Premasara Epasinghe

Premasara represented Nalanda for 28th Ananda-Nalanda big match which was held at P. Sara Oval.

However he scored only two runs in the first innings, nine runs in second innings and got two catches as the wicket keeper.

With the match, he ended the school cricket career which merely lasts for three months.

Kala Suri Premasara Epasinghe (born 5 October 1937) (ප්‍රේමසරා ඈපාසිංහ), is a Sri Lankan cricket commentator and journalist.

Considered as an iconic radio personality in Sri Lankan radio, Premasara became a household name in Sri Lankan cricket commentary history.

He was born on 5 October 1937 in College House of University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

His father Don Ranoris Epasinghe from Galtota, Panadura was an administrative officer at the Colombo University.

His mother Podinona Peiris from Mavitte, Galle, was a teacher.

He first went to Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo, which at that time was a mixed school.

In 1950, when Premasara was 13 years old, his mother died.

Premasara had four older brothers where all of them died within a year of their birth.

Then he was attended to Nalanda College, Colombo and studied in English medium.

In 1956 during the Inter-house sports meet, he started to play cricket for his school team "Chandra".

Even though he did not play hard ball before that, he made a significant impact in the match, where he scored 78 runs and his house "Chandra" scored a total of 148 runs.

Finally "Chandra" won the match.

After that innings, he was invited to play for the college team under the guidance of college cricket coach Kandasamy.

He was the only Nalandian player who had the opportunity to join the senior team directly without competing in the junior teams.

His first opportunity to compete after joining the senior team was in 1957 against St. Anthony's College, Kandy.

In the match he was the opening batsman with Sarath Silva and also the wicket keeper.

In the same year, he played nine matches before the Ananda-Nalanda match in the first three months.

In the meantime, in five matches, Sarath Silva and Epasinge went over the 100-run partnership for the first wicket.

He passed the college senior examination on 30 March 1958 with highest distinctions.

Meanwhile, he went to the temple to meet the Chief Incumbent of the Valukarama Temple in Kollupitiya, Ven.

Mavittara Sri Revatha Nayaka Thero, who was actually Premasara's father's older brother.

Thero asked Premasara to teach English in the Mahanama college starting at the temple on 5 May 1958.

He was the one who suggested the quote from the “Vidwan Sarvatdhara Pujate” (Age is always looking around) which is still used in Mahanama College.

Meanwhile, in 1959, he applied for a journalist vacancy in the Lake House and later selected as a sports reporter under D. C. Ranatunga.

However he was able to balance both the teaching profession and the media profession at the same time.

In 1962, he applied Lanka Radio as a relief announcer.

Even though he received the job in Lanka Radio, he was also selected to the Vidyodaya University (currently known as University of Sri Jayewardenepura).

In 1963, he entered the Faculty of Arts of the Vidyodaya University and chose Sinhala, English, Educational Science and History.

Educational science was a new subject in the university stream at that time and only taught in English medium.

Professor Clarence P. Noise of the University of Wisconsin, USA, came to Sri Lanka for two years and taught that subject with two local lecturers: Professors KHM Sumathipala and P Aranpaththa.

During this period, he was also appointed for reporting on the senate and parliamentary sessions of the day under the supervision of D. C. Ranatunga and U. L. Chandrathilaka.

In November 1968, he married Swarna Samararatne who worked as a teacher at Stafford Girls' College, Colombo.

The couple has one son, Bhagya and one daughter, Apsara.

Bhagya studied at Nalanda College, Colombo and after Ordinary Level exam he moved to St.Thomas'.

He then became Thomian opener in 1989 and University of Ceylon Colombo in the 1990s.

He is currently a Director of Finance in Canberra, Australia.

His daughter Apsara Gunasekera is a Squash player for Sri Lanka.