Colombo Malay Cricket Club celebrate 125th anniversary (6 Nov 1997)

Thursday 06, November 1997

Colombo Malay Cricket Club celebrate 125th anniversary

memoirs

To mark the happy celebrations of the one hundred and twenty fifth anniversary of the Colombo Malay Cricket Club (C.M.C.C.). It is appropriate to present this modest publication which contains not so much a detailed narrative of events from year to year, but a broad survey highlighting some of the main events that we have on record.

We earnestly hope that the contents of this publication will be of great value to the sportsmen, historians, and will instill in the members, a renewed spirit of unity and co-operation and that it would also create amongst our well-wishers, participants and others a great awareness of the significant contribution which the C M C C has made to the life of the community and the Nation.

The Malays could boast that they are the pioneer race to play cricket in Ceylon and it is none other than with the Britishers who ruled and were their teammates in the armed service, so much so, Malays were also the pioneers in establishing sports institutions in Sri Lanka and their CMCC is the oldest Ceylon sports club today.

In early 1900, there were two Malay clubs in Colombo - the CMCC, who were given the house of Rifle Green by the British Government and the Malay sports, the Galle Face Battery. The majority of the latter confined themselves to Soccer and their successors gradually teamed up the famous `Java Lane' Sports Club, which gave birth to some of the famous All Ceylon Soccerties and the few who could afford to form the Orient Sports Club on March 4th 1923. A photograph of its players in possession with M. A. Sourjah, where you will find B. H. Sourjah (father of M.A.) Z. S. Mantara, J. A. Cuttilan and others.

S. P. Foenander in his 60 years of Ceylon Cricket (1924) says that C M C C was initiated in 1871, inaugurated in 1872 and its statistics commenced in 1879.

It is on record that in 1925 the foundation stone of the CMCC pavilion and the Jainudeen Memorial Hall at the Rifle Green was laid by the Hon. Morrison, officer commanding troops in Ceylon.

The late Mudliyar A. I. Jainudeen was the life blood and the backbone for the structures that were erected mostly out of his own funds at the Rifle Green for the C M C C.

It is that within one year, the Pavilion and the Jainudeen Memorial Hall were opened in 1926 by His Excellency Sir Hugh Clifford, Governor of Ceylon.

When World War II broke out Rifle Green was requisitioned in 1939 and commandeered in 1942. Long after the war in 1945, the British Government honourably returned the Rifle Green and arrangements were afoot to restore its green to its pristine glory. However, the Malays were perturbed and disappointed and when they were rebuffed that plans were ahead to convert Rifle Green as Slave Island Police Station and quarters for their officers, now what is it to be seen today, and therefore, were asked to cease any adaption.

The challenge was well taken up chivalrously by the determined vibrant, the late Mr. Zahiere Lye together with the staunch members who rallied round him. They kept their club going unshaken with the odds against them with the sole object of getting their lost rights. Mass meetings, rallies and get-togethers were regularly held, while they negotiated for a new plot of land, nowhere other than at their ancestral district, Slave Island. At a Malay rally, Mr. Zahiere Lye said, ``look at these young Malay men and women. They have no place for sports, recreation, social get-togethers. Pray with me that the Padang project will be a success soon. We have waited long.''

At the dawn of Independence in 1948 it was the talk in club houses of the town, that the CMCC was the first of its kind to fling open the doors to all communities in Ceylon.

The struggle and the sacrifice of the Malays were not in vain. The Government held no choice but forced by the pressure, to finally transfer the Rifle Green in November 1951 with the provision that the CMCC should be allowed to use the pavilion, and till such time a temporary replacement became available. In 1957, they lost their pavilion too, and were asked to occupy a `Police Hut' at Kew Road (now jalang padang) Slave Island when the `Ceylon Observer' highlighted on February 11, 1957 `Rifle Green is no more the house of the Malays, and the ground is spotted with grey buildings, flats for the Policemen.'

Nevertheless the persevering did not languish without a ground and pavilion of their own for 15 years. It was during the regime of the late Mr. S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, the Malays were allotted in 1955, sufficient land for their pavilion and grounds where we are today - the Padang, where two years later the ground was well tended, groomed and pitched and transformed to an ideal playground and a model pavilion erected as can be seen today, with slight modifications that could well accommodate 200 persons at a time was declared open in 1960 September 3 by the Governor Sir Oliver Gunatileke.

The success for this great leap we have to thank the benign government at that time for also granting an ex gratia payment of Rs. 9500, Mr. Donavan Andree for his donation of Rs. 50,000, Mr.T.M.F. Dole for designing and Mr. M.D. Baskaran for engineering and personal supervision of this pavilion.

Though the CMCC today is far better off in every material aspects - increased membership, funds, well maintained grounds, modern equipment and facilities for players and members, well furnished rooms and halls, the real sportsmen of the club like revelry, frolic, amusement and prime important achievements what predecessors created, maintained and excelled is lacking in today's context as it may be observed from the sequel.

1892 - CMCC was the first to beat the indomitable Clots Cricket Club that was monopolised by the Europeans at that time in a historical match at the Rifle Green.

1895 - S.S. Hassan of the CMCC was the first Ceylonese to find a place in the All Ceylon side which was at that time exclusively dominated by the Europeans to play against the Straits Settlements, which team included Major Henry McCallum who came to Ceylon as the Governor.

1907 - CMCC is the first sports institution in Ceylon to undertake a tour abroad and play cricket against a foreign team in Bombay, India.

1910 - The CMCC scored against formidable Colts Cricket Club a century at Request Club. the next century was scored in 1940 - 30 years later.

1914 - A. C. Ahamat of CMCC, crowning effect was when he captained the first Ceylonese team that met and beat a powerful Australian team led by Mr. E. P. Waddy.

1920 - CMCC was a club cricket champion team in Ceylon under the captaincy of Patron T. K. Burah, a lawyer.

1961 - CMCC Hockey team won the Pioneer Shield and Bacon Cup Tournament under Captain T. S. Adahan.

1970 - The CMCC achieved a unique distinction when they sent out the first ever Colombo Club Hockey team from Ceylon to take part in a foreign tournament. They participated under Captain T.M.S. Saldin in the 25th Annual Hockey Tournament, G. Kuppasamy Naido Memorial in India.

To my mind, unity, understanding and un-selfishness in a large measure seems necessary to put matters right.

We are Malays

With pride of sacred race

In a spirit of equality

Work towards unity in diversity.

Source :: Daily News (https://www.lanka.net)