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The results of the Division I Cricket matches played over the week ending 12th October highlighted the outstanding performances of two Cricketers, born,bred and coached in Panadura and who had played for Panadura Sports Club till last year. Their performances enabled SSC and CCC to win their matches most convincingly.

Charmara Silva turning out for SSC scored a century while Charitha Buddhika took 9 wickets for CCC. Ironically during the same weekend Panadura SC lost by an Innings to Sebastanites. The above summary of events, sums up the calamity faced by outstation Clubs. The hard grind that the Outstation Clubs and the Coaches go through to improve outstation Cricket becomes meaningless when the fruits of their labour is snatched away by the rich and powerful Clubs without any reference to them. These two young Cricketers had represented Sri Lanka but had been ignored by the selectors for sometime.

To them, the message was loud and clear. They had to join one of powerful Clubs to stay in contention. A few others in the Under 19 pool and Sri Lanka A pool have also decamped for greener pastures. Ravindra Pushpakumara and several others who should be beholden to their benefactors for helping to continue their Cricket had followed suit earlier.

The inevitable result of this episode will be that Panadura SC will end up at the bottom of the table and be relegated to the lower Division. For 20 long years I prevented this happening, by finding Panadura Cricketers jobs and generally keeping them satisfied with the help of other benefactors. Don Arunasiri was defiant and refused to be intimidated and continued playing for Panadura S.C. but paid the penalty of being dropped in his prime after taking nearly 50 Test wickets.

The above narration is but one of the many tragedies facing outstation Cricket. The large majority of club and school grounds in the outstations are in very poor condition. The school grounds where Arunasiri and Pushpakumara were nurtured are not suitable for playing Cricket. The School authorities need approximately Rs. 500,000 to bring them up to playing condition. Many of the talented Cricketers in the outstations cannot afford to buy their boots or their abdominal guards.

This is true of the majority of the Clubs and Schools in the outstations. Let us now look at the other side of the coin. The BCCSL is reported to have spent Rs. 500 million in constructing the Dambulla Stadium. What benefit has Sri Lanka gained by this colossal expenditure? This money could have been put to better use by repairing over 100 club and School grounds which are presently in a pathetic state as well as providing financial help or 'scholarships' to talented needy Cricketers. The return on investment in such an event would have been 100 times more than in building a single Stadium.

Then there are other proposals to build a Stadium at Pallekele and to floodlight another ground spending several hundred million rupees.

It is high time that the S.L.C. takes a pragmatic view of the wide disparities between the affluent and less affluent Clubs and Schools and improve the lot. Then and then only will there could be a possibility of realising the dream of the President of S.L.C. to make Sri Lanka the 'Best Cricket Playing Nation in the World.'

(Neil Perera, Former Hony. Secretary BCCSL)

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