Mahinda and Dharmasoka joint champions

Mahinda College Galle and Dharmasoka College Ambalangoda were declared joint champions of the 22nd Col Henry Steele Olcott Memorial cricket tournament which concluded at the Uyanwatta Stadium in Matara recently.

The two teams qualified to the final but the match was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to the inclement weather that prevailed.

The Henry Steel Olcott Memorial Cricket Tournament is conducted in honour of Colonel Henry Steele Olcott the founder of Buddhist educational institutions in Sri Lanka.

The inaugural tournament was played in 1999 hosted by Nalanda College Colombo and pioneered by late Bandula Warnapura, first Test cricket captain of Sri Lanka.

Past and present cricketers of the eight ‘Olcott Schools’ namely, Ananda College Colombo, Dharmaraja College Kandy, Mahinda College Galle, Nalanda College Colombo, Maliyadeva College Kurunegala, Dharmasoka College, Dharmapala College Pannipitiya and Rahula College Matara participated in the tournament.

This tournament in this year conducted by Col Henry Steele Olcott Sports Foundation was hosted by the Rahula College Colombo OBA.

Mahinda Galle beat Dharmasoka MV Ambalangoda, Ananda Colombo and Rahula Matara in the first round. Mahinda beat Nalanda, the defending champion in the semi final.

Dharmasoka MV Ambalangoda beat Ananda Colombo, Dharmasoka lost against Mahinda and Rahula in the first round.

Dharmasoka beat Dharmaraja in the semi-final. Mahinda Galle and Dharmasoka shared the four individual awards that were on offer with Mahinda’s Dhanuja Induwara and Hiruna Gallage bagging the man of the tournament and best fielders awards while Dharmasoka’s Chamika Jayasiri and Senitha Halambage took the best batsman and best bowlers awards respectively.