Top sportsman of Kandy T.B. Marambe remembered
One of the top class cricket coaches in Kandy was the late TB Marambe. He was one of the famous Trinity College and Kandy sportsmen, sportswriter and commentator. TB as he was known by every sportsmen, left this world in 1986, but still sportsmen talk about his great contribution to sports and sports journalism. He won the coveted Ryde Gold Medal award for the best all-round student at Trinity College in 1938 and was also the senior prefect of the school that year. The Ryde Gold Medal is the highest honour that the school bestows on its students and he became the 31st to win it. This is awarded in memory of Rev. W. Ryde the principal from1900-02. He played and captained the Trinity College cricket team in 1938. Some of his team mates were D Aluwihare, RP de Alwis, ES de Kretser, C.Dharmalingam, W. Molegoda, VK Vellayan, JB. Wright, P. Madugalle and G P Schoorman.
In 1937 he made a solid 57 against Royal College in which he had five hits to the ropes and in the following year made 83 against St. Joseph’s College.In their big match against the arch rivals at cricket St. Anthony’s College in 1938, under his leadership the late C.Dharmalingam had a hat-trick and match bag of 9 for 74.
TB Marambe at rugby was a scrum half and paired off with Percy Madugalle in 1937 and 1938. He won his rugby colours in 1937 along with H.. Aserappa, WL Jirasinha, Percy Madugalle, D.Reith, VK Vellayan and Duncan White. TB Marambe, after a good school career, joined the government services and he had the distinction of playing cricket for Kandy and Central Province. As an opening batsman, he scored heavily. On retirement he joined the staff of Trinity College and was the cricket coach. Some of his best products were MTM Zarook, Harindra Dunuwille,Himendra Ranaweera, Ajith Abeyratne, Chandra Amunugama and Glen Van Langenberg.
His nephews were Nihal Marambe a top cricketer and rugby player for Army and Defence Services, Tikiri Marambe the Sri Lanka scrum half who played for CR & FC and Air Force. TB Marambe was the Sports Correspondent of the earlier Times of Ceylon and was rated as one of the best writers. He was a contemporary of Duncan White, the famous athlete of Trinity. In an article that he wrote for the Times about Duncan White, Marambe described White’s run in the 400 metres final of the London Olympics in his own inimitable fashion, which read thus: “Let us picture the scene at Wembley for the 400 Metres hurdles, the most colourful of all track events in any meet. The stands swelled with cheering spectators, cameras whirring and the air humming with the voices of World Sports Commentators.
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