Schaffter and Jayasinghe take centre stage at SLC awards

One of the most heartwarming sights at Monday's SLC Cricket Awards was the image of two titans of yesteryear - Mr. Chandra Schaffter and Mr. Stanley Jayasinghe - seated side by side, deep in conversation, reminiscing about their golden days in flannels.

- BY REX CLEMENTINE

It was a picture worth a thousand runs, capturing the essence of an era when cricket was more character than cash.

At 95, Mr. Schaffter is the oldest living cricketer to have represented Ceylon. Nine months his junior, Mr. Jayasinghe is a close second. But they are more than just former players; they are pillars upon which Sri Lankan cricket was built - men who played the game, served the game, and shaped it for generations to come.

An old boy of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia, Mr. Schaffter turned out for Tamil Union and Ceylon before making his mark in the corporate world. A smart businessman with a heart for sport, he built one of the country's leading insurance firms, which today stands as a proud sponsor of cricket.