Lasantha fine cricketer and coach
School under 14 and 15 Athletic Champion, right hand opening batsman and wicket keeper of the school under 13, 15, 17, 19 teams and Member of the Sara Trophy Champion Team 2009/10 and Premier Cricketer, Level One Cricket Coach Hathamunage Lasantha Kumara has brought honour and immense glory to his two schools Dharmapala Vidyalaya Kottawa and Lumbini Vidyalaya Colombo.
Lasantha was born on 30th May 1983 and he was admitted to Dharmapala Vidyalaya Kottawa in 1989 when Mr.Yasapala was at the helm of the school and his first class teacher was Mrs.Nanda. He did not participate in any sports activities form grade one to five but his Parents Hathamunage Premadasa and T.P.Rupawathie noticing his forte is cricket he was handed over to school cricket coach Mahesh Weerasinghe and Master in Charge for cricket Mr.Jayatissa in 1994. In the Same year he was selected to the division three team and in his second year they were the Division Three under 13 Astra Margarine Trophy Champions under Sajith Dilantha and his final year in the under 13 was in 1996 Division Two Team.
He played for the under 15 division one for two years and in 1998 he captained the team and reached up to Quarter Finals. In 1999 he joined Lumbini Vidyalaya Colombo and the Cricket Coach was Dinesh Weerasinghe and he was a unanimous choice for the under 17 team and in his first year itself he collected 375 runs with a fifty and in his second year he scored 561 runs with two half centuries. As an under 17 player he walked into the first eleven team with ease in year 2000 and scored 526 runs and he set a record by scoring twin unbeaten hundreds 128 and 121 versus Presidents College Rajagiriya and got two centuries and two fifties and collected 23 victims behind the stumps. In 14 matches he was not out eleven times and had a Bradsmanqué Average of 134.0 and perhaps it may be a school record. In his second year he scored 511 runs with two centuries and two fifties and collected 511 runs and his school won the two day and one day Championships. In his final year he scored 461 runs with three fifties and during his career he has scored 1498 runs. Same year playing in the first ever Big Match against their arch rivals Presidents College Rajagiriya he earned the Man of the Match Award.
When he was in Dharmapala he became the under 14 and 15 Champion and he won the 100, 200 and Javelin events at the Divisional, Zonal, District and Provincial Educational Meets.
As a school boy he joined Saracens Sports Club and played for five years in the Sara Trophy and four years for Baduraliya Sports Club and he had a long stint of ten years with Wattala Anthonians and in 1999/2000 they were the Sara Trophy Champions and promoted to Premiers.
He represented his working place Raigam Marketing and commencing from ‘F’ Division to ‘B’ Division he played and they won the Championship in all these Divisions.
In the meantime he commenced Cricket Coaching at C.C.C. School of Cricket Coaching under Nelson Mendis since 2005 to date and at the same time he is coaching Piliyandala Town Sports Club under Sriyan Chaminda and he is coaching Sir John Kotalawala Vidyalaya Piliyandala under 13 and 15 teams and he coached Gothami Balika Vidyalaya Colombo under 13, 15 and 19 teams. He toured Bangalore India with the C.C.C. Cricket School as an Assistant Coach to Nelson Mendis and they won the under 12 and 13 Pepsi Cup in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Presently he is representing Piliyandala Town Sports Club in the Division three Daily News Trophy Cricket Tournament.