For Cheer man Percy 81 not out on July 30: Recalls fond days
For Cheer man Percy Abeysekera, who will be 81 not out on July 30, the birthday celebrations will mark a significant cricket bonding when he launches his website www.percyabeysekera.com on his long cricket cheering odyssey. As Percy fondly says, “It will be on the final day of the Sri Lanka versus India first Test.”
That the auspicious moment will be on a cricket festered day that would mark a new chapter in his life cheering the Sri Lanka cricket team is significant. “I have been cheering for the last 60 years; 30 years without the flag, and 30 with the flag,” muses a wiry Percy not dogged by age as body and limb carry him sporting the lion flag to venues wherever the Sri Lanka team plays in his cricket loving pursuit. That he is on the dot focused with the cricket was manifested by Percy’s presence at the recent Champions Trophy in England.
Percy, describes his passion as a cheer man thus, “ I enjoy it more than a young person with my knowledge, courage and ‘encourage’; the latter his coin pun word of how he inspires the national cricketers in the heat of the action as he flits around cricket grounds. Approaching his 81st birthday, Percy dips in to the past for some of his most memorable moments.
“Special has been those moments when the Sri Lanka cricket team rose to international stature by the 1990s from those infancy days of the 1960s and 1970s when our cricket strived to achieve test status,” quips Percy sporting a white beard.
Of course, Percy’s wit and good humour has won him many friends across the cricketing globe. He best remembers Martin Crowe of New Zealand. It was 1986. The New Zealand cricket team was in Sri Lanka, and I had occasion to shout myself hoarse, “I crow, we crow, we all crow for Martin Crowe.” His light hearted banter did touch players as it did Crowe. Percy goes on to recall, “After the Sri Lanka-New Zealand Test, Crowe wrote in my autograph, ‘Dear Percy ‘papadam’ cos he makes so much noise. NZ on top. SL in the bottom. Percy on the sideline says, ‘whack it on pop.’ You are a beaut’. – Martin Crowe.
Percy goes on, “As it was, Martin Crowe was adjudged the ‘Man of the Match’, and later he walked up to me and said, “Percy this is for you”.
“He offered me the cash too. I told him, ‘I wont take the money. I will take the trophy and return it before you leave.’”
Before the team left, Percy went to the then Hotel Oberoi where the New Zealand team was putting up to return the trophy to Crowe.
“Crowe was having lunch with Sidat Wettimuny and Richard Hadlee at the time,” reminisces Percy.
“When he saw the trophy Crowe told me, ‘No keep it as a memento for all your good work for cricket and your patriotism”.
By Srian Obeyesekere
-The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Sri Lanka Cricket-
