Sports

G. Brant Little – Advancement of University Sport

Published

5 years ago

2021/02/13

by Fl. Lt Walter. J. May

1948 holds a special place in the history of sport in Sri Lanka due to the outstanding performance of Duncan White at the London Olympics. Earlier that year, G. Brant Little arrived in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), contracted by the Ceylon Amateur Athletics Association (AAA) to coach the Island’s first Olympic team.

Little’s own sporting background was primarily in athletics having represented Canada in the 800 meters at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam. He later won a scholarship to Notre Dame University in USA where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education.

After his Olympic mission was completed, Little was appointed as the inaugural Director of Physical Education at the University of Ceylon in 1948. This move hinted as a recognition by the University authorities, particularly the Vice-Chancellor at the time Sir Ivor Jennings, that academic excellence needed to be complemented by participation and success in the field of sport. Sir Ivor also was instrumental in affiliating the University of Ceylon to the All India Inter University Board. This initiative opened the way for sports teams from our University to participate in the annual Inter University competitions conducted by the sporting arm of the Board.

Little’s first major undertaking was the staging of the dual athletic meet between the Universities of Madras and Ceylon. Success in this and later championships was made possible by a very talented group of athletes. The group included athletes of the caliber of John de Saram, Oscar Wijesinghe, Upali Amerasinghe, M.A. Akbar, Lakshman Kadirgamar, T.L. Blaze, D.C. Ariyanayagam and Walter. J. May. In a sequence of years 1949 stands out as the peak year due to two excellent performances. The first was the lowering of all three All Ceylon Relay records on one day (15.10.49) by teams anchored by John de Saram and Oscar Wijesinghe. The other was a resounding win in the All India Inter University Athletic Championships held in Colombo on the 26th and 27th December 1949. The margin of victory was 58 points which in itself was a record. In addition, four new records were established by the Ceylon University athletes. The smooth functioning of the Championships was a testimony to Little’s organizational skills and the runway win a reflection of his coaching ability.

The opening of the Peradeniya Campus in 1952 provided Little with the opportunity and scope to make his most valuable contribution to the advancement of University sport. On his initiative multi-purpose sports complex was built incorporating a cinder track for athletics, tennis, a cricket bowl, rugger and soccer field and a Gymnasium. The Gymnasium was a magnificent building, constructed from the shell of an aircraft hangar – a legacy of World War II. Little used his connections with the Canadian High Commission to secure the hangar. With a floor area of 34m by 71 m it could anytime accommodate one or more court for tennis, basket ball, volleyball, netball, badminton, table tennis and an area for wrestling and weightlifting. It was completed in 1956 and was adjudged by sports professionals to be decades ahead of time.

These sports facilities were put into immediate use with the University staging (for the second time) the All India Inter University Athletic Meet and Boxing Meet in December 1953. Twenty Universities participated in these Games. In athletics, the University of Ceylon maintained its high reputation being runner-up to Punjab University by a mere four points. It won the Boxing Championships decisively.

During Little’s tenure, the groundwork was completed and the pattern was set for the University to participate in All India Inter University tournaments. Teams from most sports thereafter regularly competed in these contests with invariably, encouraging results.

Central to Little’s success on and off the field was his easygoing manner, ability to motivate and organizational skills. At the outset, his outgoing friendly approach to all and sundry required some adjustment on the part of those used to the more traditional reserved British attitude to personal contact. However, it did help to break down barriers by easing the lines of communication and open many doors as was evidence for instance in the special treatment the University received in the Inter University contests at Bangalore and Allahabad.

To many sportsmen and others motivation was his forte. His motivational techniques were many and varied and extended to other sports besides. He was a great supporter of the award of colours and colours nights. For a time, he produced a regular newsletter or column for the newspapers entitled “Varsity Spotlight” which reviewed the main sporting activities at the University for the period and highlighted both team and individual excellence. This not only served as an incentive for enhanced performances but also raised the profile of the University Sport. He also provided support for university sportsmen by attendance at games/events regardless of his familiarity with the sport. He is said to have attended cricket matches resplendent in the University blazer and tie despite his closest acquaintance with a similar ball game being baseball.

