Walter Jayasuriya Archives

White kept India’s mighty Olympic hockey team at bay in first unofficial Test By DENNIS DE ROSAYRO Source:sundayobserver.lk The Indian Olympic team playing a more constructive game gained a convincing yet unspectacular 2-0 victory over Ceylon in their first unofficial hockey Test played at the Police Park, Bambalapitiya. A Mylvaganam (Govt Services and Tamil Union C&AC) was appointed as captain of the Ceylon team. Nine members of the team selected were representing Ceylon in an international match for the first time. Besides Mylvaganam who played for Ceylon against the 1948 Indian Olympic team led by Krishan Lal, who incidentally was coach of the Indian team, the other international was goalkeeper Freddie White who made his debut in 1955 against Pakistan. Of the 11 selected, all except Somasekeran, had represented the Ceylon Hockey Federation teams in Ceylon and in India. Somasekeran, however, toured India with the Matale Schools, a couple ...

PRELUDE TO THE FIRST NATIONAL HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS OF CEYLON 1956 – by DENNIS A.B. DE ROSAYRO It was the era when mighty India was ruling the world of Hockey, that with the blessings of the President of the then Ceylon Hockey Association, Sir Donatus Victoria, Mr. Walter Jayasuriya (Vice President , Ceylon Hockey Association, rightly and affectionately known to be the father of Ceylon/Sri Lanka Hockey and Mr. T.M. Naz Mahamooth (Hony. Secretary, Ceylon H.A.) a passionate lover of the game, ventured out to Madras in 1955 to witness the 19th National Hockey Championships of India, to be held in Madras. Primarily to learn how to conduct a major tournament of this magnitude, in order to inaugurate our own Nationals. Walter and Naz were cordially and warmly welcomed by all the high ranking officials of the Indian Hockey Federation, and even more so later by the officials of the Madras H.A. ...