Miscellaneous

P Fernando: Cricketers At Golf In Nuwara Eliya (13 Nov 1995)

It is well-known fact that some of the world's best cricketers are keen golfers and perhaps could have made their mark in this sport if they had not chosen cricket

Cricketers at golf in Nuwara Eliya

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BY PAM FERNANDO

It is well-known fact that some of the world's best cricketers are keen golfers and perhaps could have made their mark in this sport if they had not chosen cricket.

Over the years, whenever an overseas cricket team played in the island, two or three of the keen golfers among them could be seen between matches on the fiarways of the Ridgeway golf course of the Royal Colombo.

A MAGNET

For those who had a cricket match up-country the Nuwara Eliya golf course was a magnet.

In recent memory Sir Gary Sobers, when he was on a coaching stint here in 1983, tried to get to the Nuwara Eliya course as often as he could. Sobers was ambidextrous and had a single-figure handicap playing either left or right handed.

In 1982, Ian Botham and members of the MCC team including the manager Raman Subba Row had a game at Nuwara Eliya with the ladies of the Sri Lankan Queen Sirikit team.

After thrilling the players and the audience that followed with some spectacular shots he settled into a long and enjoyable party at the 19th hole.

NARROW

The course in the 50's was described by Max Faulkner, the British Open Champion as having fairways so narrow that ``a dog running along any of them would need to wag his tail up and down''!

It was Ted Dexter who paid the Nuwara Eliya course its biggest compliment. He, Tony Lock and Peter Parfitt played there during a cricket match the MCC had in 1962 at Radella and Dexter was reputed to have said that there were two courses he would like to carry around with him - one was the world famous Pebble Beach in California and the other Nuwara Eliya.

The Asian Professional Golfers Association has chosen Nuwara Eliya golf course for its Omega Tour.

Its course, more famous than the older Royal Colombo, was known in the days of the passenger liners as the ``best hill _ side course east of Suez'', and many world famous sports men have made the trip upcountry to play there.

Source :: Lanka Internet Services