12-year-old Chamika Sasanka Fernando of Central College, Wadduwa, who scored a sensational triple century in only 98 balls, in an Under-13 Division II Tournament match last week told ‘The Island’ yesterday that he has promised his father to score a century on that day having failed in two previous games.

"My father was bullying me for not doing well in the past two matches. He said I had to do better to get a new pair of shoes and a new kit. I promised dad to score a century," revealed the shy lad, who had received his primary (up to grade five) education at a Girls’ school.

"There’s an incentive of Rs. 1000 for us by an old boy (Jinadasa Fernando) to buy cricket gear if we score a century. I was duly paid that and I heard that my colleagues are collecting money to buy me a pair of shoes," said the youngster who had scored the record breaking knock in a tight T-shirt and in worn out shoes.

Fernando, who has received his primary education at Wadduwa Balika Vidyalaya, is the only son of a family of three children. He said that his father, a driver, had found it hard to help him persevere in the sport he loves so dearly. He also said that Jinadasa Fernando, an old boy of the school, whose son is the captain of the Under-13 side had helped the cricketers by motivating them.

The youngster, who scored five sixes in an over twice, during his 316 said that his only aim was to score a century but it changed when every thing went well for him on that day. In all, he scored 34 sixes and 16 boundaries. He said that his immediate aim is to help his school achieve success in the tournament.

Meanwhile, his coach Rishan Sajith Silva said that the college authorities had to bear the brunt of accusations from residents of neighboring houses as many of the big hits from Fernando had disturbed fittings of their houses. "Many of his big hits went out of the park. Finally, we had to allow several boys to climb on to the wall of the ground and had to keep several boys out of the ground to fetch the balls that were hit out of the park," said Sajith Silva.