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by Pelham Juriansz

The grand opening of the Austasia Sports & Leisure Club took place on June 28 at the Austasia Sports Complex in Thalawatugoda. A BoI approved company the Austasia Sports Complex were the pioneers to introduce indoor cricket to Sri Lanka and the first ever International Standard Indoor Sports and Leisure Complex in Sri Lanka in Thalawatugoda.

The opening saw Managing Director of the Austasia Group of Companies, Dakshita Anthony explain that beginning from May 12 last year they started the concept of indoor cricket and it was the brainchild of his brother, Cedric now domiciled in Australia.

The opening of the new stadium complex was preceded by the final between Colts 'A' and Slimline for the " Free & Easy trophy". The final was telecast live on ITN, the official sponsor for indoor cricket. The committee was thankful to Lion Breweries for sponsoring the Mercantile Indoor Cricket Tournament and also Comet Cable, Mobitel and Coca Cola for the beverages.

There are at present 16 sports worked out at the Complex though many havn't heard of the other disciplines that go on there. Speaking at length on the development, Ms. Amoma Tennakoon the Development Manager of the Complex said that there are facilities for swimming, badminton, basketball, netball, carrom, hockey, football, outdoor as well as indoor cricket, squash and many more, including the facilities available at the gym.

The Manager of the Sports complex, M.M. Naushad was all agog when we met him at the complex and explained that there is also an idea to expand the complex to include a Kiddies Play Area and the Sri Lanka Body Building Federation is also housed there with the Fitness Kingdom conducting training classes. Veteran swimmer Julian Bolling conducts swimming classes while indoor cricket is being handled by no less a person than the effervescent national cricketer Romesh Kaluwitharana who gives much of his time to developing indoor cricket in Sri Lanka. Assisting him is the former NCC skipper, Sanjeewa Weerasinghe and Nishantha Herath.

Already Thalawathugoda has hosted several tournaments. Australia and England men's team having toured here and the Indian women's team.

"At present there are nine countries playing Indoor cricket and our dream is to win the World Cup. In fact like in Outdoor Cricket, or the more traditional game. Indoor cricket is the other area where we can achieve World fame," commented Buddhika Kuruppuarachchi, a committee member of the Ceylon Indoor Cricket Association(CICA). Sri Lanka will host the 2004 World Cup with the tournament held every two years by which time more stadiums will be located in Colombo, Kandy and Galle.

Some of the live wires behind the new concept are Managing Director, Dakshitha Anthony, brother of Cedric, the Chairman, Kaluwitharana who devotes much of his time as Director Sports, and Sanjeewa Weerasinghe, General Manager.

Besides the cricket, under construction is another swimming pool on a site adjacent to the stadium which must lend to the aesthetic beauty as modernisation gets going in Thalawathugoda. 

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