School cricket is not improving as the parents are more interested in studies than sports and the schools are not paying much attention to the proper maintenance of the playgrounds and the school authorities should take a keen interest in improving the grounds and obtaining good coaches for proper training of the children, said Prasanna Walalawela a versatile sportsman, a product of Dharmaraja College, Kandy to the writer who coached him in cricket in the Under 13 Level.
In School he was awarded colours for Cricket, Soccer, Hockey, Athletics and Cadeting.
He represented the College Cricket teams from under 13 to under 19 and as the Under 17 Captain his team reached the Semi finals in the Division II tournament in the year 1990.
Prasanna represented the College 1 st XI cricket team from 1980 to 1983 and in the final year, scored two centuries against Maliyadewa College 112 and 100 not out against Kingswood College.
He put on a record partnership of 275 for the third wicket with Senaka Dissanayake who scored 200 at the Kingswood/Dharmaraja ‘Big Match’ in 1983. Prasanna faced 90 deliveries and reached 100 not out. After leaving School, he represented Saracens Sports Club and the Kandy Cricket Club in the Sara Trophy tournament from 1983 to 1985.
He also represented the Old Rajans Cricket Club in Division III tournament conducted by Sri Lanka Cricket for many years.
He led the Old Rajans Cricket Club in 2008 in which Old Rajans CC won the Plate Trophy in the Col.Henry Steele Olcott Memorial Cricket tournament.
As an Athlete, he won the 800 Metres in Junior Nationals in 1982 and was selected to the Sri Lanka Junior National pool in 1983. He was the Athletic Captain of the College in 1983 and won the 100 and 800 metres events in 1982 & 1983 in the under 19 age group.
He represented the College in Soccer from Junior to Senior Level.He was a Member of the all island Runners-up team in under 19 age group at the Soccer tournament conducted by the Sri Lanka Schools Football Association organized by the Singer Sri Lanka in 1982.
In cadeting he was a member of the second Batallion Regimental team and was placed first at the Inter-Regimental meet in 1982 and was placed third at the Herman Loos Trophy meet held at Diyatalawa.
Prasanna was functioning as the President of the Dharmaraja College Cricket Foundation since 2010 and at present is a Patron of the Foundation. Picture shows: Prasanna Walalawela in a Photograph.
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