Kumarasinghe 25 years on-field
Dinesh Kumarasinghe, the present head coach of S. Thomas’ College Mt. Lavinia completes 25 years in his trade this year. Kumarasinghe, alumni of S. Thomas’ learned the art of cricket by representing his school at different age categories before taking up to coaching in 1988.
His first assignment was with S. Thomas’ College as an assistant coach to T.C.T Edwards and Bertie Wijesinghe. Kumarasinghe continued his stint as a coach for 16 years at S. Thomas’ while building up the reputation as a curator as well.
Under his guidance S. Thomas’ recorded wins including the inaugural R. Premadasa All-Island Day Night Limited Overs Championship in 1992 which was followed with the All-Island Under-17 Championship in 1995.
Among his major successes were two wins at the legendary Battle of the Blues cricket encounter played against traditional rivals Royal College in 1997 and 1999. Kumarasinghe’s contribution towards S. Thomas’ cricket since 1988 spearheaded the team to be a major force in schools cricket in Sri Lanka. “After many victories which included two Royal-Thomian encounters, I was awarded with Level I and II coaching courses in Australia conducted by the Australian Cricket Board by the Old Boys’ Association of S. Thomas’ College in 1999. This was an added advantage to my career as a cricket coach and I am ever grateful to my school for the vast knowledge I was able to gain. It further enhanced my career,” Kumarasinghe stated.
After successfully completing the Level I and II coaching courses in Australia, Kumarasinghe was able to guide the Thomian Under-17 team towards the All-Island Championship in 1999 and by 2002 the First XI team was able to secure the All-Island Under19 Championship for the third time. However in 2003 he took up the offer that came across to coach the Malaysian Junior National team and to act as curator of the Bayumas Oval Stadium, a cricket venue at Kuala Lumpur recognised by the International Cricket Council. Kumarasinghe continued with his twin assignment for four years before returning to Sri Lanka in 2007, to take over the head coach’s position of Wesley College Colombo.
In his first year with Wesley Kumarasinghe was able to guide its cricketers to secure their first outright win after a lapse of five years while shaping them to record four complete wins during the season.
During this period Kumarasinghe was approached by the Sri Lanka Cricket Foundation and Saracens Sports Club for the positions of head coach. He took over both posts and continued to serve for four years. S. Thomas’ recalled Kumarasinghe to have its cricket back in the solid formation this season.