Sa'adi Thawfeeq : Rupavahini will help cricket (17 Sep 1996)

Tuesday 17, September 1996

Rupavahini will help cricket - Gunasekera

by SA`ADI THAWFEEQ

Sri Lanka`s national television station Rupavahini Corporation has made a firm commitment to help serve the cause of cricket in Sri Lanka.

"As a national television of Sri Lanka we have an obligation to society and to the people. We have taken a firm decision at board level that we will go all out to help cricket,`` said Rupavihini Corporation chairman D. E. W. Gunasekera at the official dinner hosted by the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka to the visiting Zimbabwe cricketers at Hotel Taj Samudra on Sunday.

SIZEABLE

"During the Wills World Cup, we went to the extent of assuring the Cricket Board that if we could get a sizeable proportion of profits from our commercials, we will give fifty percent of the profits to them for the cause of cricket,`` said Gunasekera.

"Ever since Rupavahini Corporation was established, we have extended our co-orporation to the Cricket Board. We have established very good relations throughout,`` he said.

Gunasekera thanked Cricket Board president Upali Dharmadasa for having reposed the confidence in Rupavahini, and assured him that in future, even at the risk of losses, the corporation was prepared to make investments for the cause of cricket and help the Cricket Board as much as possible.

Dharmadasa offered words of encouragement to Zimbabwe, the youngest Test nation when he said: "Zimbabwe are in a similar position as Sri Lanka in 1982. Sri Lanka has come a long way since then, through sheer hard work and perserverance, and so can you``.

RELATIONSHIP

"You can rest assured, that Sri Lanka will support you always in your endeavours. There`s a lot more cricket planned between our two nations. Let our relationship prosper in the years ahead,`` Dharmadasa said.

The Cricket Board president thanked the sponsors of the Test series Hatton Natonal Bank and said: "Your commitment to cricket over the years has been immense. I recall your sponsorship in 1982 when you sponsored the first Test match played by Sri Lanka at the Sara Stadium``.

Hatton National Bank undertook the task of sponsoring the two Tests against Zimbabwe called the `Hatton National Bank Test Series` at a lucrative cost of Rs. 2.2 million.

"When the Cricket Board came to us at fairly short notice, our managing director Rienzie Wijetilleke did not hesitate. We considered the matter carefully and decided to go ahead with the sponsorship,`` said Hatton National Bank assistant general manager and human resources, Chris Obeysekera, who spoke on behalf of Wijetilleke, who was unable to attend the function.

ENCOURAGE

"We considered the fact that our national cricketers have been doing tremendously well having annexed the World Cup and recently, the Singer World Series. We felt that we must go ahead, particularly to encourage and motivate them,`` he said.

Zimbabwe cricket manager Malcolm Jarvis said that although the results had not gone the way they would have liked, nevertheless the experience gained by the members of the team would hold them in good stead for the future.

Zimbabwe failed to qualify for the final of the four-nation Singer World Series and are trailing one-nil in the two Test series against Sri Lanka.

"We will certainly come back at you in the next Test,`` Jarvis assured the distinguished gathering.

The second test between the two countries commences at the SSC grounds tomorrow.

The evening was enlivened by Zimbabwe`s first coloured Test cricketer, fast bowler Henry Olonga, who took over the mike from the musical duo `Black Velvet` to sing three popular numbers - the Lennon and Macartney composition of `Yesterday`, John Denver`s `You fill up my senses` and Lionel Richie/Diana Ross` `Endless Love`. The latter number he sang with Honorine of `Black Velvet`.

Source :: Daily News (https://www.lanka.net)