Amaradasa & C E Belleth

Sunday Times January 18, 2004

Thomians win after 8 years (they sometimes do, you know...?)

This is another one in the long line of 124 matches played, that goes down as a special. In this there are many achievements that have gone unnoticed till recently.

The records go as follows:

(a) Last Man Top Scorer P. Amaradasa (for Royal)
(b) Record 10th Wicket Partnership for Royal - P. Amaradasa - C.E. Belleth
(c) T.E. Tweed 1921/22 Royal Thomian - In Two Winning Teams Two successive years
(d) E.C. Rose Highest Scorer in match - in 2 matches (1919/20 - Series record and Highest Scorer for Royal (2nd Innings for Royal). A record not emulated during the past 80 years.

I picked the 1922 match to remember the Last Man Top Scorer for Royal - P. Amaradasa, his record was not mentioned for nearly 40 yers. His 10th wicket record partnership also took the same time to mention. Amaradasa did not hail from cricketing stock but his performances with both bat and ball for 3 years shows his ability.

Before going further I would like to mention his bowling performances (as opening bowler 3 years)

Amaradasa conceding just 197 runs in 126 overs - 8.2 runs per wkt and conceding less than 2 runs per over.

It is not his bowling but the10th wkt. partnership that got the prominence - his partner C.E. Belleth too had been left out, till about the 1969. They put 54 runs for the 10th wkt. C.E Belleth was a keen student of cricket.

My former Master Belleth is mentioned as the HERO of the 1922 match in the newspapers as he scored 17 & 21, and took 3 for 49 and 4 for 24. In the 2nd innings too Amaradasa and Belleth put on 25 runs for the 10th wkt. (So we have two heroes in the match).

The 3rd was E.C. Rose Royal opening batsman in 1919 when he scored 24 & 22 runs in the match.,1920, 28 runs and in 1921, 33 runs - the highest scorer for Royal in 2nd innings. These were top batting efforts - as opening batsmen. In 1919 - 1920 Rose was top scorer in the 3 successive matches.

There was a 4th man Tom Tweed who got his name in. He was in the winning Royal team of 1921 and the winning Thomian Team of 1922! Tweed in 1926 was at Cambridge University and won his Blue for Athletics. Tweed opened batting and bowling for S. Thomas'. Would Tweed has made a good M.P. in the new era?

Thomian captain C.E.L de Silva wrote that he quite often faced defeat (1920 & 1921) as a player "now my turn to captain" and he led his team to a fine win. Royal according to reports were a poor combination led by M.C. Dias.

In the course of wirting on Amaradasa's effort I mentioned my former master Belleth -17 and 21 (54 runs for 10th wkt) & 25 runs for 10th (both with Amaradasa) - 3/49 and 4 for 24 (7 for 72 matchbag) in bowling.

It was Mr. Belleths' debut year. He was a keen student of the game. In later years he coached the Royal College team and was games master The Umpires in 1922 match were Mr. L.V. Gooneratne and Dr. J.A. Scharenguwel.

In later life Mr. Amaradasa was known as Dr. A. Rahapalor. I believe he served the Colombo Municipality.