Sri Lanka’s most prestigious Cricket Club – Sinhalese Sports Club commemorate its 125th anniversary with a series of special events and activities held throughout this year.
Sinhalese Sports Club was inaugurated in the year 1899 and has been in existence for 125 years. Over the years, the SSC has produced some of the country’s greatest cricketers who earned their places with pride in Sri Lanka’s National Cricket Team and proved their worth to the world.
Although first established as a cricket club, and with cricket being the core sport and activity to this day, the SSC has grown and evolved over the years to offer so much more. A notable trailblazer in sports activities, today the SSC offers fully equipped facilities for Tennis, Swimming, Badminton, Squash, Billiard/Snooker, Table Tennis as well as a fully equipped gymnasium.
As a result, the club has produced many great sportsmen and women who have gone on to shine on national and international levels. Among the great cricketing legends that began their playing careers at SSC are Anura Tennekoon, Duleep Mendis, Sunil and Sidath Wettimuny, Roy Dias, Arjuna Ranatunga, Pramodya Wickremasinghe, Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardene, Nuwan Zoysa, Thilina Kandamby, Chamara Kapugedara, Dasun Shanaka, Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka.
The club has produced 130 cricketers who went onto represent Sri Lanka in different formats and different eras, out of which 85 players represented the country after gaining test status.
Big names in Tennis such as Arjun Fernando, Rohan de Silva, Jayendra Wijesekara, Sanjay Wijemanne and Amritha Muttiah have honed their skills at the SSC courts.
The SSC has produced numerous swimming champions over the years such as Mike Anthoniz, Timothy Speldewinde, Natasha Kodithuwakku, Geffari Dulapandan, Theekshana Ratnasekara, Dipika Chanmugan, Chaturi Abeykoon, Arun and Ravin Karunaratne and Ranjula and Anjali Agalawatte. The SSC is also proud to have produced Squash Champions such as Navin Samarasinghe, Yasmin Zarook and Padmini Samarasinghe.
The celebrations of club’s anniversary milestone will be spearheaded by a special gala event held at the Shangri La Hotel in Colombo. This evening of celebration will be graced by the President, HE Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prof. Mrs. Maithree Wickremesinghe and will include the launch of an iconic book detailing the club’s extraordinary 125-year history.
In addition, a special postage stamp on First Day Cover will also be issued. This will be followed by an elegant 4-course dinner, spectacular entertainment and the presence of sports legends.
Among the list of distinguished invitees will be Mr. Nasser Hussein – former England cricket captain and international commentator, Mr. Simon Tauffel – three-time winner of the ICC Umpire of the year award as well as the local greats who represented SSC at cricket and went on to become National Captains.
Deshabandu Ranjan Madugalle – ICC Chief Match Referee and life member of the club will make a special address as the guest speaker for the occasion.
