoon in the same year, while the Under 17 all Island championship was won under the captaincy of Pubudu Seneviratne in the year 1997.

Ananda Wijesekera’s cricket coaching spans over 25 years and in 1971 he led his cricket team to victory in the Dharmaraja/Kingswood ‘Big Match’ and his other team mates were Kapila Munasinghe, Janaka Tennakoon, Nimal Yatigammana and Anura Fernando to name a few. In the same year he was selected to play for the Central Province Schools team under Randy Simms, former Skipper of St Anthony’s College,Katugastota. He had the opportunity to coach former Test and Limited over cricketer Chamara Kapugedara and another outstanding club cricketer Pubudu Seneviratne. In 2011, the Cricket team of Dharmaraja College registered victory over Kingswood College led by Hemal Munaweera after 30 years under Ananda’s coaching. He was also a Cricket Umpire who has officiated over 200 matches. He was a Sports Officer attached to the Ministry of Sports, Kandy and helped the Central Province Soccer team to become champions. He has followed the Diploma Course introduced by the Dept. of Sports and ended up as the District Sports Officer. Early in his career he received a scholarship to West Germany to follow an advanced course in physical training and these experiences helped him to coach cricket as well as soccer. He had a coaching assignment in Malaysia in the years 2004 & 2005.

He proudly remembers the former coaches of Dharmaraja College, P.L. Arthur Alwis, T.M.A.Cooray and Upananda Jayasundera who rendered great service to the College and Asoka Herath, Thilak Jayasinghe L.B.Herath as Prefect-of-Games at Dharmaraja College, Kandy.