Sri Lanka: Samarasinghe honoured (28 Jul 1998)

28 July 1998

Samarasinghe honoured

S Sivagurunathan from Kurunegala

On February 4, 1993 (Independence Day) the title of "Kreeda Koushala" was conferred on Sri Lankan Umpire Thammahette Mudalige Samarasinghe at the Wayamba Deshabimana Award Ceremony held at the Welagedera Stadium, Kurunegala.

Fifty-five-year-old Samarasinghe, who hails from Hundirapola, Lihiriyagama (NWP), retired from Government Service, prematurely. He received his education at Sandalankawa Maha Vidyalaya and had the distinction of captaining his school Cricket Eleven in 1963. Later, he played regularly for Catamarans Sports Club, Moratuwa.

In 1968, he joined the Association of Cricket Umpires (Sr Lanka) and was promoted to the International Panel of Umpires in 1987. He has been umpiring for nearly thirty years.

From 1992, Samarasinghe has been officiating as Umpire in Several Test Matches and One Day Internationals, played in Sr Lanka. He is still to visit a foreign cricket playing country on an umpiring assignment.

Whenever he officiated International Cricket Matches in Sri Lanka, on and off the field, he was respected by the foreign teams and complimented for the manner in which he controlled the matches.

Samarasinghe has been umpiring in Sara Trophy and School cricket matches including the Coca - Cola and Sharona Trophies cricket tournaments. He was also one of the umpires for the Inaugural Day/Night limited over encounter (Royal/Thomian) on 23.03.1993, at the Khettarama Stadium.

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