Presentation at 125th Anniversary Celebrations of SSC, 28th March 2024
Held at Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo
By
Mevan Pieris
Your Excellency, The President of Sri Lanka; President and members of the Executive Committee of the Singhalese Sports Club, Distinguished Invitees, Ladies and Gentlemen. At the very outset I wish to thank the Executive Committee of the SSC, for inviting me to write the history of the club, and to make this brief presentation.
Ladies & Gentlemen, we are gathered here today to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Singhalese Sports Club, which was conceived in the womb of time on 27th March 1899, and was born about five months later. It was on 27th March 1899, that 35 Sinhalese gentlemen had gathered at Wesley College, then located at Dam Street, Pettah, in response to an advertisement which had appeared in the Ceylon Standard.
The meeting was presided by D B Jayetilleke, and the convenor, HJV Ekanayake, had made a stirring speech, and a committee was appointed to investigate the possibility of forming a sports club for the Sinhalese, in the belief that, such a club would serve as a rallying point, and help to unify the race which then stood divided on caste, creed and class lines.
The founder President of the club was Sir Harry Dias, a member of the well-known Dias Bandaranayake family of Ceylon.
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Sir Harry Dias, 1st President of SSC, 1900 -1901 (img source:newsin)
Sir Harry was a wealthy bachelor, an illustrious person, and was the first Sinhalese Barrister, and the first Sinhalese Judge of the Supreme Court. It has been reported that by 1900, the club had received land at Victoria Park from the Colombo Municipality, but much work had to be done to convert it to a cricket field. The club had however got together a team to play her first cricket match against the Colombo Sports Club, at Galle Face in 1901, and were off to a flying start with Douglas de Saram, the Thomian, making a century. By this time, Sir Harry Dias had died, and Solomon Christoffel Obeyesekere, who was then the Nominated Low Country Sinhalese Member in the Legislative Council, had been elected the President of the Club.
Sir Solomon Christofell Obeyesekere, 2nd President of SSC, 1901-1927
SCO had received a knighthood in 1911, and in that year his son, Forrester, a former Royal cricket captain, had returned from England as a Barrister, and was soon elected as the Secretary of the club. The minute book Forrester had maintained since 1913, is the oldest chronicle available in the club today. It was only in 1913 after Forrester’s arrival that a formal lease agreement of the grounds had been executed, and thereafter, ground development had taken place more meaningfully. Also in the same year, the SSC captained by DB Gunasekara, was able to defeat the mighty Colts Cricket Club for the first time.
SSC Cricket Team, 1913, Seated L-R, Fred De Saram, Forrester Obeyesekere, D B (Danny)
Gunesakara, Douglas De Saram, Albert De Alwis
The Victoria Park cricket grounds with a turf pitch, was declared open in August 1917, and a modest pavilion with a thatched roof had been constructed. The somebodies of the club had posed for a historic group photograph on that day.
Somebodies of SSC at the Victoria Park ground opening, 1917
In the following year, the Royal-Thomian match was played for the first time at the SSC, and on the second day with Royal facing defeat, the roof had been set fire to. The imposing pavilion which was built thereafter, was declared open in July 1923, and until then, meetings were held inside a canvas tent. To raise funds, a well-attended sports Meet had been organized in 1920, and the President, Sir Christoffel, had awarded a Gold Medal for the best athlete. The meet was a roaring success, and from the profits generated, a much needed tennis court had been built. These were difficult days for the club, as the total membership was only 167 persons, of whom as many as 80 persons were Honorary Members. Sir SCO died in 1927, after 26 consecutive years as President, and Sir James Peiris, a Cambridge graduate in Laws, and an Elected Member of the Legislative Council, became the next President. Sir James had little time for the club, and at his death in 1930, DS Senanayake, was elected as the club’s 4th President. He was a proactive leader and although a busy politician and a graphite miner, he had time for the club.
Rt Hon’ble D S Senanayake, 4th President of SSC, 1930 – 1952
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By mid 1940s the 2nd world war had ended and Ceylon was likely to receive Independence, and the President of the club was tipped to be the country’s first Prime Minister. The time was ripe for the SSC to adopt a more liberal constitution paving the way for ladies and persons of other communities to become members, and also to expand the scope of activities in the club. It was also realized that proposed road expansions would severely encroach on the club grounds, and a larger and better land was an urgent necessity.
