LIONEL (LV) JAYAWEERA - AN ANTONIAN GREAT

A product of St Anthony’s College, Kandy, Leonard Vivian “Lionel” Jayaweera or LV Jayaweera stands out as one of the rare sportsmen to have reached the highest level in two different disciplines. He represented Ceylon in both cricket (against New Zealand in 1927) and boxing (in India in 1928), and holds the distinction of being the first Antonian to represent the country at cricket.

Jayaweera began his cricketing journey in 1919 and was appointed captain of the college side in 1921. His extraordinary bowling feats are recorded in glowing terms in the History of Antonian Cricket – A Season by Season Review, and his statistics alone provide a measure of his greatness. In just three seasons of school cricket, he played only 17 matches yet captured an astonishing 133 wickets at an average of 9.87, including 14 five-wicket hauls in an innings and six ten-wicket hauls in a match.

L.V Jayaweera during his prime

The 1919 season saw the left-arm medium pacer emerge as the most feared bowler in school cricket. He claimed 38 wickets in five matches at a remarkable average of 7.32. Among his many highlights was a memorable performance against Ananda, where he took 8 for 15 in the second innings to finish with match figures of 12 for 33. He followed this with another 12-wicket haul against St Benedict’s (7/56 and 5/11). Strong performances also came against Royal (5/26 and 2/59), St Joseph’s (3/39), and Trinity (4/54), although his opportunities in the latter two matches were limited due to innings defeats suffered by his side.

Jayaweera continued to torment opposition batsmen in 1920. His major hauls included 11 for 74 against Royal (7/35 and 4/39), 9 for 78 versus St Joseph’s (4/33 and 5/45), and 8 for 117 against St Benedict’s (5/37 and 3/80). While his returns appeared modest in other matches—against Wesley (2/28 and 1/17), S. Thomas’ (2/14), and Trinity (3/91)—he still ended the season with 36 wickets from six matches at an impressive average of 11.64.

In 1921, despite the added responsibility of captaincy, Jayaweera’s bowling reached even greater heights. He regained the form of his debut season and was once again crowned the champion schoolboy bowler, capturing 59 wickets in just six matches at an average of 10.44. His season included 7 five-wicket hauls and 3 ten-wicket match performances. His spell against Wesley, where he took an astonishing 16 for 118 (7/57 and 9/61), remains the best bowling analysis in the history of Antonian cricket. The legendary Muttiah Muralitharan came closest to matching this feat with 15 for 105 against St Benedict’s in 1991. Jayaweera also claimed 12 wickets each against St Thomas’ (6/56 and 6/71) and St Benedict’s (5/22 and 7/37), with further contributions against Royal (4/43 & 0/58), St Joseph’s (4/17 & 3/83) and Trinity (5/44 & 3/67).

Taking nine wickets in an innings is a rare achievement, and Jayaweera became the first Antonian to accomplish it with his 9 for 61 against Wesley. Only two others have since joined this exclusive club: Sachin Bulathsinghala (9/38 vs Kingswood in 2013) and Kaveesha Piyumal (9/63 vs S. Thomas’ Mount Lavinia in 2022).

Jayaweera was also a valuable contributor with the bat. His highest score of 57 came against Trinity in 1920, and he registered half-centuries against St Thomas’, Wesley, and St Joseph’s.

The Ceylon Cricket Manual of 1921 paid glowing tribute to his leadership and all-round excellence, noting:

“St Anthony’s had in their skipper, Jayaweera, probably the most effective all-rounder in school cricket in 1921. His record with both bat and ball were wonderful, and if he only had a little more backing, his team would have come out with better results… too much praise cannot be given to Jayaweera for the admirable way in which he carried his team on his shoulders.”

The LV Jayaweera Trophy is contested annually by SACK and Wesley

After leaving school, Jayaweera went from strength to strength, finishing his career with over 1,000 wickets and recording hat-tricks on nine separate occasions. He concluded his illustrious career with Colts CC in 1942, amassing 1,017 wickets at an extraordinary average of 10.13.

It is a fitting and admirable gesture by SACK and Wesley to contest a trophy named in honour of this remarkable sportsman, helping to revive the memory of Lionel V. Jayaweera, who passed away in 1968 at the age of 66.