There is little need to elaborate on his organizing skills and initiative. The number of sporting activities that he initiated and successfully carried out attest to his capabilities in this regard. His master plan for Peradeniya also called for management and organizing ability of a very high order to bring it to fruition. He was no stranger to innovation and was the first to introduce the concept of the Relay Carnival to Sri Lanka. The first contest of this type was the Inter Hall Relay Carnival in Peradeniya in 1955. The Public Schools Athletic Association adopted this concept a decade later.

The foregoing confirms the invaluable contribution Little made to University sport. His vision and organizing ability was largely responsible for the excellent facilities provided for every sport. In addition, he raised the profile of sport at the University and made it an integral part of University life. There will be a general consensus that University sport made unprecedented and giant strides forward due to his endeavors.

The following observations by a fellow professional (though of later vintage) constitute the most appropriate summing up of Little. He designed a 50 year ahead of its time. A most genial person and a very good motivator. He was an organizer “par excellence.”

-Walter May was the Captain of Athletics of the University of Ceylon in 1971-72.

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Sports

Time to close the Dickwella chapter

Published

17 hours ago

2025/12/28

Thilina Walpola

Niroshan Dickwella

Sri Lanka’s selectors have a long history of springing surprises that leave the public blinking in disbelief. Some in the present generation may find it hard to imagine that in 1968, three members of the national selection panel picked themselves for a tour of England, dumping popular Ceylon captain Michael Tissera in the process. All hell broke loose. Chandra Schaffter resigned in protest, calling out an unprecedented farce. The government stepped in, introduced the Sports Act and mandated that every national team required Sports Ministry approval — a necessary set of checks and balances to stop cricket from becoming a self-selecting club.

Fast forward to 2025 and the preliminary squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup has once again raised eyebrows. Dasun Shanaka, who not too long ago was struggling to hold onto his place, is now Sri Lanka’s captain. You can just about live with that call. After Charith Asalanka’s excesses in Pakistan, his position as skipper had become untenable, and Shanaka emerged as a Hobson’s choice. But the bigger takeaway is damning: Sri Lanka have done a poor job grooming leaders over the past five years. When Plan A collapses, there is no Plan B and the selectors are left scrambling.

What truly stopped people in their tracks, however, was news that Niroshan Dickwella is closing in on a comeback. That alone suggested the selectors care two hoots about public sentiment.

We have seen enough of Dickwella over more than a decade. The wicketkeeper-batter showed us his ceiling and his limitations. Having been discarded, there is little logic in reopening that chapter.

With Kusal Mendis doing a commendable job behind the stumps in white-ball cricket, there is no need to get carried away with Dickwella’s inclusion, especially when backups like Kusal Janith Perera and Kamil Mishara are waiting in the wings. What the selectors owe the public is an explanation: why exactly was Dickwella needed in the preliminary squad?

Instead, they could have tipped the cap to an up-and-coming player and signalled a shift towards the future. Sri Lanka have moved on from Dickwella; there is no point dragging the past back to the crease.

After 54 Test matches, the absence of a single hundred tells its own story. Dickwella had ample chances to break three figures but repeatedly threw his wicket away, reinforcing the impression of a player who often seemed to play without a care. Talent alone doesn’t win matches; temperament does.

Some may argue that Test numbers are irrelevant in the T20 format. Fair point, except that T20s are where Dickwella has struggled the most. Clearing the ropes has never been his strength. Yes, his sweeps and reverse sweeps allow him to milk spinners, but the negatives far outweigh the positives. With Kusal Mendis as wicketkeeper, Sri Lanka’s DRS record has been impressive; with Dickwella behind the stumps, it has been downright horrendous.

More worrying is the distraction Dickwella brings to the dressing room. The selectors should have learnt their lesson after the bio-bubble breach in England, which saw him sent home along with two others. A retired judge who conducted the inquiry recommended a one-year ban, only for authorities to play soft hands and reduce it to barely three months.

If that wasn’t enough, alarm bells should have rung louder when he was appointed captain of a Lanka Premier League side, only for it to emerge that he had tested positive for drugs in August last year, earning another suspension. That should have been the last straw.

Yet, remarkably, Dickwella keeps finding his way back into the frame.