On 4th February 1948, Ceylon received independence, and the club President became the country’s Prime Minister, and the prospects of obtaining a good piece of land were brighter. On the 15th of February 1949, the club received close to 20 acres of land bordering Maitland Place, and a new era had indeed dawned. Cricket was yet played at Victoria Park, and on 12th May 1952, the club played her last match on that grounds, against the Tamil Union, with FC de Saram, making 161 runs, hitting three towering sixes and 22 fours.
The club was now faced with the daunting task of having to raise sufficient funds to build both a pavilion and a much needed swimming pool. The night club magnate, Donovan Andree was retained to conduct a carnival, to raise the required funds to build a pavilion, and the Prime Minister opened the carnival on 16th March 1952. Six days later the club and the country were shocked to hear that the Prime Minister had suffered a stroke whilst riding a horse on Galle Face Green, and had died. Sir John Kotelawala became the club’s 5th President, and declared open the grounds on 12th October 1952, and the new pavilion on 6th March 1955.
Sir John Kotelawala, 5th President of SSC, 1952 – 1980 (image source:-thuppahis)
About this time the club received a cash inflow by the sale of the pavilion at Victoria Park, and the swimming pool that was built was declared open on 5th Sept 1959, and a garden party for a thousand was planned. The membership now began to swell rapidly. In October 1980, Sir John died and the country’s first Executive President, JR Jayewardena was invited to be the club’s President. During Sir John’s tenure in office, the cricket grounds was declared open, a new pavilion and a swimming pool was built, and several tennis courts too were developed. He provided the leadership for SSC to consolidate itself in the new home at Maitland Place, where Sir John Kotelawala, 5th President of SSC, 1952 – 1980 5 the club emerged as a powerful cricket club, winning the premier Saravanamuttu trophy several times.
His Excellency JR Jayewardene, 6th President of SSC, 1980 – 1996
During the tenure of JR Jayewardene, unprecedented development of the cricket grounds took place with heavy corporate sponsorship, and by the time he died in November 1996, the club was a cricket stadium and a home for the Cricket Board as well. The club was also basking in the glory of Sri Lanka emerging as the world’s limited over cricket champions, thanks to SSC’s Arjuna Ranatunga’s superb performance as captain and player. Ryle de Soysa, SSC and Ceylon cricketer, and Oxford graduate, who succeeded JRJ, resigned soon due to ill health, and another Royalist, Day Perera, a President’s Counsel, became the club’s 8th President.
Daya Perera, PC, 8th President of SSC, 1996 – 2008
He resigned on 1st May 2008 to take up duties as the High Commissioner in Canada, and was replaced by William Tissa (Tommy) Ellawala, a former Thomian Head Prefect, and a Graduate in Economics of the University of Ceylon. During his tenure in office, the facilities of the club were significantly expanded and modernized.
William Tissa Ellawala, 9th President of SSC, 2008 – 2021
He had been the Treasurer for sixteen years at a time when systems were not computerized. His retirement in 2021 due to ill health, saw Indunil Senani (IS) de Silva, a much respected Advocate of the Bar and a graduate in Laws from the University of Ceylon, becoming the club’s 10th President.
Indunil Senani (IS) de Silva, 10th President of SSC, 2021 –
I S de Silva shall go down in history as the President in whose tenure in office, several important changes to the rules of the club were effected, among which is a rule which permits ladies to become ordinary members having voting rights and enjoy parity of status with gentlemen. I am informed that the ladies have already started to wield the willow, and I S has offered his services, if needed, as a reliable coach. Ladies & Gentlemen, the club is today, one of the very best in the William Tissa Ellawala, 9th President of SSC, 2008 – 2021 Indunil Senani (IS) de Silva, 10th President of SSC, 2021 – 7 world, and would not be so, if not for the powerful leadership, men of high stature and integrity had provided. The Honorary Office Bearers who have provided dedicated services over the years, and the outstanding sportsmen who have made a glittering contribution, are undoubtedly the heroes. Many are no longer with us, and the book that is launched today, is a lasting tribute to these master spirits. It has been a great honour that has visited me this evening, to be able to make this presentation before such a distinguished audience as this. I thank you all for your patient hearing.
