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Inter-Club Premier League championship
Rasika and Ashan cripple SSC battingBy Althaf Nawaz
Moors bowlers Rasika Priyadharshana and Ashan Ranaweera bowled fine spells to halt strong SSC to a total of 118 for 7 in their Inter-Club Premier League Cricket encounter which got off to a delayed start at Braybrooke Place yesterday.Priyadharshana (medium pace) and Ranaweera (off cutter) bowled devastating spells to put the skids on the SSC batsmen. Priyardarshana had three wickets for 52 runs while Ranawera accounted for two wickets.
SSC's Shantha Kalavitigoda (40) and Hemantha Wickremaratne 23, saved them from real disaster.
CCC in control
At Maitland Crescent CCC got the upper hand over BRC. CCC taking first lease were bowled out for 154 runs. Yassas Tillekeratne top scored with 43 with Romesh Fernando assisted him with a timely 34. M. Mudalige four for 28 and Riyas Farook two for 29 were the pick of the bowlers.At stumps BRC were struggling at 42 for five wickets. Indika Gallage claimed four of the wickets that fell yesterday.
NCC 100/4
NCC were 100 for the loss of four wickets at stumps on day one against Tamil Union yesterday.Batting first after a delayed start, NCC struggled for runs. Skipper Russel Arnold (25) stedied the innings. Seamer Hassan Rushdi captured two wickets for 19 runs for Tamil Union.
Ranil Dhammika 50 wkts
Fourth successive win for LumbiniLumbini MV notched up their fourth victory for the season when they beat Gurukula MV by innings and eighty runs in their inter school cricket fixture which concluded at BRC grounds yesterday.
Lumbini MV skipper Ranil Dhammika scored 84 runs with seven fours and four sixes. He later bowled well to have a match bug of seven wickets for 25 runs to guide his side to victory.
Lumbini MV declared their innings at 207 for six wickets. Gurukula MV were shot out for 70 and were forced to follow on. They failed once again to be bowled out for 57. Ranil Dhammika had 4 for 25 in the first innings and three wickets for no runs in the second innings. He also became the first school bowler to have 50 wickets this season in only seven matches.
(D.R.)
'The Kings of Cricket' - the first 150 years (1832 to 1980)
George Orwell defined 'serious sports' between nations as 'war minus the shooting'. But the sport of cricket has always been synonymous with fairness. In no other game is there such a law as law 42. 1: the Captains are responsible for play within the spirit of the game and Law 42.2: Fair and unfair play shall be judged by the Umpires. And in the words of Neville Cardus: 'The crowd matters a great deal to the game. It really is part and parcel of cricket. You will find nothing like it in other games. It sits for so long a time in one place. An intimacy is bred which breaks down all class distinctions. '
On 17th March 1996 at Gadaffi Stadium, Lahore Pakistan, Sri Lanka considered to be the Minnows of World Cricket became the Machos of World Cricket by bagging the World Cup, and proving that despite a variety of insidious influences, the cricket 'war' is still a great leveller.
The story begins on 8th September 1832;45 years after the first ball was bowled at Lord's and 17 years after the British annexed the whole of the island of Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was then known). On that day the first ever Cricket Match was played in Ceylon on the Army Grounds in Colombo between the 97th Regiment of the Army and the 'Civilians' (all Englishmen)
The 'Colombo Journal' of 5th September 1832 had said it 'invites gentlemen who may feel inclined to lend assistance towards forming a cricket club to be present at the Library at 2 o'clock precisely on Saturday the 8th.' (The Library was in the Pettah of Colombo City). The match was won by the 97th Regiment by 10 wickets. The Colombo Cricket Club (consisting entirely of Englishmen) was formed thereafter.
Much of the spread of cricket in the early years was due to the English planters. Local cricket writer S. P. Foenander in his 'Sixty Years of Ceylon Cricket' ( 1923) writes of their 'Splendid pioneering work.'
