‘We earned Friends, not money’

Three Royal College cricket captains (from left) Lorenz Pereira (1958), Mike Wille (1957) and Fitzroy Crozier (1956)

 Buddies from childhood Lorenz Pereira and Michael Tissera 

By Allaam Ousman

The untold story of Lorenz Pereira who was despised by a cricket captain, did not hold a rugby ball but captained CH and FC, won Colours in five sports and sadly notes schools are importing teenage professionals

Lorenz Pereira, now 86 years old, carries with him the memories of an active sporting life few can match. He was Royal College’s pride, CH & FC’s and CCC’s first Ceylonese captain and an athlete who was a champion in four school sports — cricket, rugby, tennis and athletics. His story blends natural talent with discipline and dedication and above all, a passionate love of sport, played in the true “Spirit of the Game”, that has never dimmed.

His father Professor E.O.E. Pereira, started the Faculty of Engineering in Sri Lanka in 1950 and was known as the father of Engineering in Sri Lanka. 

Lorenz was in Sri Lanka as Guest of Honour on the occasion of their Diamond Jubilee celebrations. “When I was five years old, dad bought me a tennis racquet — probably bigger than I was. He gave me the pet name of, ‘Lollo’, after the famous Italian actress of the time, Gina Lollobrigida. ‘Lollo’ has stood the test of time’” said Lorenz.

“In our early days at Nugegoda, we had a garage wall where my father drew a horizontal line marking the height of a net. From the age of five, I was constantly hitting the ball against that wall. That gave me the early reflexes, coordination, and eyesight to excel in sport,” he reminisced in an interview with the Daily Mirror.

From those garage wall rallies, young Lorenz blossomed into a rare all-rounder.

He obtained five Colours for cricket, tennis, rugby, athletics, and public schools athletics. In 1959, Lorenz was chosen as the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year. He also played rugby for Ceylon in 1959 while still at Royal College and went on to captain Sri Lanka in rugby.

Cricket

At Royal Prep he captained cricket at about nine or ten. Later, at Royal, he was vice-captain under Michael Wille in 1957, and captain in 1958 which marked his beginnings in cricket.

“I just enjoyed being with my wonderful team mates who helped me to become a sportsman first and a talented cricketer thereafter, being an all-rounder — batting left-hand, off-spin bowler and above all I just loved fielding, whether in the slips or the covers,” he recalled.

After leaving school, he played for the SSC under Derek de Saram. “That team had nine Sri Lankan players and only two freshers — Sarath Silva from Nalanda and myself. It turned out to be the one critical sporting regret of my life. I was just not hardened enough to cope with the rather egoistic and arrogant leadership of Derek who killed my love for cricket. 

“He treated me as if I was a very low-down corporal. I lost complete interest in cricket, the emotion and passion, so vital to enjoying and being successful in any endeavour of life was sadly destroyed “, Lorenz said.

However, he played a couple of matches for Cambridge University under Mike Brearley, the iconic Englishman who later captained England

“A Blue eluded me to the great disappointment of my father. The passion had gone by then. Instead, I came away with an MA in Land Economics,” said Lorenz who on returning to Sri Lanka, joined the CCC and became the first Ceylonese to captain the club.

Rugby

His start in rugby was purely accidental. “I was playing tennis one evening when my Boake House Captain, Rotti Sivaratnam, arrived at great speed, saw me and ordered me onto his bicycle and took off at great speed to the grounds. Boake was short of players for a House rugby match. At the time, I had never seen a rugby game and knew zero about the game. He (Rotti) just said: ‘All you have to do is throw the ball in’,” recalled Lorenz.

“I was a sprinter and ended up scoring three tries that day. That was the beginning,” he said with pride and his father never knew at first. “He may have got unduly concerned if he found out that I was playing rugby. But soon enough, the newspapers carried my name,” Lorenz chuckled.

Lorenz scored a memorable try in the second leg of the Trinity–Royal match of 1958. “There still remains some doubt as to whether the ball came Royal’s way from a line-out or scrum on the right wing where I was playing. It was a classic three-quarter movement beginning with the scrum half Pothuhera and the ball passing with lightning speed down the Royal three-quarter line to the left winger Lal Senaratne who was about to be tackled when he heard my voice and passed the ball for a touch-down by the left corner post. They say that was one of the best tries seen even in international rugby,” Lorenz related beaming with pride.

