The young lad at a tender age of 15 was moved into the big stage, where he started off at the second XI representing S.Thomas’.

His consistent performances earned him a slot in the top team as he got to live the ultimate dream of a school boy cricketer; playing in a big match at a very young age of 16 years. He was introduced as a useful batsman in the lower order, as he displayed a tremendous amount of character and grit for his age. He proved more than useful with the bat as he battled it out against a tough Royal outfit, who came to the match as favorites. He partnered up with Faahim Saleem to take the Thomians through to safety.

That innings by young Sachin Peiris will be remembered not only by the Thomians but also by each and every ‘cricket lover’ as it displayed true batsman-ship. Credit should be given to the coaches and administrators of S.Thomas’ as they stuck with Sachin Peiris . He was not the most consistent performer in the team and could have easily given the duty to someone else, but they decided to stick with this young fighter as they saw a lot of potential in him.

When I spoke to one of the Thomian officials I got to know that they had a lot of faith in this young lad to fire at the big stage as they saw a special talent instilled in him.

A common phrase used when associating Thomians is “Thomian Grit”, and I asked Sachin what he had to say about the famous phrase after his heroics at the big match.

“We all talk about it, but you should really experience it. It is the greatest feeling ever when you battle it out against a tough team in a very important match, makes it that much more important,” he said.

Going into the middle amidst the flags, crowds and the players is not the easiest of jobs. Obviously the first thing that he felt when walking into the middle of SSC was a feeling of nervousness, but after keeping in the Royal innings he got the much needed confidence to battle it out with the bat.

He did not try to do anything flashy as he stuck to his basics and played every ball on its merit. I also learnt that this young batsman went out to bat when one of the Royal bowlers former skipper Haroon Mowjood was on a hat-trick which was a tremendous achievement in itself.

When asked about the greatest moment in his young schooling career he smiled and said that it was the Half century he made at the big match. The transition from junior cricket to senior cricket was definitely hard for Sachin, never having practiced with the big boys was a tough task.

The seniors also played their part as they greeted the young wicket keeper which enabled Sachin to adapt to proceedings. “Every mistake he made was not shouted at, but was corrected, “said R. Nirushan, the former former captain of S.Thomas’. Strength behind his performances was his coach Mr.Shiraaz Samsudeen who was behind him all the way starting from the under 15 age group.

This made it a bit easier for Sachin as Mr.Shiraaz was also the assistant coach of the 1st XI.

Behind any successful individual there are definitely supportive parents, and that’s exactly what Sachin had as his parents were behind him every step of the way.

His father being a cricket enthusiast himself was a pillar of strength to Sachin. He mentions the names of three individuals who also supported him at the 1st XI stage; they were Mr.Ajith Jayasekara, Mr.Kumar Boralessa and Mr.Neil Shammugam. And not forgetting Sachins first coach at STC Mr. P.P Silva who made sure that this young player got the right techniques and attitudes to perform in the main stage.

When asked about his plans for the future, he said that since he has a few more years he was hoping that he could make a name in the schools arena and finish off everything with a big bang.

The schools season has just begun for the Thomians, and Sachin Peiris is surely going to play a vital part for the Mount lads with his batting as well as his keeping. As a senior player he would look to support his captain Dinesh Walpita and lead the Thomians to a successful season.