Trinity’s Asgiriya Stadium 100 years old…..

The Trinity College International Stadium, located in the heart of Kandy at Asgiriya is one hundred years old this year. One hundred years ago, a sheer cliff face was gradually transformed into one of the loveliest little cricket grounds in this country. This huge task of making this ground possible took over five years to complete. Every student and staff during this period of time lent a hand to make it a reality.

Now this is the home ground of Trinity College, and all past and present students are very proud of this most prestigious school and the facilities available. Given the lack of flat space over here in the hills, the ground was carved straight out of the hill behind the pavilion before being leveled by ten feet, and so the end result is one of the most beautiful cricket playing grounds on earth.

Ever since Rev. A.G. Fraser assumed office, in 1904, was conscious of the lack of a playing field. In 1906 the acquisition of Woodlands behind the Chapel for the principal’s residence, where the staff flat, admitted of an extension to cricket pitch. With 400 students, out of which 200 were boarders, the school needed an adequate cricket field, and the possible site was Asgiriya, only about 300 yards from the school, through the Adhanamaluwa, which was just five minutes walk.

It was a bit of a slope jungle land belonging to the Army. It consisted of two hills, one high and one low, and was V-shaped. The land belonged to the War office, who made no direct use of it, so the War department gave this waste, uneven land.

Besides Rev A.G. Fraser, one other man, who gave of his best was non other than D.J.A. Jayasinghe, the master of this project, who was a staff member since 1893. And the Kandy Municipality helped by lending trucks for transport of earth-cutting.

In 1910 one hundred and five years ago permission was given to start work at Asgiriya grounds by the White Military men . And it was completed in 1915 and the grounds was ceremonially opened on January 15, 1915. This opening ceremony took place after the Schools annual prize distribution, which was held in he school hall under the patronage of Sir Robert Chalmers the governor, soon after the prize giving he drove to Asgiriya and in presence of a large crowd formally opened the new playing field of the school, with its pavilion and gymnasium.

On this day a cricket match was played at 4.30 pm. On a single clay wicket, between a combined team of past and present players of Trinity College against Dr. V.R. Schokman’s team from Bambalapitiya. The first delivery was sent down by R. Ellawela to Trinity’s Richard Aluwihare and it is said that it was lofted to mid wicket. Bambalapitiya made 120 C.T. Mathaysz 42, B.M. Ondaatjee 17, V.S. de Krester 14, C. Kelaart 11, L. de Krester 11, B.Ondaatje 10. R. Aiyadyurain took 7 for 34 – the home side did not bat due to bad light.

The first inter school match to be played at this venue was between Trinity College and S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia, that was on January 25, 1915, which game the Trinitians won by an innings. Since the playing field was ready in 1915, after that various changes have taken place at this venue. The Old Pavilion still stands. The old scoreboard ha been replaced, by a similar one in front of the Old Trinitians Sports Club. The old scoreboard was a gift of the Old Boys, who collected money for it during a match against St. Thomas’ College.

In 1982, test cricket status was granted to Sri Lanka. In order to improve the infrastructure of its international venues. the late Gamini Dissanayake took to turning Asgiriya nto a Test playing ground. At that time Gamini was the President of Sri Lanka Cricket formally known as the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka. He upgrade ground to International status with the permission of then principal, the late Rev. Dr. W.G. Wickremasinghe. He used modern machinery and within a short period of only 150 days made the ground to international standards. On June 6, 1981 Gamini Dissanayake as the President of the Cricket Governing Body, cut the first sod to start work and on February 5, 1982, the then President of the country an old Royalist who was a cricket lover late J.R. Jayewardene ceremonially opened the stadium amidst a vast gathering.

This ground became Sri Lanka’s second Test venue, after the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, earlier known as Oval. Within a few days, the first International cricket match was played between Keith Fletcher’s England team and the Sri Lanka side led by Duleep Mendis. And the first official Test to be played at this venue was between Greg Chappell’s Australian side and Duleep Mendis’s Sri Lanka team.

For all these good work there were people, who should never be forgotten . The turf wicket was prepared by T.M. Omardeen under the supervision of Abu Fuard who coordinated on behalf of the Cricket Board, with J.J.D. Shaw Wilson as the first curator. During that time people from all walks of life in Kandy extended their support to the late Gamini Dissanayake.

The Chairman of the project was the late Rev. W.G. Wickremasinghe the Principal, late S. Bandaranayake, late H.M. Halimdeen, Harindra Dunuwille, late Kavan Rambukwella, Jayantha Jayawardene, late Rohan Wijenayake, all old boys of Trinity College, Col. Lenoard M de Alwis representing Trinity College, Gamini Kannangara and S. Mubarak from the Water Resources Board were some of the officials who did a tremendous amount of work to make this ground an International Stadium.

At this venue Sri Lanka’s first Test win at Asgiriya came in 1998 against Zimbabwe, it was this writer who was the Lasion Officer of the Zimbabwe team. More success soon followed in the coming years as Sri Lanka won their first Test against Australia in 1999, which still remains the Sri Lanka’s only Test win against Australia. This ground also hosted a 1996 World Cup fixture between Sri Lanka and Kenya, where Sri Lanka made a record 398, the highest score at the time; in this game too this writer was the Lasion Officer of the Kenyan team.

This Stadium has hosted a total of 22 Test Matches and seven of them were won by Sri Lanka. Test Matches were played regularly until the last match, which was in 2007 with the English Cricket Team in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka won that Test, with Muttiah Muralitharan claiming his 709th Test wicket to go past Shane Warne as the highest wicket taker.

Incidentally this is the only test match venue to be owned by a school in Sri Lanka, this is a unique cricket venue in many ways. Owners of this ground Trinity College. This ground helps most of the schools and clubs in Kandy. The school finds it difficult to maintain. Sri Lanka Cricket should come forward to give a hand to this ground, and also the Sports Ministry under the leadership of Minister Naveen Dissanayake the son of that great man Gamini Dissanayke who made this ground a International one, also can give the much wanted support. It will be fitting tribute to late Gamini Dissanayake if in this centenary year of the grounds they can name the new pavilion as Gamini Dissanayake pavilion, which was built by him, for the great service he dd to cricket.

Asgiriya has been a venue which has attracted some of the World’s great cricketers who visited this country, to name some of them – Herbert Sutcliff, Keith Miller, Tom Graveney, Brian Close, Frank Worrell, Fazal Mohamed, Bill Lawry, Colin Cowdrey, John Edrich, Tony Greig, Jack Hobbs, Leslie Ames, Lindsay Hassett, Sunil Gavaskar, Ajith Wadekar, Geoff Boycott, Kapil Dev, Intikab Alam, Majid Khan, Imran Khan, Javaed Miandad, Mustaq Mohamed, Zaheer Abbas, Wasim Akram, Richard Hadlee, Denis Lille, Jef Thomson, Bob Simson, Ian Chappel, Sachin Tendulkar, Vivian Richards, Garry Sobers, Brain Lara, Shane Warne, Greg Chappel, Wasim Akram, Mohamed Azzarudin, Rameez Raja and Inzamamul Haq.

Thanks to Rev. A.G. Fraser and D.J.A. Jayasinghe, the later died in the year 1922, in accordance with his wishers he was buried at Asgiriya, the grave is just behind the new pavilion.

Philip was the first ground boy, Marhtenis who worked as a lad under Philip later succeeded him and retired in 1964 after 50 years of service, Victor Fernando (Witty) followed him and later it was Wikcremapala all from Marthenis family, even the present man Nimal is form the same family.