Toss of coin relegates Matara Sports Club to Division III
It will sadden the veteran members of the 110-year-old Matara Sports Club and its cricket fans when they learn that the oldest cricket club in Matara has been demoted from the Division II ‘Donovan Andree Trophy Cricket tournament’ to Division III of the All-Island Inter-Club Cricket Tournament conducted by Sri Lanka Cricket.
Matara Sports Club played in Sri Lanka Cricket’s Premier cricket tournament from 1998 to 2001.
Matara SC boasts of having all the facilities a cricket club requires
The relegation match between Matara SC and 2014 Division III champions Old Thurstanites SC was hampered by rain and the result was finally decided by the toss of a coin, and even lady luck did not favour MSC.
It is learnt that an appeal made by MSC in this regard is pending.
Even if the appeal is successful, the present administration and the members who voted to appoint them to office should take full responsibility for the predicament of the club ending at the bottom of the points table of this year’s (2014) Donovan Andree tournament. Twenty seven clubs took part in the tournament.
Members of the Matara SC have been playing cricket for the past 110 years and have even played in Sri Lanka’s premier club tournament from 1998 to 2001. The Club has two votes when it comes to appointing the controlling body of the game and it is these two votes and the perks that are attached to it that has put the club’s cricket way down in the administration’s list of priorities.
It should be mentioned once again that maintaining the standard of cricket at the club has not been the aim of the presentadministration as they have failed to motivate a team which at least could have held on to their position in Division II.
Matara SC has the advantage of having all the facilities including a club house and priority in using the practice wickets at Uyanwatte.
The Old Thomians’ Cricket Club in Matara who were promoted to the Donovan Andree Trophy tournament by virtue of winning the Division III title in 2012 qualified to play in this years’ quarter-finals and the Old Servatian’s CA&FC who fielded a team of school cricketers managed to safeguard their place in the Division II tournament.
As cricket has become a lucrative business, most clubs pay their players attractive match fees and incentives based on performance, which is believed was one of the reasons that Matara SC was unable to attract and motivate their players.
Although the present president of the Matara SC, Dr. Sanjaya Sedara Senarath was gracious enough to invite the Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket’s selection committee, Sanath Jayasuriya who has been very critical of the standard of cricket in the district to accept the post of President and revive the Matara SC at last year’s AGM, the former dashing opener and national skipper was compelled to decline the offer as no one else was willing to step down to make way for a new administration.
If Jayasuriya and his team were elected to office the predicament of cricket at the 110-year-old Matara SC may have been different.
It’s time that the members of the club come up with an action plan for next year’s tournament.