Club cricket in Kandy is dead

by Hafiz Marikar

It is true that club cricket in Kandy is now a thing of the past. Cricket was played in the Kandy district from about 1863, mainly in the Knuckles-Rangala areas while the Kandy town had the Kandy Dancing, Boating and Rowing Club. In 1896 this club became Kandy Sports Club.

The tragedy that has befallen club cricket in Kandy is even worse when one looks back at the factors that paved the way for club cricket to thrive in Kandy at one stage. The first unofficial Test in then Ceylon was played at the Bogambara ground in 1889. The exclusive European Kandy Sports Club invited locals to play from 1920. In 1914 and 1916 overseas teams played at Bogambara and the Trinity College ground Asgiriya.

The revival of Kandy district cricket took place on August 16, 1946 with Dr. VHL Anthonisz as Secretary and Col. Gordon Pyper as President. Later the Central Province Cricket Association was formed with Dr.V.H.L. Anthonisz as President. He offered the Dr. VHL Anthoniez shield for competition among clubs in the Kandy district. The teams that participated were Kandy Sports Club, University Scheme SC, Kandy YMCA and Kandy YMBA SC.

The first tournament was won by Kandy Sports Club led by Francis Amerasinghe. In 1947 the Central Province Cricket Association participated in the Zonal Tournament conducted by the Ceylon Cricket Association. The Kandy district team was styled Central Zone and led by Phillip Buultjens.

Dr. Anthonisz did much for Kandy sports specially cricket and football. He was an honorary surgeon to the Governor and Officer Commanding the Ceylon Medical Corps of the Ceylon Defence Force. He was the first Ceylonese Secretary of the Kandy Sports Club, Vice Patron of the Kandy Association Football League and later President of Kandy Sports Club and Central Province Cricket Association.

Central Province Cricket Association hosted the first Commonwealth team in 1950, second Commonwealth team in 1951, MCC in 1952, All India in 1956, Pakistan 1964, Hyderabad Blues 1966, State Bank of India 1967, MCC 1969, Australia 1969, MCC 1973, India 1974 and Pakistan 1976.

The Karachi Schools team led by Khalid Weir visited Ceylon in 1954 and in a match against Trinity College, Prince Aslam Khan a promising left arm bowler who had some fine tour performances, took 5 for 24 at Asgiriya including a hat-trick while claiming the scalps of M Ratwatte, R.Aluwihare and W. Wanduragala.

In one of the matches Leslie Ames scored 170 moving from 100 to 150 in 15 minutes while Indian off spinner Gulam Ahamed took 11 for 17 runs.

On another occasion Kandy spectators witnessed a different kind of procession in the month of November. Central Province CA were in and out for 36 in just 45 minutes and in the second essay 69 in 95 minutes. In this game GS Ramchand scored 100 for All India. In 1952 Tom Graveny scored a graceful 102 while on another occasion Intikhab Alam took 7 for 52 and 5 for 76. In 1969 Bill Lawry's Australians played a game against the Central Province that took place after Hillary Abeyratne and his ground staff produced a playable wicket in spite of the rain. Later in 1973 the MCC led by Tony Lewis also played and won as Tony Greg scored 63 while Dennis Amiss and Mike Dennis scored 50 each. The Madras Gopalan Trophy team played in Kandy on three occasions in 1967, '68 and '69. The CPCA won their first victory in 1957 mainly due to some fine bowling by DG Karunarathne who took 7 for 37 and 5 for 42. Madras collapsed for 40 runs in the second innings.

In 1974 India met the Sri Lanka Board President's XI at St. Anthony's ground Katugastota in a drawn game as Mankad got his name into the record books as the first visiting player to score twin hundreds - 100 and 104.

Current Sri Lanka team manager Jerry Woutersz scored a hundred on debut at Asgiriya for a Sri Lanka Board President's XI against Pakistan led by Inthikab Alam in 1976.

The first Test to be played in Kandy featured Australia in April 1983 after which came New Zealand, India, Pakistan, England and South Africa. So much for the burial of club cricket in Kandy.