In 1879, the first inter-school cricket match was played at Galle Face. This was between Colombo Academy (later Royal College) and St. Thomas' College, Mt. Lavinia. The idea originated from Ashley Walker Assistant Principal of the Colombo Academy who was a Cambridge Blue and was readily accepted by Rev. T. F. Falkner Sub-Warden of St. Thomas College, also a Cambridge Blue. In 'A history of a hundred years of the Royal - St. Thomas Cricket Match' (1979) it is recorded: 'In 1879 the match was played on the C. C. C grounds which was then on the Galle Face. The members of the team arrived either on foot or by hackery or were ferried across the Beira Lake. The School was not given a period off to see the match. There were no School colours prominently displayed, no flags were waved, and there were no lower schoolboys shrieking with delight. The Academy team eventually won as a result chiefly of good fielding.' It became an annual event. In 1885 took place the famous '9 run-match' when Royal College were all out for 9 runs.
In May 1881 for the first time the Young Ceylonese (Royalists and Thomians) played against the exclusively English C.C.C.
By the turn of the century, 4 other schools were playing cricket. St. Joseph's College and Wesley College (in Colombo), Prince of Wales College Moratuwa and Trinity College Kandy.
By 1908 twelve other cricket clubs consisting of Ceylonese too had also been formed. They were Malay C.C., Colts C.C., Nondescripts C. C, Burgher R.C., Singhalese S.C., Tamil Union C & AC, Moors C.C. Kalutara C.C., Galle C.C, Bloomfield C & AC, Dimbula CC and Dimbula-Maskeliya CC.
1882 had seen the first foreign visitors - an English team led by Hon. Ivo Bligh (later Lord Darnley) on its way to Australia defeating Ceylon. This was the team which defeated Australia and brought the 'Ashes' to England (after England's defeat at Oval to Australia earlier that year.) 1884 had seen the Australians en route to England. Also the first Ceylon team to tour overseas to India. They made 412 against Terai Hockey Club in Calcutta. But it was only in 1890 that non-English Ceylonese had played for All Ceylon
In 1891, Dr. W. G. Grace, aged 43 years played at Galle Face. One of the spectators was the famous English explorer H. M. Stanley. The British Governor Sir Arthur Havelock had the ticket prices reduced 'so that the small fry will get a look in.' Dr. Grace in his after dinner speech said he hoped that 'some day Ceylon would send a mixed team to England. I feel sure they would get a hearty welcome.' Their first visit was only in 1975)* Dr. Grace was an early example of commercialisation of cricket, advertising Colman's Mustard.
In 1907, the '20th Century Impression of Ceylon' edited by Arnold Wright makes these comments: 'Cricket in Ceylon is at present under a cloud, which does not seem to be lifting. There is not the same enthusiasm for the game, due very largely to the fact that men have not the time they used to have to have to spare for cricket matches. It is long since we have seen an Australian or an English team playing a match in Colombo; yet in the old days this was a regular occurrence...
........... For the first time in the history of Ceylon cricket a purely Ceylonese team visited Bombay in 1906. The team was severely crippled by the inability of. T. Kelaart and J. Ludovici, the two Ceylonese crack bowlers, to make the trip. Of 6 matches played. Ceylon won 3 end drew 3. Where Ceylon perhaps fell short of Indian cricket was in the bowling, but B. Joseph's 35 wickets for 12 runs a piece was a splendid achievement.' (This is a reference to Tommy Kelaart)
On 13th July 1922 the administration of cricket passed from the white controlled Colombo Cricket Club to the newly formed the Ceylon Cricket Association. Dr. John Rockwood of the Tamil Union became the first President.
On 25th June 1948 (4 months after Independence), the Board of Control for Cricket was founded at the Grand Oriental Hotel. P. Saravanamuttu became the first President. Among the Presidents in the fifties to the seventies were J. R. Jayewardene (then 'UNP Finance Minister, Later President of Sri Lanka), Robert Senanayake brother of Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake and Dr. N. M Perera (leader of the Marxist LSSP). In the same period, Sports Ministers K. B. Ratnayake (SLFP) and Vincent Perera (UNP) helped cricket.
