Elmo Rodrigopulle: cricketer and veteran journalist Master spinner to master storyteller Being a loyal old Ben, keen sports fan, former Public Schools athlete, cheer leader and Ceylon University’s “shortest goalkeeper”, Kenneth Dabrera writes about his cricketing idol, friend and journalist ELMO RODRIGOPULLE, who played for and captained St Benedict’s College …
Read More »Josephian grit kept Wesleyites at bay
The great escape of 1983 BY NEIL WIJERATNE Who recalls that St Joseph’s versus Wesley cricket match played at Campbell Park in 1983? It wasn’t a thriller; it wasn’t a type of a match that kept you on the edge of your seat. Instead, it was a classic …
Read More »Just like his idol Sinatra, Frank Hubert says … I did it my way
By Sujith Silva Frank Hubert. Frankly, he was a household name among sports enthusiasts in the 1970s and ‘80s. He was in town briefly last June, and I and one of Frankie’s rugby products, Nigel Forbes, met up with him for a stroll down Memory Lane. We spent some wonderful …
Read More »KEN LEFT US GOLDEN MEMORIES
By Lawrence Heyn If anyone was to cast a mould of the perfect sportsman then Kenneth Brian de Joodt would have been the ideal prototype. The mercurial Trinity Lion, rugby genius and prolific writer passed away last August at the age of 76, and three months on the Quadrangle pays tribute …
Read More »THE SRI LANKAN WHO TAUGHT THE MCC AND THE ICC
Would you be surprised to hear of a Sri Lankan who taught a thing or two to the MCC and the ICC? Well don’t be, we have a cricket enthusiast, historian, recorder, player and a prolific writer (on cricket of course), a veritable encyclopedia on cricket, in Mahinda Wijesinghe who …
Read More »STC colossus Hayman forged perpetual links to Gurutalawa
By Milinda Hettiarachchi The College of St Thomas the Apostle was founded at Mutwal by Dr James Chapman, the first Anglican Bishop of Colombo, who had been educated at Eton College and King’s College, Cambridge. The foundation stone was laid on St Thomas’ Day, December 21, 1849, and declared open …
Read More »MAGICAL MOMENTS IN THOSE ALL-TIME GREAT ESCAPES
BY NEIL WIJERATNE It was the early 1960s. I was a primary school student at St Joseph’s College, and my father accompanied me daily to school. During that period, classes began at 9am and ended at 3.30pm. Since my father was a government servant working at the Census and Statistics Department, I …
Read More »Halangoda-Richards stand built on true Thomian grit – 1979 Centenary Battle of the Blues
It was a big celebration, a golden milestone in the blue ribbon schools cricket match in Sri Lanka. The Royal-Thomian, known as the Battle of the Blues, was celebrating its centenary encounter. Since its inception, this big match has been played with so much pride and passion, and with a tradition of its own – much to …
Read More »Bens’ pace duo went on Sebastianite duck hunt. St. Benedict’s vs St. Sebastians 1983 at Kotahena
Another epic battle, unearthed thanks to veteran writer and our Quadrangle columnist Neil Wijeratne. As we were looking for “Great Escapes” he mentioned having watched this match and making short notes of the game, especially the bowling brilliance of multi-talented Benedictine Ravi Irugalbandara. He was one of my childhood heroes. He was equally good or better in hockey and football. …
Read More »Good Lord and dropped catch saved Josephians.
It was in the late 1970s and early ‘80s, an era I recall, that as a schoolboy, eagerly looking forward to Fridays. Not so much because a weekend was in sight but simply to watch another First XI cricket encounter. The first stop on a Friday morning would be a quick glance at the blackboard on the left …
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