The Pace-Setter – Geeth Alwis.
The first Ceylonese cricketer to attract my attention in the impressionable years of my youth, was a wily leg-spinning all-rounder, Gamini Goonesena……
Maybe it was because his name rolled so smoothly off the tongue…….or that he was somewhat of a charismatic globe-trotter – one of the first players to make an impression on world cricket beyond the perimeters of the tiny South-Asian nation.
He captained his country in the years prior to them being granted Test status ; well before they became known as Sri Lanka……and subsequently performed solidly in Sheffield Shield cricket as a re-born New South Welshman……
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More than sixty years on – post-Gamini Goonesena – clubs throughout the cities and bush towns of Australia continue to be the beneficiary of players who have moved from cricket-mad Sri Lanka to seek a new life in their adopted country……
Local clubs have been among them……..
Back in 2008 Whorouly Cricket Club enticed a couple of mates, hailing from the back streets of Colombo, to boost their sagging stocks.
The salubrilously-named Gagabadawatta Arachilage Lakpriya Waruna Shantha, better-known as ‘Lucky’….and Nelum Pollwattjegendera Dissanayake Kumara (the lengthy dissertation of ‘Nelum’) arrived in the tiny town and made an immediate impression.
Nelum, a left-arm quickie, caused some consternation among local batsmen by regularly reaching 140 ‘clicks’. He picked up 34, 31, 32 and 47 wickets in his four WDCA seasons with the Maroons and Myrtleford.
‘Lucky’ Shantha and Nelum Kumara.
‘Lucky’, the gun ‘keeper.
Lucky, who was at one stage ranked the third-best wicket-keeper/batsman in Sri Lanka, would regularly keep up on the stumps and effortlessly take Nelum’s searing deliveries with style and panache.
The popular Lucky’s 16-year career with Whorouly, Myrtleford, Bruck and Rovers-United-Bruck included two flags and several scintillating knocks, and ended on a high when he figured in the Hawks 2024/25 title triumph.
One of his team-mates in that victory was Charith Perera, a quietly-spoken, punishing left-hand opener, who set local cricket alight during his maiden season in Wangaratta.
Charith Perera
Charith had spent several seasons playing VTCA cricket in Melbourne’s west, with Footscray United, Digger’s Rest, Druid’s and Tarneit, after emigrating from Sri Lanka.
His brutal knock of 99 off 60 balls (19 boundaries and one six), against City Colts several weeks ago, was Travis Head-like, and turned the course of the game in a jiffy.
It was reminiscent of the century he made against Ovens Valley last summer…….Not affording himself any time to play himself in ……..immediately putting the pressure on the bowlers, and setting a cracking pace.
Ironically, it was the second individual ‘ton’ of the match………The opposition’s prized recruit – highly-regarded all-rounder Geeth Alwis – further enhanced his burgeoning reputation with a brilliant 112, but was unable to steer his side to victory……..
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Waduthantridge Geeth Rasanga Kumarasi Alwis, like all cricket-mad Sri Lankan kids, grew up with the ambition of representing his country.
He admits he was once on the fringes of selection ………”I was picked in the squad for a Sri Lankan ‘A’ team to play South Africa, but missed out on a game……that was as close as I got, to be truthful…..”
Geeth had already served a lengthy apprenticeship…….
He says there is a strong cricket pathway in the well-credentialed Colleges throughout the country……..”The school I attended outside Colombo wasn’t one of those…….It had no grounds….no facilities……..little coaching.”
At 16 whilst playing Division 3 cricket, he enjoyed an excellent season, and won a Scholarship to attend another school, Lumbini College, where he was able to participate at a higher level.
“Once I’d completed those final three years of schooling I joined Colombo Colts Cricket Club…….Angelo Matthews, who played over 100 Tests for Sri Lanka, was the captain, and their star…….and they usually had players returning to the side from representative cricket…..”
“It meant, as a youngster, that I’d be shunted down the batting order, and wasn’t getting all that many opportunities, so I moved to play with Saracens, who were struggling, always sitting near the bottom of the ladder………
I knew I wouldn’t be able to get into first-class cricket without having runs under my belt……I needed to get some performances on the board, and make my name.”
Geeth came under the influence of a master-coach, Dinesh Kumarasinghe, who suggested he make a couple of slight alterations to his batting technique.
It worked wonders.
The left-hand bat had a standout season, in which he scored close to 800 runs in the 2009 calendar year, including a record-breaking knock of 219 in a four-day game……It led to his selection for Ruhuna, in Sri Lanka’s A-Class inter-provincial competition.
In the remaining four games for Ruhuna that season, Geeth scored close-on 350 runs ( including one hundred and two 50’s ) and picked up 10 wickets with his left-arm orthodox spin……..
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In the meantime, Saracens, the side he’d played with at Premier-level, had been relegated, and he swapped over to Sinhalese Sports Club – the most successful club in Sri Lankan domestic cricket.
The Sinhalese Sports Club Oval.
