Sports

Sports

"Tamil Nadu-CDCA will give exposure to youngsters" - Bandula
The Gopalan Trophy annual cricket match revived after 17 years, will afford the talented youngsters in the district that much needed exposure at competitive level.
This was revealed to The Sunday Times by Bandula Dissnayake, the Secretary of the Colombo District Cricket Association.

This tournament was started in 1953 to honour C.J. Gopalan who won an international double for Madras (Cricket and hockey). Sri Lanka too had a double international - (Cricket and tennis) C. de Saram. He was also an administrator who served with late President J.R. Jayewardena and Robert Senanayake.

De Saram, captained the first encounter in 1953 played in Madras and won the tie. The team included Vernon Prins, Makkin Salih, Abu Fuard, Stanley Jayasinghe, Channa Gunasekera, H.T. Gunasekera, V.J. H Gunasekera, Dr. H.I.K. Fernando (wicket-keeper), C.T.A. Schaffter and Brain Claessen, etc. The Madras team had the likes of Milkah Singh, C.D. Gopinath, old Thomian Balu Alaganan, C.R. Rangaschari, who also played for India, as a paceman, and V.V. Kumar. This was much looked forward event in the Lankan Cricket calendar in the past. The first game was played at the Chepauk grounds.

Incidentally Tamil Nadu was runners-up in the recent Ranji Trophy and won the district limited over tournament. A well knit side and will arrive in the last week of Dec. 2003. The four-day game will be played from Dec. 26 to 29 at the SSC grounds. There will be three one day games played for the F.C. de Saram challenge trophy on Dec. 31 at the CCC and the second on Jan. 2, 2004 also at the CCC grounds. The final match at the NCC on Jan. - BW

Back to Sports