HISTORY OF TEA AND CRICKET IN SRILANKA – By Dr. Gnana Sankaralingam

(Excerpts from the book by David Colin-Thome)

Following British colonization, coffee had been introduced to the contours and elevated central districts by 1830. However from 1860, coffee industry was progressively decimated by the coffee rust disease. In 1867 when the Scotsman James Taylor cleared and planted tea in 21 acres at Loolecondera, its implications could not have been realised at that time, which later created an unprecedented prominence for the country. When tea industry flourished planters and executives employed in the trade, contributed to the development of cricket.

Though the first cricket club (Colombo Cricket Club) was formed in 1832, it was not until four decades later that the game finally took root in the country. In some way the period in which tea was introduced, coincided with establishment and organization of cricket further, steadily increasing the popularity and levels of participation. Consequently in those ensuing years, while many of the country’s more illustrious clubs had their beginnings, tea planters clubs at Darrawela and Radella had commenced a recurrent fixture between them in 1870.