C. I. Gunesekera
Encyclopedia
Conroy Ievers Gunasekara (July 14, 1920 - July 29, 2010) was a Sri Lanka
n first-class cricket
er prior to his country being granted Test status.
Gunasekara was educated at Royal College Colombo
where he played in the Royal-Thomian
encounter, starting from 1938. To start a legal career he joined the Colombo Law College in 1940, however left before completing his legal studies to join the Ceylon Defence Force as a Second Lieutenant
during World War II
.
He started playing cricket for the Sinhalese Sports Club
under the captaincy of Fredrick C. de Saram. Thereafter Gunesekara went on to play for the Ceylon team and captained it. During his time playing for Sri Lanka, Gunasekara had many remarakable knocks including a double hundred against Pakistan. He also represented the Commonwealth scoring a hundred in the match England vs. Commonwealth batting alongside Australian great Keith Miller
. Up till the 1980s he played for the SSC
.
Gunasekara joined Walker & Sons Limited as a Manager and went on to serve as a Director. His uncle was Dr Churchill Gunasekara
a former Ceylon Cricket Captain.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n first-class cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er prior to his country being granted Test status.
Gunasekara was educated at Royal College Colombo
Royal College Colombo
The Royal College of Colombo was founded in January 1835 in Colombo. It is considered to be the leading Public School in Sri Lanka...
where he played in the Royal-Thomian
Royal-Thomian
The Royal–Thomian , the annual cricket match between Royal College, Colombo and S...
encounter, starting from 1938. To start a legal career he joined the Colombo Law College in 1940, however left before completing his legal studies to join the Ceylon Defence Force as a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
He started playing cricket for the Sinhalese Sports Club
Sinhalese Sports Club
The Sinhalese Sports Club is a first-class cricket club in Sri Lanka. Sinhalese is the most successful club in Sri Lankan domestic cricket, having won the Premier Trophy a record 30 times to 2008.-History:-Honours:...
under the captaincy of Fredrick C. de Saram. Thereafter Gunesekara went on to play for the Ceylon team and captained it. During his time playing for Sri Lanka, Gunasekara had many remarakable knocks including a double hundred against Pakistan. He also represented the Commonwealth scoring a hundred in the match England vs. Commonwealth batting alongside Australian great Keith Miller
Keith Miller
Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...
. Up till the 1980s he played for the SSC
Sinhalese Sports Club
The Sinhalese Sports Club is a first-class cricket club in Sri Lanka. Sinhalese is the most successful club in Sri Lankan domestic cricket, having won the Premier Trophy a record 30 times to 2008.-History:-Honours:...
.
Gunasekara joined Walker & Sons Limited as a Manager and went on to serve as a Director. His uncle was Dr Churchill Gunasekara
Churchill Gunasekara
Dr Churchill Hector Gunasekara was a Ceylonese first-class cricketer. He was the first person from his country to play for an English county, representing Middlesex from 1919 to 1922....
a former Ceylon Cricket Captain.