Former St Peter’s College, Bambalapitiya and Moors SC cricketer Ahmed Athas Kuthdoos who passed away yesterday at the age of 97 was indeed a character who left an indelible mark on those who knew him and those who were close to him.
There are many stories about the man that brings out his personality and made him a lovable character.
Kuthdoos represented his alma mater in the 1930s as a left-arm swing bowler and continued his cricket with Moors SC before branching into becoming a cricket coach and then a cricket umpire. He was a man of many virtues for apart from his achievements on the cricket field he was also a onetime announcer with the Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation (as it was known then) and a wonderful singer who had the audience in raptures with his golden oldies numbers. At the time of his death he was a senior vice president of the Moors Islamic Cultural Home (MICH).
Relating a hilarious incident involving Kuthdoos, former Peterite captain Bernard Wijetunge said, “Mike Chanmugam was our coach in 1972 and in order to counter the deadly left-arm swing of Josephian bowler Rajive Benedict he invited Kuthdoos to come and bowl to us two days before the annual Big Match. Kuthdoos to everyone’s amazement arrived dressed in full suit and tie and bowled to us at the nets. He must have been in his fifties. This was the first time in my life I had faced a bowler wearing a full suit and tie. We caught and hammered him all over the park and we were confident going into the Big Match. What happened at the match was history. We were bowled out for 36, the lowest score in the Saints series and Rajiv ended up taking eight wickets for six runs including the wicket of our captain Roy Dias. The way we hit Kuthdoos we thought we could do the same with Rajiv but later on it dawned upon us that Kuthdoos had given us false confidence.”
Wijetunge also recalled that Kuthdoos is the only umpire to appeal and give a batsman out from square leg. “As the story goes Kuthdoos was umpiring a match and somebody got stumped. The fielding side didn’t appeal but Kuthdoos umpiring at square leg appealed and gave the batsman out.”
Another former Peterite cricket captain and former All-Ceylon cricketer Dr HIK Fernando described Kuthdoos as “a nice guy and a fitness fanatic who was very serious about what he did”.
“Athas used to come to the Old Peterites Club for walks and would speak to everyone. He coached St Peter’s for a short period and when they were doing badly he told me he wouldn’t touch the team even with a barge pole,” said Dr Fernando.
“Herbert Vittachchi (the former Peterite coach) still curses him for missing a vital catch that resulted in the Peterites losing. When St Peter’s was going all out to win the Joe-Pete Big Match with the last pair batting, Athas missed a ‘sitter’. There was a big partnership, and St Peter’s lost the match. I played against him for NCC when he was representing Moors. He always used to rag me saying that I would never captain All-Ceylon,” he said.
Kuthdoos’ last appearance with his old school was a few years ago at the St Peter’s College reunion of the pre-70s batch.
Wijetunge who was present at the occasion said, “Kuthdoos came to the reunion dressed in his usual full suit with black and white shoes and school tie with a walking stick. He wanted to sing as a band was playing. He climbed on the stage and after keeping the walking stick against the drums he took the mike and started to sing. We had great difficulty getting the mike out of his hands because he wanted to continue singing. After he had finally finished he forgot his walking stick and made his way to his table without any assistance. When someone told him that he had left his walking stick on the band stand he went back to retrieve it. He was a real character.”
Kuthdoos’ wife Fathima Beebi and son Ahamed Bari predeceased him. He is survived by his daughter Fathima Badriya who resides with her family in the UK. His Janaza took place at the Dehiwela Jummah Masjid burial ground yesterday afternoon.- ST
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