By 1965, Ceylon had played against MCC, Australia, India, Pakistan, and West Indies. For the MCC, Jack Hobbs 54 runs (1928) Walter Hammond 46 runs (1936) Fred Brown 43 runs (1950) Tom Graveny 102 runs (1952) and Ted Dexter 31 runs (1962) had all been seen in action. The first All Ceylon tour abroad was to India in 1932/33. In the first unofficial Test on the Ferozah Kotla Grounds New Delhi, Sago Jayawickrema scored a glorious 130. Mustaq Ali had a match bag of 10 for 129. Dr. C. H. Gunasekera was the All Ceylon Captain.
In 1930, Don Bradman aged 21 years played his first innings outside Australia or England in a one-day match against All Ceylon at the Colombo Cricket Club ground on his return home with the team from England. He was out hit wicket for 40 runs! Here is an extract from The Bradman Albums - Volume 1 - 1925 Page 86.
'Wednesday, 2nd April -
In port of Colombo, Cricket officials came on board and met us. Ashore 9 a.m. in launch. To Millers for a toppee each. By car to Mount Lavinia. Galle Face Hotel. Rickshaws, cars, honk, honk, Oxen, policemen, bungalows, squirrels, quarters, people, Buddhist temple, shoes off. Orchids, Perfumes. Round promenade, Race Course etc. Cricket grounds, black and white natives dress. Game 11 to 6. Lost toss. Batted made 40. Ponsford batted finely for 62. Australia 240. Colombo 1 for 50. Rained during adjournment. Dinner 8.30 p.m. at Galle Face Hotel. The Governor presided. Concluded at 10 p.m. Marvellous day, Buildings, foliage natives etc., an eye opener. Standard of Cricket quite high-..' * (The Governor was Sir Herbert James Stanley)
Arthur Mailey in a report to the 'Sydney Sun' said 10,000 people watched the match in intense heat. Ed Kelaart took 6 for 65.
In 1934 during the MCC unofficial Test in Colombo, Douglas Jardine of Body Line fame protested at the barracking from the crowds 'Ceylon Obeserver' front page head line on Feb. 18th says 'Jardine resents barracking by crowd'. At same time, The Christian Council professed at a match being played on Sunday, the 18th. In 1944/1945 took place the first official All India tour to Ceylon. India was captained by Vijay Merchant and Ceylon by F. C. de Saram.
Scores in the unofficial Test: Ceylon 107 (Vinoo Mankad 8 for 35), India 179. Over 15,000 persons saw Ceylon fight back with M. Sathasivam scoring 111 runs.
1945 also saw Australian Keith Miller in Ceylon here scoring 127 in 172 minutes. 1948 saw Bradman here again. 20,000 fans saw him ct. R L de Kretser b. B. R. Heyn for 20 runs.
In 1949 in the inaugural unofficial Test against West Indies at the Oval, Ceylon was beaten by an innings and 22 runs.
I met Jeoff Stollmeyer who was also a member of the team 29 years later (in 1978) in Kingston Jamaica when I was there for the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference. This was at a party hosted by Michael Manley Prime Minister himself a great cricket fan and cricket writer. Stollmeyer then a senator and Cricket Board president spoke of the West Indies tour to Sri Lanka the following year. He was later to support us for Test status at a crucial stage at the ICC in 1980.
1940 to 1960 was the heyday of Sago Jayawickrama, C.H. Gunasekera Jnr, C. I Gunasekera, M. Sathasivam, Sathi Coomaraswamy, Mahesh Rodrigo, R. B. Wijesinghe F. C de Saram, Vernon Prins, B. R. Heyn, Lucien de Zoysa, D. S. Jayasundera and Gamini Goonasena. (The successive captains were Coomaraswamy, de Saram, Jayawickrema, Prins and C. I. Gunasekera)
