MARLON RETURNS TO THE CREASE IN SRI LANKA
The clock rolled back to the 1980s, a time when Sri Lanka was witnessing the rise of a prodigious young opening batsman. At just 19 years old, he had already dominated the school cricket scene and was rapidly rising through the ranks, around the same time Aravinda de Silva was beginning to carve out his legendary international career.
During the recent tour of Sri Lanka by the Melbourne based Colombo Sports Club, that young talent—now 60-year-old Marlon Von Hagt—found himself reflecting on his journey. The visit offered him a nostalgic opportunity to revisit the grounds and the city where his name first captured the imagination of cricket fans across the island, remembered for his flair and early promise.
The touring over 40s Masters team, captained by Jerome Ephraums, played four matches during their brief tour, with Marlon featuring in three of them. In the opening game on Sunday, 20th April, they faced the Colombo Cricket Club Masters, led by former Sri Lankan international Roger Wijesuriya. At the CCC grounds, Marlon scored an unbeaten 53 — a performance that echoed a remarkable coincidence. Nearly four decades earlier, in November 1984, he had recorded the exact same score of 53 in his first international outing at the same venue, opening for the Sri Lanka Board XI against a touring England side. That innings came against a formidable English attack featuring Norman Cowans, Neil Foster, Richard Ellison, Phil Edmonds, and Pat Pocock.
In his next game, played on 23rd April against a combined SSC/St John’s Nugegoda Masters side, Marlon produced a stylish unbeaten 76 at the picturesque SSC grounds. Many of his Colombo Sports Club teammates considered it the finest innings they had seen him play in years. What made the moment even more special for Marlon was the presence of his beloved mum in the crowd — it was the first time she had watched him bat in nearly 40 years.
As a footnote, Marlon played his first international game at SSC in January 1986, representing Sri Lanka A — captained by Arjuna Ranatunga — in a four-day match against England A, led by Mark Nicholas. He scored 22 runs in the only innings he batted in that “unofficial Test.”
In the third game, played against the Cavaliers at the Colts Cricket Grounds, Marlon scored 13 runs.
The touring team also featured Dirk D’Silva—Marlon’s opposing Big Match captain in 1984—former Sri Lanka star Manjula Munasinghe, and Josephian Gary Gunesekera.
Despite the soaring heat and humidity in Colombo, conditions rarely encountered in Melbourne, the team performed creditably, winning two of the four 35-over matches.
