Sports governing bodies must appoint committed officials to serve-by Hafiz Maricar
Source:Dailynews
In Kandy, some of the sports have declined recently at club level. Most of the sports are in total disarray due to no proper playing field.
Looking back sports flourished earlier, it is sad to say what is happening in Kandy. Holding office alone is not sufficient, those in office should promote sports. Nowadays they are more keen in coaching, umpiring and sports equipment.
With this background few sports promoters have decided to meet the Sports Minister to give a hand to bring back Kandy sports to its former glory.
It is important that those holding office at club level helping to promote their respective sports. Unlike in the past where funding was a problem, now there are a number of corporate entities who are willing to support any sport managed by clubs whose committees are comprised those who have the knowledge of the subject and could be trusted to work in the best interest of the sport.
At present some sports officials get into the committees to do catering, guest houses, academies, transport all for their benefit.
Football – From early years of barefoot competition Kandy has played a vital role in Sri Lankan football. Later football has surprisingly took a back seat in Kandy. In the early days they had league, knockouts and the sevens tournaments.
Today even the controlling bodies AGM is not held for years. At one time Kandy served football in Matale, Gampola, Nawalapitiya, Kurunagala and Kegalle, and as the years rolled by, these towns formed their own leagues and are now doing better than Kandy.
A look back into Kandy football reveals that football in Kandy had its origins in the mid 1930’s during the second World War when the British units stationed in Kandy, with the one-time Commander in Chief of Allied Forces in South East Asia, Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten had his headquarters in the hill capital played the game.
Some of the leading clubs at that time in Kandy were the Old Antonians SC. Old Kingswoodians SC,. Kandy Sports Club, Police SC, Greenfield SC, Rovers SC and Red Stars SC.
Early in 1942, there appeared to be a lack of interest in the game and the efforts made by S.C.Traill the then secretary to call a meeting of the League failed and he was compelled to return the trophies to the donors. In the good old days Bogambara was the scene of the intense.
Later Kandy has produced a president and secretary of the National governing body.
These two are the first to hold this positions from Kandy. Football has apparently hit rock bottom. If football in Kandy is to improve the controlling body must put the leagues in the correct path. In the past, Kandy’s domestic tournament champions were presented with Rs. 200,000.00 cash award, today they are not in a position even to pay Rs. 5000.00.
Hockey – The sports which was introduced by the Rajputhra Ram Indian solders, once was a great sport in Kandy, today the game is restored to the former position thanks to Kandy District Hockey Association (KDHA). The game was at one time dominated by the Kandy clubs but today schools are doing well. The teams during the heydays were, St. Anthony’s College under the name of ‘Hotspurs’, Trinity College under the name of ‘Rabbits’, Kingswood College, Kandy Rovers SC and Imperial Motor Garage Hockey Club.
As years went by hockey flourished in Kandy with several schools in and around Kandy taking to hockey.
Once a year, they have league, knockouts, sevens and one day tournaments.
Cricket – In Kandy a game which had a great following, even today it is the same at school and club level. It was in 1863 that cricket was first played in the Kandy District and it was mainly in the Knuckles-Rangala areas and Kandy town, where Kandy Sports Club dominated the game and the venue for the first unofficial Test in (Sri Lanka) Ceylon was played in 1889 in Kandy at Bogambara.
The Central Province Cricket Association was formed with participation of Kandy Sports Club, University Scheme SC, Kandy YMCA, Kandy Young Men’s Buddhist Association SC. The first tournament victory of Kandy Sports Club was under the captaincy of Francis Amerasinghe. Central Province Cricket Association hosted the first Commonwealth team in 1950, second Commonwealth team in 1951, MCC in 1952, All India in 1956, Pakistan in 1964, Hyderabad Blues in 1966, State Bank of India in 1967, MCC in 1969 – 1973, Australia in 1969, India in 1974 and Pakistan in. All the matches from 1950 to 1976 were one day matches and few were two-day games up to gaining Test status in 1981.
The Test arena began in Kandy, with a three day match on 22nd February 1983, a year later Trinity College grounds became Sri Lanka’s third Test venue and the 54th Test venue in the world. Since this game almost every team has played at this ground.
