Perhaps the most appealing quality of the Nondescripts Cricket Club is the fundamental philosophy enshrined in its name. Nondescripts. It succinctly informs all its cricketers that whatever feelings of entitlement they harbor should be left outside its gtes, and that all that really matters inside is strength of character and depth of will.

The club presently stands on the cusp of its 125th anniversary celebrations- set for November 23- and a glance over its shoulder will reveal a broad field of silverware. More importantly though, there are the names. Aravinda de Silva, Kumar Sangakkara, Ranjan Madugalle, Michael Tissera, Vernon Prins, Lasith Malinga. These are just a few of the thunderous echoes of inspiration and virtuosity that the NCC has sent rippling across local and foreign waters.

NCC stalwart Ranjit Fernando

Created on March 19 1888, the club’s reputation as a pantheon of champions is elevated by a string of 16 significant titles stretching across the majority of its existence, from the P. Saravanamuttu Trophy to the Premier Championship.

Past President and player Ranjit Fernando, who is also somewhat of a savant in the club’s lore, says that most crucially the club has kept the national field fertile by shoveling it with rich talent.

“The NCC’s bigger goal was to develop cricketers for the benefit of Sri Lanka Cricket. To fashion national cricketers and we have been very successful in doing that,” he states.

“If you look at the early days you can see this, right from the time of Malcolm Spittel, Stanley Jayasinghe then Michael Tissera, who captained Ceylon in their first-ever win against Pakistan and after that against India and that really set things in motion for Sri Lanka to be admitted into Test cricket.

“A lot of NCC players also went on to contribute in other ways to cricket. For instance Ranjan Madugalle became a Chief Match Referee and Asoka de Silva went into the Elite Panel of Umpires.”

The legendary NCC ground and its club house. - Pix by Indika Handuwala

The NCC has also made its mark in the sports of swimming, tennis, badminton and billiards, housing successful programmes led by Julian Bolling, Manik Pereira, Rohan Ratnayake and Roshan Madawala respectively.

However, regardless of all its considerable achievements, the NCC still seeks to heighten its sporting contribution, particularly in cricket where it wishes to reinforce its ability to nourish the national ranks.

But Fernando, although optimistic about the club’s capacity to continue in this role, realizes that club cricket now finds itself on shaky ground, with dwindling or oftentimes non-existent crowds, escalating costs and players, caught up in the professional whirlpool the game now generates, unwilling to return and assist clubs as they did in the past.

He cautions that this in the long-run could directly harm the quality of national cricket by destroying the mechanism which essentially laid the groundwork for the country’s World Cup victory and its subsequent visits to the event’s finals.“What is the pride of Sri Lanka cricket? If a foreigner comes here and wants to see our cricket what will we show him? We will have to show the NCC, Tamil Union, the SSC. There is nothing else. (Stadiums like) the Premadasa are mountains of concrete but these places reveal the active operation of the sport in the country,” he exerts.

A cursory glance around the NCC though will quickly reveal that it is still loaded with its lifeblood: eager cricketers. They are present in every corner and in all ages, shapes and sizes, from the raw but determined youngsters being coached at the club’s pioneer academy, which functions under the discerning gaze of veteran coach Lionel Mendis, to the practiced efficiency and skill of training senior team members.

This bespeaks of the enduring, founding mantra enmeshed in its name. That no matter who you are, if it’s cricket you love and want to play, the NCC will accommodate you with open arms but ones that will also mould you to exude the finest qualities expected of an ardent practitioner of the sport.

Fernando, who gained prominence in the sport thanks largely to the lessons he learnt at the club, passionately testifies to this.
“If you really look at what NCC stands for, it has made complete cricketers. It has made gentlemen out of its players. They could have joined in any form but when they left NCC they left as complete cricketers and absolute gentlemen.”