Sri Lanka’s inimitable cricket cheer leader, Percy Abeysekera, who crossed the divide on October 30, 2023 remains a huge missing link not only to Sri Lankan cricket, but across the international cricketing hemisphere. His loss is irreplaceable for Percy was uniquely multi-talented one of a kind who walked the walk in his profession with no equals holding aloft the Sri Lankan flag, and who walked the talk by an uncanny gift of the gab that he put to good use with as witty an infectious banter of choice words often bordering on the poetic in redefining the fun going profession to intellectual depth. Such was Percy, a typical all-rounder in the art to giving it new meaning and nobility that went beyond just the form of cheering on players and teams to taking it to another planet. By far, Percy succeeded in decorating this entertainment mode he served for seven decades to decorating himself as a true genius in the art. his passion as a cheer leader that spanned He succeeded in lighting up his profession in a resonating dexterity of lithe physical movement darting about to and fro this side of the boundary line in such a hip-hop-pop dance style that went with a sharp shooting gab that touched hearts to insulating himself as a mighty colossus to colouring the noble game of cricket that won him a multitude of friends and fans around the world.
It was this element of combining several factors in a harmonising oneness from the intellectual to acting the part to the hilt that set Percy Abeysekera a Man Apart with no peers anywhere in the world to hold a candle to him when it came to the performing art of a cheer man. Put in a nutshell Percy was a perfectionist in a field he lit up to taking the game of cricket to another level by his banter and colourful character of a born actor in the art. He won over many international players from opposing teams by his light banter which sometimes did irk some but who were quick to discover that Percy did it with no rancor but in lighter vein. There were memories that remained with him such as making friends with New Zealander Martin Crowe whom he did put out when he first likened him to a crow. But as Percy was to fondly recall later it was to forge a great friendship with the former New Zealand captain who ultimately came to like Percy so much that he gifted him a Player of the Match award he received in Sri Lanka. For the record, both Percy and the great New Zealand batsman have crossed the divide.
W. D. Percy Gimson Mendis Abeysekera was born on 30 July 1936 in the coastal town of Boosa. He married Meloney De Silva from Moratuwa in 1968. They had two children Sampath Garfield, their elder son, and Nadeesh Nimmi, their daughter. Meloney died on September 24, 2010.
He received his early education at Richmond College, Galle and St. Aloysius’ College, Galle, where he developed his interest in cricket. He moved on to Siri Rathanasara Vidyalaya Beddegama and completed his higher education at Aquinas University College, Colombo.
PLAYED CRICKET FOR ST. ALOYSIUS 2ND XI
It is interesting to note that Percy Abeysekera himself emerged having played an active role as a cricketer, donning the jersey of St. Aloysius’ College 2nd XI and Aquinas University College cricket team. He went on to captain the Associate Motorways (AMW) cricket team in Nagoda, Kalutara where he was employed from 1961 to 1962. Under his captaincy, the AMW cricket team won the Mercantile ‘G’ Division title in 1968, defeating Lake House at Rifle Green Air Force Grounds in Colombo. He then joined ACL Cables Factory, a subsidiary of the AMW Group, in 1962, where he worked for five decades.
When Percy died on 30 October 2023, at the age of 87 the cricket world had lost a mighty colossus. His passing away has left a deep void not only in the cricket world in Sri Lanka, but across many frontiers having made his debut as a cheer leader in 1979. In tributing the man for a mighty innings as a cheer man, it is apt to say that the likes of Percy will never emerge again. Such were the traits in the man who was a born cheer man. His contribution to cricket as a great entertainer surpassed all boundaries. So much so that the Sri Lankan was a class of his own judging by his popularity among the cricket world. When he was in his sick bed several visiting international cricketers including India captain Rohit Sharma and Rohit Sharma made it a point to visit and see Percy at his home in Narehenpita in 2023. Percy’s value input to the game in making it a better place is best echoed by the words of former India captain Ravi Shastri who once wrote, “Percy, don’t lose your voice. Sri Lanka needs it more than you.”
Indeed, Percy Abeysekera has left a lasting emptiness where his loss is badly felt when it comes to an international game of cricket.
