Eight top cricketers to be honoured during Henry Steel Olcott tourney
Eight top cricketers will be felicitated at the 22 nd Col Henry Steel Olcott Memorial Cricket tournament hosted by Old Dharmaraja Cricket Foundation at Asgiriya Cricket Stadium from December 8 to 10.
The two tournaments among eight leading Buddhist schools present boys six a side tournament and eight over per side past cricketers tournament will be conducted during these three days and on December 8 today schools tournament will start followed by past cricketers tournament on December 9 (Saturday) and 10 (Sunday) which is going to be the main attraction of the event said Henry Steel Olcott Cricket Foundation President Rohan Somawansa. leading Buddhist schools Ananda,Nalanda ,Dharmapala Pannipitiya, Dharmasoka Ambalangoda, Mahinda Galle ,Rahula Matara, Maliyadeva Kurunegala and Dharmaraja Kandy present and past cricketers get together always strengthen their brotherhood and we want to continue this as an annual event said Somawansa.
Eight past great cricketers will be felicitated on December 9 at Grand Kandyan Hotel at 7pm and World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga a distinguished old boy of Ananda College will be the chief Guest at thie felicitation ceremony.Each year past cricketers from each school felicitated which is very good as they did great service to their alma maters during their school days said Rohan.
The 22nd Tournament is organised by Dharmaraja Cricket Foundation. The top class former cricketers like Arjuna Ranatunga, Marvan Atapattu, Sidath Wettimuny (Ananda) ,late Bandula Warnapura, Roshan Mahanama, Asanka Gurusinghe of Nalanda, Ranjith Madurusinghe, Ajith Ekanayake, Jeewantha Kulathunga and Rangana Herath from Maliyadeva,Upul Chandana, Jayananda Warnaweera, Athula Samarasekara, Wickrmasinghe brothers Dileepa and Duminda and Lasith Malinga from Mahinda ,Promodya Wickrmasinghe from Rahula, Upul Tharanga and Saman Jayantha from Dharmasoka, Senaka Dissanayake and Chamara Kapugedera from Dharmaraja, Deepal Gunawardena, Ravindra Wimalasiri, Late Senaka Angulugaha and Chintaka Jayasinghe from Dharmapala are the cream of players brought honour to their respective schools.
This time Arjuna Ranatunga, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, Thilina Kandamby, Sanjeewa Ranathunga from Ananda ,Upul Chandana and Duminda Wickrmasinghe from Mahinda , Ranjith Madurusinghe and Jeewantha Kulathunga and Ajith Ekanayake from Maliyadeva ,Promodya Wickrmasinghe from Rahula have confirmed their participation for this tournament while several other talented cricketers will take part in this tournament which is going to be a keen tussle between the teams .
Meanwhile the present eight school cricket teams will battle each other today as a six a side cricket tournament .However Pulindu Perera the inform opener from Dharmaraja and all rounder Dinura Kalupahana from Mahinda will miss this tournament as they are on National duty for the Under 19 Asia Cup cricket tournament.
The inaugural Henry Steel Olcott Cricket tournament was played in 1999 hosted by Mahinda and pioneered by Late Bandula Warnapura the first test cricket captain a great product of Nalanda.
Old Rajans earlier hosted this tournament which was played at Pallekele International cricket stadium but for the second time they will host this tournament at Asgiriya Cricket Stadium today.
The final day on Sunday there will be awards ceremony and Champion and runners up teams of past cricket and present cricket tournament and player of the tournament will receive awards at thie occasion.
Past cricketers teams
Old Dharmaraja Upesh Wijesiri,Chamila Ambagaspitiya, Chaminda Weraka Bandara ( Capt) ,Saliya Jayasundara, Amal Ekanayake ,Indunil Yapa, Chintaka Nishantha ,Dinusha Bandara, Gayan Nadunge, Manjula Liyanage, Asanka Dissanayake, Thanuja Godewatta, Prasanna Welalawela, Senaka, Pieris, Bimal.Sooriyampola, Damitha Kulathunga
Old Ananda Thilina Kandamby, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, Thilan Wijesinghe, Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanjeewa Ranatunga, Sanjay Ranaweera, Jitendra Perera, Nalin Rangajeewa, Yohan Jayaweera, Sanjaya Attanayake, Chaminda Rajapaksa, Prageeth Herath , Pubudu Pathirawithana, Asanga Jayasooriya, Eshan Abeysinghe, N.M.Razmi, Kapila Shanthapriya, Sachithra Senanayake
Old Dharmapala Aruna Meemanage, Wageesha Balagama, Tharaka Gunatilleka,Gamini Perera ,Nihal Soyza,Dilanka Kasun,Lal Sepala, Saman Wijeratne,Chamila Jayasinghe ,Sanjaya Dewapura,Dayal Kumarage ,Gayanath Rajapaksa,Shamila Balasooriya, Maleen Chandana
Old Nalanda Dhanushka Kuweju, Tarun Ranasinghe, Milinda Weerasinghe, Biyanga Illukkumbura, Punyakantha Abeygunadrkera ( Capt) ,Sampath Hertiaracchchi, Eranga Devapura,J.P Gunawardena,Viraj Dharmasiri, Gihan Weerasinghe ,Ishara Amarasinghe,Rajendra Perera,Supun Leelaratne,Kalana Premarhunga, Niranjan Rajapaksa, Udayanga Ranadeera, Mevan Porage.
Old Rahula Promodya Wickrmasinghe, Mahindu Gunawardena ,Udara Kasun, Sanjaya Liyanagunawardena, Priyantha Uyanhewa,Asoka Sirimanna, Mohan Nalin, Nalin Dissanayake, Bharatha Abeugunawardena, Tharanga Abeysinghe, Buddija Amadoru,Amal Pathirana, Lanka Niroshan,Anil Lokugamage, Chamara Wedage
Old Mahinda Upul Chandana, Tharindu Randima, Damith Dilhara, Duminda Wickrmasinghe, Sujith Sirimanne, Asela Wewalwala, Hirantha Wijesinghe, Tharanga Maharambage, Thusitha Paliwatte, Hasith Dharshana,Sulalith Samendra, Sineth Kudahwtti, Sampath Kosala, Kalpa Hewagama, Chitral Ambawatte
Old Maliyadeva Gihan Ayantha, Sameera Soysa, Ajith Ekanayake, Anuruddha Rajapaksa, Ananda Bandaranayake, Ranjith Madurusinghe, Olga Herath, T.N.K Silva, Chandana Guruge, Upali Senaratne, Senaka Guruge, Buddhika Ellepola,Sarath Wijesinghe ,Sanath Amunugama, Nishantha Munasinghe, Jeewantha Kulathunga, Deepthi Bandara
Old Dharmasoka Aruna Madushanka, Yasith Lakshitha, K.M Tharaka, Gayan Nadeeka, Tharanga Soyza ,Lal Ranasinghe, Janaka Kumudu, Saman Jayantha, Viraj Chaminda, Kamal Kariyawasam, Saman Mohan, Yohan Nanayakkara, Chandana Silva, Saman Lasinka, Sriyan Amara, Chaturan Sanjeewa, T.Wasantha, D.S.P Tedlal, Asoka Kumara ,
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