Bertie Wijesinha

Bertrum Wijesinha, also spelled Wijesinghe (24 May 1920 – 8 April 2017) was a cricketer who played 17 matches of first-class cricket for Ceylon between 1947 and 1956.

Life and working career Bertie Wijesinha was educated at S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia, where he was a prominent cricketer. After leaving school, he taught English at S. Thomas' College and coached the cricket team. In 1949 he married Dorothy Weerekoon; they celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary just before he died.

Also in 1949 he joined the Lake House newspaper group where he ended up as the sports editor of the Sunday Observer. He served as sports editor of the Sunday Observer from 1953 to 1972, and coached the cricket team at Trinity College, Kandy, from 1971 to 1976. He then moved to the United Kingdom, where he worked for 10 years as a clerk for the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes. On Ceylon's tour of Pakistan the next season he was Ceylon's top-scorer in the first first-class match, an innings loss to Karachi and Sind, scoring 13 not out and 57. Later in the tour he took his best bowling figures, 5 for 59, in the drawn match against Pakistan Universities.

Wijesinha played all his club cricket for Sinhalese Sports Club. The father of the Wettimuny brothers built Sri Lanka's first indoor cricket nets, then handed them over to Wijesinha on the condition that he coach his sons.

Wijesinha published a book, Love of a Lifetime, in 2004, combining his cricket memoirs and Sri Lankan cricket history.