Sydney Sri lanka Cricketers To Tour Sri Lanka (14 Jan 1996)

Sydney Sri Lankan cricketers to tour Sri Lanka.

By Muditha Dias reporting from Sydney

The Sri Lanka Lions Sports Club of Sydney, the premier Sri Lankan cricket club in Australia is due to arrive in Colombo on the 20th of January 1996 for a two-week cricket tour of Sri Lanka.

They will be playing matches in Colombo, Kurunegala, Kandy, Badulla, Tissa, Matara and Horana. The Lions Sports Club boasts a twenty year existence in Australia keeping Sri Lankan traditions alive in the cricket fields of Sydney.

``We have kept the Sri Lankan flag flying on most cricket grounds from Canberra and Sydney to Queensland,`` says the president and founder of the club, Mr. Kularatne de Silva. He adds that the club has an enormous influence in sports related activities amongst the Sri Lankans in Sydney.

The tour is the culmination of a long and hard journey on a sometimes difficult track, says Prasanna Kariyawasam regarded as the backbone of the club and the captain of the club since its inception. Prasanna was a former best schoolboy batsman and captain of Royal College in 1975.

The club has provided resident Sri Lankans in and around Sydney the opportunity to play competitive cricket. Hundreds of cricketers had arrived in Sydney after playing some sort of cricket in Sri Lanka and have been afforded the opportunity to continue to play the game through the club.

More importantly, the club has succeeded in creating a sense of togetherness amongst Sri Lankans regardless of their race and social backgrounds.

The influence of the club has spread far and wide, even to nonsporting activities. The club is regarded as the unofficial hosts to visiting sporting dignitaries and the visiting Sri Lankan Test team has been received with a dinner on all four occasions hosted by the club. The club is indeed happy, honoured and proud of these achievements.

Source:: Lake House/Lanka Internet Services