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12
Jul
'This is my second home': Harrogate Cricket Club’s Sri Lankan spin sensation
Harrogate Cricket Club’s overseas professional took his 400th wicket for the club last month.
Ishan Abeysekara joined the club in 2019. Since then, he has proved to be a crucial cog in Harrogate’s machine.
The spin bowler juggles bowling for Harrogate with his Sri Lankan professional side, Sri Lanka Navy Cricket Club.
The Stray Ferret caught up with Ishan this week, who told us it “feels brilliant” to take 400 wickets for the club.
Abeysekara, who is a right-arm leg spinner, came to Harrogate after a friend put him in contact with an agent. The agent told him that Harrogate were looking for a spinner.
He said that he didn’t know anything about the country. Ishan said:
My first day I came [to the cricket club] wearing slippers and someone said to me ‘you can’t wear them, it’s freezing!’ I didn’t realise how cold it was.
Despite this, Ishan said that he felt at home in North Yorkshire. He added that Harrogate was a beautiful town, and that the people really look after him.
So, what’s the difference between Harrogate and his Sri Lankan side?
Ishan said:
It’s similar for players here and in Sri Lanka. Back in Sri Lanka, all players link, play together and aren’t selfish. It’s the same in Harrogate. Everyone links and plays for the team. That’s why I keep coming back.
Lots of bowlers change their club, but I’m not changing because this is my second home.
Known as ‘Ishy’ by the cricket club community, the leg spinner spends most of his week playing and coaching.
When he is not playing for the first team or in the evening league, he helps coach the third and fourth teams and the juniors.
Having taken 400 wickets in six seasons, the bowler will have a lot of good memories at the club.
But what is his most memorable? He said:
It was in my first season. We were close to relegation and played Scarborough at home. They were a really good team, close to the top of the table.
We only got 180 [all out], they were on 80 to 0. We thought we were going to lose this game. Then I got five wickets, another bowler got four. We won that game by 20 runs and it kept us in the division.
Abeysekara is also handy as a batsman.
Other notable highlights mentioned came last year, when the bowler took nine wickets against Easingwold and eight against Stamford Bridge.
Ishan, 31, said that he wants to continue playing until he is at least 40.
After that, he wants to carry on coaching, and even says he enjoys umpiring.
With six months left on his visa, the bowler said that he is unsure what he will do in the future. However, he said he would love to stay in England.
The Harrogate cricket community would undoubtedly love that too.
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