Life and times of Cosmopolitan tennis
View(s):By David Stephens
Nestled at the end of Frazer Avenue, a quiet residential lane a stone’s throw away from heavy traffic and city hubbub, the Dehiwela- Mount Lavinia Cosmopolitan Sports Club has, over the years, remained among the few constants in an ever- changing locality. To those in the neighbourhood, it is a place to unwind and enjoy some good company and tennis, but to the rest of the sport’s fraternity it is one of the oldest tennis clubs in the country, with a rich tradition of crafting extremely gifted players.
Wimal Perera
Some of the top local tennis stars who have walked through its gates include Sri Lanka’s most successful men’s singles player, Arjun Fernando as well as Frank Sebaratnam, Ajith Perera and the late Arjan Perera.
“We were originally called the Dehiwela-Mount Lavinia Sports Club but later Cosmopolitan amalgamated with us and this became the Cosmopolitan Sports Club in the ’60s,” the club’s Vice President Wimal Perera divulged.
“When we started we had only a cajan hut but over the years we grew and increased our membership before becoming the first club to start a ranking tournament outside the SLTA.”
However, the late nineties were a turbulent period for the Cosmopolitan as it was acquired by the Dehiwela Municipality, a fate which stalled the club’s development and depleted its membership. At one point, according to Wimal, the club suffered the bitter fate of being used solely for its clubhouse, with its tennis courts utilized as a finely-manicured parking space.
After a few years though, the club’s administration succeeded in winning back the Cosmopolitan and steering it back on its original course of development. Sadly though one of the casualties during the Cosmopolitan’s period in a sporting wilderness was its cricket, which once had an ardent following with the club team competing in the Daily News Trophy.
Presently the Cosmopolitan Sports Club is in good health and at the moment is staging its annual Open Ranking tournament, which attracts a thick and talented fold of tennis players, from a range of divisions, to the club’s courts. Each year the competition gets fiercer and wider, with this year’s edition seeing the participation of more than 300 players.
Wimal says that the Cosmopolitan’s administration, led by President Mahinda Wickramaratne, have been helped immensely by the loyalty of their members, some of whom have stood by them even during the most difficult of times.
“Nearly all of our members are from the neighbourhood. Oftentimes several generations pass through here, with parents, who are taught tennis at the club also sending their children here, and that is why we have lasted for so long,” he explains.It also does not hurt that the club’s monthly membership fee stands at a very nominal Rs. 350, a figure the club feels attracts a broad cross section of the area’s population, thereby blurring all social boundaries.
The Cosmopolitan’s Vice President adds that the club plans to construct an additional storey for the clubhouse, which will hold a fully-equipped gym, in the not too distant future, to provide further convenience to its members.
Wimal states that in Sri Lanka there is a common misconception that tennis is a sport only for the wealthy, and this is an illusion the club wants to shatter.
“Tennis is actually a cheap sport to play because you only need a pair of shoes, shorts, a t-shirt and a tennis racquet, which you can use for three to four years. Compare this with say a sport like cricket, where a schoolboy will have to spend for two bats, shoes for fielding, batting and bowling and all the other equipment. Plus tennis is a game you can play until the day you die, which is not something you can do with most other sports.”
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