Samantha does great service to Kandy cricket as a coach- by Upananda Jayasundera

Samantha Sudharshana Dikkumbura

Samantha Sudharshana Dikkumbura, an old boy of Dharmaraja College, Kandy is an outstanding cricketer in the Eighties and his contemporaries were Prasanna Dissanayake, Priyantha Talwatte and Priyantha Weragoda to name a few. He played as an off spinner and a right hand middle order batsman. After leaving school, he formed Malwatte Sports Club and remained as its cricket coach cum player. Since 2000, he led the cricket team of the Malwatte Sports Club for many victories at the Kandy Municipal cricket tournaments. He is the first coach in Kandy to start ladies cricket at Malwatte Cricket nets and the ladies cricket team was known as ‘Kandyan ladies cricket team. This team consisted of many outstanding women cricketers in the calibre of Dilani Manodara, Sripali Weerakkody, Praba Udawatte and Chamarie Polgampola and all these cricketers represented Sri Lanka after some time.

Samantha was the coach of women cricket players like Mahesha Perera and Rasadarie Ekanayake and both represented the Air-Force ladies cricket team and Nirmala Bowatte, Nisansala Dharmawickrema and Sandamali Jayasundera too were coached by Samantha Dikkumbura. In the year 2001 the cricket team of Malwatte SC became runners-up at the Vijaya Kumaranatunge Memorial Cricket tournament and in the year 2002 the ladies cricket team of Malwatte SC toured India under the captaincy of Chamari Polgampola and played five matches. In the year 2003 Samantha started cricket coaching at Gathami Balika Vidyalaya,Kandy while coaching Malwatte SC and his girls cricket teams won many accolades in Kandy District for their outstanding performances. He is also coaching the men’s cricket team of Zelinkas which is doing well at the Division Three cricket tournament conducted by the Kandy District Cricket Association.

As a Level One coach he is quite satisfied and enjoying cricket coaching and he has started coaching cricket for Central ladies under the sponsorship of Sripali Weerakkody, former Sri Lanka women’s Opening Bowler. This women’s cricket pool is training at Pallekelle International Stadium with the approval of Sarath Ekanayake, President of CPCA and Janaka Pathirana,Secretary Of CPCA. Samantha’s intention is to build-up a champion ladies cricket team In the Hill Country.