At some point, authorities must draw a firm line. The game is not short of talent, but it is short of accountability. And until selectors learn to value both, the same old mistakes will keep being replayed, like a bad highlight reel no one wants to watch again.

by Rex Clementine ✍️

Latest News

India’s chance to test themselves and their bench strength

Published

23 hours ago

2025/12/27

Priyan

Shafali Verma has made 157 runs in three innings and has only been dismissed once in this series [BCCI]

All the three games in this series have followed a similar pattern so far. India have won three tosses – yup, you read that right – elected to bowl, and then used dew to their advantage to chase down modest totals unchallenged.

With a T20 World Cup around the corner, and an unassailable 3-0 lead in their pocket, it would be prudent for India to start challenging themselves and look to set totals if their luck with the toss continues.

They’d also want to perhaps find a way to expand their squad depth a bit more – the lower-order firepower seemed lacking in the 2024 tournament. G Kamalini brings with her the same big-hitting promise Richa Ghosh did as a teenager in 2020. Maybe it’s time to unleash her?

For Sri Lanka, simply being able to challenge India for long enough has been quite a task. They continue to be heavily reliant on Chamari Athapaththu – it’s a bit like how Mithali Raj carried India’s batting for nearly a decade before Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur took centre stage.

Sri Lanka continue to mix and match to find their own versions of Mandhana and Harmanpreet and, while there has been promise here and there, consistent performers have been hard to find.

After Radha Yadav, Tanuja Kanwar, Saika Ishaque and N Shree Charani, 20-year-old Yaishnavi Sharma is the latest to break into India’s left-arm spin club. But, she’s the only one among the five to do so without the WPL giving her a leg up. Vaishnavi finished as the leading wicket-taker in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy with 21 wickets in 11 matches at an economy rate of 6.47. She backed it up in the inter-zonal tournament and again in these three games against Sri Lanka. Her composure has been striking. So too the courage to keep tossing the ball up.

When Sri Lanka stunned India to win last year’s Asia Cup final, top-scorer Harshitha Samarawickrema seemed a player of immense promise. But in the 17 months since, such moments have been rare. Coach Rumesh Ratnayake continues to back her and believes a turnaround is imminent, and she’ll be keen to repay the faith. Since the start of the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year, she is yet to score a half century in nine innings.

With a T20 World Cup just six months away, this is India’s chance to expand their talent pool and to that end, they may want to bring 17-year-old wicketkeeper Kamalini into the mix and see what she can do.

India (probable): Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Richa Ghosh/ G Kamalini (wk), Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Renuka Singh/Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Vaishnavi Sharma, Shree Charani

As a response to their batting needing more support, Sri Lanka made three changes in the last game and ended up posting just 112. There may be more changes on Sunday.

Sri Lanka (probable): Chamari Athapaththu (capt), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Imesha Dulani, Nilakshika Silva, Kaushini Nuthyangana (wk), Kavisha Dilhari, Malki Madara, Inoka Ranaweera, Malsha Snehani, Nimasha Meepage

[Cricinfo]

Latest News

Wobbly England register first Test win in Australia in 15 years

Published

23 hours ago

2025/12/27

Priyan

Jacob Bethell scored 40 in a chase of 175 [Cricinfo]

For the first time in 19 matches, and nearly 15 years, England’s men experienced a Test victory in Australia as the MCG raced to the second two-day finish of the Ashes series. On a tough surface which will continue to come under the spotlight in the aftermath, England’s top order met their target of 175 with aggression and they eventually got home with four wickets in hand.

It was only the fifth time in Test history that a series had included multiple two-day finishes, and before this summer, there had only been two in history in Australia. Although more than 186,000 had attended the match across two record-breaking days, it left Cricket Australia facing another significant financial loss – the Ashes has proved a costly affair, and Ben Stokes acknowledged it was far from ideal, but England have avoided the risk of another whitewash down under.

Jacob Bethell who was recalled for this match, compiled 40 to give a glimpse at his potential, but his dismissal meant this would be the first Test in Australia without an individual half-century since 1932 and just the fifth overall. Bethell’s wicket was followed by a little wobble with the winning line in sight. Joe Root was lbw to Jhye Richardson and Stokes carved an edge off Mitchell Starc with ten need, but four leg byes finished the job to roars from the travelling support, although more muted celebrations from England.