He became the first Sri Lankan captain of CH rugby in 1966. “I met two of the other three Sri Lankan CH pioneers, Carl Fernando and Rizwie Fuard, a few days back at a reunion of CH players. I consider myself being truly blessed belonging to this Family of ex-CH players, a unique forum of ex CH players worldwide, started by Shane Dullewe and ably assisted by my dear CH team mate, Bryan Baptist,” said Lorenz.

Lorenz even played for Ceylon against a full England International side. “Of course, we got hammered. But the love of the game was greater than any fear of injury. Participation is everything,” he said.

Michael Tissera

To Lorenz, Michael Tissera is undoubtedly the greatest Sri Lankan allround cricketing sportsman. “I’ve known Michael since we were both 15 attending Sinhala tuition lessons - that’s almost over 70 years. We were opposing captains in the Royal-Thomian of 1958 and are now the best of friends. In that match, I got him caught by wicket keeper Sarath Samarasinghe for 50 and when we batted he got me out for 35 caught behind by Errol Lisk. It’s incredibly unique that two captains, both out the same way — I don’t think that’s ever happened before”, said Lorenz.

“Usually, the first person I meet when I come to Sri Lanka is Michael. Either he invites me home or we go out for dinner.”

Achievements

Lorenz was runner-up twice in the Public Schools Senior Tennis Singles Final, came third in the 100 metres final at the Public Schools Athletic Championship when Royal won the Tarbat Trophy, and captained a Combined Colleges XI against a visiting Western Australian cricket team.

Statistically, it is noted that Lorenz has the best batting and bowling averages in the Royal-Thomian cricket match, on a minimum of three years calculation.

Discipline

Lorenz followed a disciplined training regimen. “When I was at Royal, I used to wake up at 5 am, cycle to Wellawatte beach and run for half an hour. Then I had school and cricket or rugby practice in the evening. It was a lot of hard work that reaped good results,” he said.

“You can always enhance your performance. That’s what sport teaches you and applicable to your entire life. It gives you a purpose and values — good behaviour, kindness, respect. For me, sport was never about money or winning. It was about participation and having heaps of fun with your team mates,“ he pointed out.

Beyond Sport

Lorenz’s discipline carried into his professional career when he migrated to Australia in 1974. He studied town planning in Australia and was appointed a Project Manager of a special Government Task Force charged with finding a new site for the Australian Tennis Open in Melbourne. The recommendations included the proposal for a retractable roof that was accepted by the government. That was the forerunner for many future sport stadiums.

“I also worked on housing projects in Australia and as a planner with the government. The same discipline sport taught me — time management, teamwork, creativity — I applied in my profession,” he added.

Message

Asked for comparisons to his era and now, he was hesitant taking into account plusses and minuses. “If winning is everything, then the current model appears to be working. However, to me sport was more than just winning, it provided my Soul with a sense of lasting euphoria incomparable to the transient satisfaction of winning. 

“We were true amateurs. Today, schoolboys are professionals. Coaches are paid big money that has to be justified by winning. Schools spend millions on the game and players are imported from other schools to win games. Where is the joy in that? At Royal, we travelled by train to Trinity, stayed in their hostel. Now, I believe, they want hotels,” he pointed out. 

“Today it’s all commercial. If one’s team is winning, it attracts greater sponsorship. Boys are over training, consuming supplements and players imported for a year or two. They become pseudo Royalists. Imagine being a dedicated and committed sports student at a school for years, and in your final year, some outsider comes in and takes your place. It kills motivation, or does it? 

“Work hard. But above all, enjoy your sport. Play for your school, your team. The real reward is not money — it’s the friends you make and the person you become,” he said. 

In recognition of his outstanding sporting achievements at Royal College, an Annual Lorenz Pereira Award for the Most Outstanding Sports Student was recently awarded for the first time to young Mihin Wanigasekera.

Lorenz’s greatest influence was his father. “He loved sport and supported me always. He taught me humility, which has been a guiding beacon in my life. I had two younger brothers — Brian, who also played cricket, tennis, and rugby, and Alan, who didn’t play much sport,” he recalled with nostalgia. 
“I still play tennis, subject to which ailment at the time is dominant, with heaps of fun with my Payagala Club, Melbourne friends.

“I had a great life in sport. We didn’t get money, but we won friends. That’s priceless. That’s the true gift of sport - lifelong, intimate and loyal friends.”

Golden words of wisdom from a true sporting legend of a bygone era.