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| Sunday, 27 October 2002 |
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NCC - first to play rugger among Ceylonese, now open badminton court The Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC), which was established in 1888, opened its badminton court last Tuesday amidst a distinguished gathering. The court was declared open by the immediate past President of the Club, Leslie Hewage, who was the chief guest at the function. As a prelude to the opening, Leslie Hewage, and the present President, Elmo de Silva, and another veteran of the NCC - Leo Wijesinghe who dwelt on the progress made by the club over the years. Question: When was the club formed? Leslie Hewage: It was in 1888, when many young and enthusiastic cricketers, called a meeting under the Chairmanship of H. L. Wendt (a senior puisne judge) to form a cricket club. It was unanimously decided to call it the "Nondescript Cricket Club", as it was to cater to all sportsmen, irrespective of caste, creed, politics or nationality. This tradition has carried on over the past 114 years and at the time the NCC was formed, the Colts was the only other Ceylonese cricket club in existence. Sir Samuel Grenier was the first President of the Club. Q: Was the NCC always situated at this same venue? A: No, it was originally at Victoria Park, where the present Town Hall stands. It stood there for 22 years till 1910 when it shifted to its present home. Q: There is another club - the SSC and being neighbours, there is also a healthy rivalry between the SSC an NCC? A: Yes, at the start the rivalry was between the Colts and the NCC and thereafter between the SSC and the NCC. One of the greatest cricketers at the time was Cecil Horan. With the formation of the SSC, the NCC lost a number of its members. Stanley Jayasinghe and Clive Inman(both of whom played County cricket) made the NCC famous in England. Some of the others who shone in the pre-Test era were Vernon Prins, Carl and Valentine Obeysekera, Malcolm Spittel, K. M. T. Perera, Malcolm Francke,just to name a few. The invincible side of 1970 that won the Observer Limited over Tournament needs special mention. Michael Tissera captained the side which consisted of Stephen de Niese, David Heyn, Peter Samarasinghe, Vijay Malalasekera, Joe Saverimutupulle, Nirmal Hettiarachchi, K. Balendran, Vernon Caldera, Annesley de Silva, Ranjit Fernando, Sunil Fernando and Nihal Soysa. Later those who represented the club with distinction were Ranjan Madugalle, Aravinda de Silva, Rumesh Ratnayake, Amal Silva, Asoka de Silva to name a few. Question: We have been concentrating on the cricketing aspects. What about the other sports? Leslie Hewage: The NCC has also got a proud record in rugger and hockey which many may not know about. The NCC was the first Ceylonese club to play rugby in Ceylon and always held their own in the rugby field. In fact, it was from the NCC that the CR and FC was formed. In the early years, the CR and FC played only one year of representative hockey, way back in 1955. Most of the top class cricketers played hockey. Elmo de Silva: A swimming pool at the NCC in keeping with the leading clubs in the country was the dream of a former President Chanaka de Silva, who collected the funds and together with Leslie Hewage was responsible for the renaissance in the club. Tennis was introduced in 1969 by Dr J. H. Sproule, and Dr N. M. Perera amongst others. Billiards has always been a sphere of activity at the club. Bridge was a popular pastime for a period of time and a pool table with table tennis facilities are also on the cards as future possibilities. Mention must also be made of Harold de Andrado, who is an institution as far as the Nondescripts are concerned, and he is one of the oldest living members and also the source of much information as far as the club is concerned. (P.J.) |
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