Australia, who had earned a first-innings lead of 42 on the manic opening day which brought 20 wickets, could only manage 132 the second time around as Stokes and Brydon Carse shared seven wickets, while Josh Tongue added two more to his impressive match tally. It meant they were able to overcome the loss of Gus Atkinson to a hamstring injury early in the day.

Still, the target was comfortably the highest total of the match. But the intent from Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett was clear and they wiped off 51 inside seven overs. Duckett pinged Starc through the leg side first ball and Crawley launched Michael Neser down the ground in his first over to set the tone. Starc produced some gems, especially to Duckett, and came within fingertips of getting to a return catch from a leading edge.

Tellingly, though, the first ball that Alex Carey came up to the stumps against Neser, Crawley launched him straight down the ground for six and followed that with a blazing drive through the covers. Duckett also took on Neser, a top-edged hoick flying to deep third and then, most stunningly, a scoop going for six. Perhaps there was life in Bazball, after all.

The ball after Duckett cracked his fourth boundary behind point, Starc speared a full delivery through him, but the openers had shifted the mood. England pulled a trick, promoting Carse to No. 3, but he sliced down to deep third, which opened the door for Bethell to play what could prove a significant innings.

Bethell got away with a leading edge first ball, then drove Scott Boland confidently down the ground. He started the final session by reverse-scoping Boland over Carey, then nailed a cover drive.

Boland, who curiously had not been introduced until the 11th over by when England already had 70 on the board, conjured thoughts of another MCG burst from him when he trapped Crawley lbw and had Bethell caught at cover, but Australia didn’t have quite enough runs to play with.

Australia had resumed one over into their second innings with Boland having survived amid heady scenes the night before. He hung around for five more overs before Atkinson found the outside edge to remove a potential frustration for England. However, Atkinson’s day – and potentially series – was soon done when he walked off holding his hamstring at the end of his fifth over, leaving three frontline quicks.

The captain took on the task, Stokes striking in his first over when Jake Weatherald misjudged a delivery from around the wicket which he left alone at the last moment and was bowled. After his excellent first innings in Brisbane, returns have been lean for Weatherald, who faces a big outing in Sydney next week before Australia’s lengthy gap in Test cricket.

By now, the pitch was offering some uneven bounce as well as sideways movement. Marnus Labuschagne took two blows on the gloves before being drawn into poking outside off stump, edging to first slip in a manner that suggests his game is still not in top working order, although conditions provided some caveat.

Travis Head was playing as well as anyone had all game, latching onto anything loose but not breaking into the full-blown attack seen in the second innings in Perth. However, even someone who had survived more than an hour and a half could do nothing about the delivery from Carse, which jagged off the seam to take the top of off stump.

Three balls later, Usman Khawaja top-edged a well-directed short ball from Tongue to long leg. There was no rescue act from Carey this time as he steered a delivery to second slip, where England’s catching continued to be secure.

Either side of lunch, Steven Smith and Cameron Green held firm for nine overs, adding 31 runs, to tip the balance once again. Without ever looking entirely secure, Green again got himself set, as he had in the first innings before running himself out, but flashed an edge to second slip when he drove at a short delivery.

In the absence of Atkinson, Carse lifted impressively and clutched a sharp return catch, full stretch to his left, to remove Neser. Then, with the seventh delivery of the over after a no-ball, he had Starc edging to slip.

Smith showed no inclination to shield No. 11 Richardson (who has a first-class average of 20.70) and a crunched straight drive suggested it was a fair call, but Richardson carved Stokes into the off side to leave England with their target. The pubs, golf courses and Boxing Day sales around Melbourne could get an unexpected boost.

Brief scores:
England 110 in 29.5 overs (Harry Brook 41; Michael Neser 4-45, Scott Boland 3-30, Mitchell Starc 2-23) and 178 for 6 in 32.2 overs (Zak Crawley 37, Ben Duckett 34, Jacob Bethell 40; Mitchell Starc 2-55, Jhye Richardson 2-22, Scott Boland 2-29) beat Australia 152 in 45.2 overs (Michael Neser 35; Josh Tongue 5-45, Gus Atkinson 2-28) and 132 in 34.3 overs (Travis Head 46; Brydon Carse 4-34, Ben Stokes 3-24) by four wickets

[Cricinfo]