Col. Henry Steel Olcott Memorial Cricket tournament from December 8 at Asgiriya

The Col Henry Steele Olcott Memorial Cricket Tournament organized by Dharmaraja College Cricket Foundation will be held from December 8 to 10 at the iconic Asgiriya International Stadium in Kandy. The eight-team competition features leading schools established by Col Olcott in Sri Lanka, namely Ananda, Nalanda, Mahinda, Dharmapala, Maliyadeva, Dharmasoka, Rahula and this year’s hosts Dharmaraja.

Played among cricket teams formed by the eight premier Buddhist schools, the three-day event is expected to feature former top class national players and former first-class players who played cricket at the highest level, representing their respective schools, top domestic clubs and the country. The tournament has two segments involving present players and past players of the eight schools during the three days. A 6-a-side tournament between schoolboy teams including the finals will be played on the first day while an eight overs per side tournament for past cricketers of the eight schools will be played on the second day.

The semi-finals and finals of the Old Boys tournament, will be played on the final day, which is expected to dish out exciting games. All eight schools have confirmed their respective list of players, which includes well-known names. Ananda College includes former national stars such as Arjuna Ranatunga, Thilina Kandamby, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara and Sanjeewa Ranatunga. Former national all-rounder Upul Chandana turns out for his alma mater Mahinda College. Maliyadeva College has included former national caps Ranjith Madurasinghe and Jeewantha Kulatunga in their list of players. Former fast bowler and present national chief selector Pramodya Wickramasinghe is among the list of players released by Rahula College, Matara. All eight teams have selected their cream of former players who have played the game at the highest level at school and domestic levels.

The Henry Steel Olcott Memorial Cricket Tournament is conducted in honour of Colonel Henry Steele Olcott, the founder of Buddhist educational institutions in Sri Lanka. The inaugural tournament was played in 1999 hosted by Nalanda College and pioneered by Late Bandula Warnapura, the first Test cricket captain of Sri Lanka.

This year the tournament is organised and conducted by the Dharmaraja College Cricket Foundation as the tournament is set to be featured for the 22nd occasion since its inception. From the editions that have played so far, Mahinda, Galle boast of most number of titles won outright, which is seven. Dharmasoka, Ambalangoda have won it five times. They have also emerged as joint champions on three other occasions. Ananda and Maliyadeva have won it on three occasions each. Dharmapala, Pannipitiya have two titles against their name, while Dharmaraja and Nalanda have won it on a single occasion each.

The 22nd Col Henry Steel Olcott Cricket Tournament is sponsored by Fondre Fat spread by Pyramid Wilmar(Pvt) Ltd, Nippon Paint and JN Interiors (Pvt) Ltd.