East Coast Cricket Festival the Annual Big Match in the US
New Jersey, USA— The Old Boys’ cricket tradition continued in the United States as the East Coast Cricket Festival, one of the most eagerly anticipated events among the Sri Lankan diaspora, was held last Saturday in New Jersey. Close to a thousand spectators were on hand to cheer their favourite alumni teams and enjoy the festivities on a day of gorgeous spring weather.
After 15 first round games, which saw much high- quality cricket from 10 teams, Ananda, Royal, Trinity, and St. Joseph’s reached the semi-finals. In the final match, the Royal College team defeated the Josephians to receive the Henry Steel Olcott Trophy from Athula Seneviratne, past president of the Ananda College Old Boys’ Association (ACOBA).
This is the fifth time the Royalists have claimed the trophy, with S Thomas’ trailing behind with two victories. Ananda, St. Peter’s, Nalanda and Maris Stella Colleges have one victory each.
The annual event has been organised by the ACOBA USA for 13 years in a row, according to Chandana Goonetilleke, current president of the association.
The creators of the event: Samantha Rajapakse, Lasitha Abeysekera, and Kheminda Jayawardena had been the leading students of their alma mater, Ananda College – Colombo, during the mid 1980s. Two decades later they joined hands in New Jersey, USA and came up with the idea of organizing a six-a-side cricket tourna- ment among the diasporas. The inaugural event took place in June 2006 and the old boys’ teams from Ananda, Nalanda, Royal, St. Thomas’, St. Joseph’s, St. Peters’, Trinity, as well as a combined schools team took part. Two years later, Maris Stella College – Negombo joined the event replacing the combined schools team.
The guests of honour at this year’s cricket festival included Sri Lanka’s Per manent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Dr. Rohan Perera and Mrs. Therese Perera. Ambassador Mrs. Loreen Bannis- Roberts, the Permanent Representative of Dominica was among the distinguished guests. According to Dr. Wije Kottahachchi, who facilitated the latter’s visit, Dominica is the latest country to establish diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka and also a “cricket crazy nation”. Perhaps, next year, there will be another cricket festival involving alumni teams from the Caribbean.
This is the fifth time the Royalists have claimed the trophy, with S Thomas’ trailing behind with two victories. Ananda, St. Peter’s, Nalanda and Maris Stella Colleges have one victory each