“Their home ground is a Test venue…….They have the best facilities in the nation, and number among their ranks some of Sri Lanka’s best cricketers ……..You learn a lot when you’re playing alongside blokes who have played 100 Tests…….You share their experiences…….How they approach the game……..”
Subsequently, Geeth scored a two-year contract as a third-tier first-class-level player…….
“There were around 60 of us. We’d spend Monday to Friday at Sri Lankan cricket Headquarters, and be paid monthly…….All day it was batting, bowling, fielding…..It was just like going to school again………You had to keep to the schedule or you would get kicked out …..
Whilst still playing at Premier-level in Sri Lanka, he began a six-year stint with English club Gateshead Fell, flying over each off-season (2010-15) to be the club professional and coach.
Trundling down his left-arm orthodox spin, at Gateshead Fell.
“That changed my whole attitude to cricket ,” he says. “I learned so much……The side was dependent on me to perform……..I realised how important it was to build a big innings, so that they could bat around me…….After all, that’s why they were paying me.”
“I also got my coaching qualifications…….Coaching is something I’ve grown to really enjoy.”
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When Geeth’s name was removed from the contract-list in Sri Lanka he decided it was time to think about the future……
He had scored 4244 runs ( including 6 ‘tons’ ) and had taken 147 wickets in his seven years of first-class cricket in the country of his birth, which concluded after one season with Chilouw Marians.
“I was 26 years old, and knew my chances of remaining in first-class cricket were minimal……”
So he decided to bring his wife Mihira, and young family out to Australia……He was recruited to St.Albans Cricket Club in Melbourne’s western suburbs, and for the next nine years established a huge reputation in the strong VTCA competition.
A broken finger interrupted his first season, limiting him to just six games, but the following year he scored 450 runs and took 50 wickets, to guide St.Albans to their first flag in 32 years.
“It’s an excellent standard; most VTCA clubs have ex-District cricketers in their ranks…. All of the senior division clubs have 6-7 very good players, compared to the WDCA, which has about 2-3 stars in each side…..”
“Teams regularly score 300-plus in a two-day game, or 240-odd in a 45-over game.”
In his nine years at St.Albans Geeth twice won the Roy Paxino Medal for the competition’s Player of the Year ( 2016/17 and ‘22/23) , and had a top-three finish on two other occasions.
He was Club Champion six times, and a key contributor to two flags in five Grand Final appearances in his time with the Saints.
“I enjoyed my time there, particularly the satisfaction that it gave me to provide one-on-one coaching to the younger players,” he says.
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“I told the people at St.Albans that we were thinking of moving to regional Victoria sooner rather than later. So I suggested they should spend the coaching money on someone who was going to be there for the long haul….”
“ I moved to Westmeadows, who had been relegated to a lower division of the VTCA, and spent a season there…….In the meantime I’d been having discussions with Ovens Valley.”
Geeth moved his family to Myrtleford in the latter part of 2024…..
“It’s been everything we expected……Life is so much more convenient…….I feel more relaxed, and the family loves it up here…..
“The Cricket Club did a wonderful job in making us feel welcome….They organised employment for my wife Mihira and I, made it easy for the boys to settle into school, and helped us find suitable accommodation…..”
In his maiden WDCA season ( 2024/25) he scored 695 runs and took 31 wickets, making an unprecedented clean sweep of the competition’s major awards – The Chronicle Trophy, Player of the Year, Batting and Bowling Averages, Batting Aggregate, and a share of the Bowling Aggregate.
Geeth has already scored 408 runs and taken 15 wickets this season, and is well on track to exceed his gargantuan efforts of 2024/25.
As a pointer to the steps they’ve taken since his arrival, Ovens Valley sit second on the 2025/26 regular Ladder, and fourth in the 20/20 competition.
“Training is good, and I feel, as a Club, we are definitely improving. Even with the juniors, we give them individual coaching, and they’re lapping it up.”
Not least his elder son Thenuk, who has scored 153 runs in his four knocks in the Under 12’s, for just one dismissal (run out).
“The boys are fanatics…..Thenuk trains two nights with the U.12’s, two with U.14’s, and has a hit with me on the other two nights……Just loves hitting the ball……He’s a leftie, too….:Linuk is not old enough to play yet….”
Things are sailing along nicely for the 38 year-old Sri Lankan all-rounder…………
This story appeared first on KB Hill’s website On Reflection and is used here with permission.
All photos sourced from KB Hill’s resources unless otherwise acknowledged.
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Great read, my local team Keilor in the VTCA Comp Premier Division have a couple of Lankans playing with them including Dimuth Karunaratne who scored over 7000 test runs played 100 tests and captained Sri Lanka .
Frank as he is known bats left handed and bats majestically caressing the ball rather than bludgeoning it. At 37 he has lots of cricket left in him. In a rain interupted season he has made over 300 runs for 4 times out including a run out. Old timers at the Club are saying he hasn’t hit the ball off the ground yet. Not sure that’s true but I watched him get 60 not out on Sunday and everything was along the carpet
Keep your stories coming KB