Henry Steele Olcott Memorial Cricket Tournament
Encyclopedia
The Henry Steel Olcott Memorial Cricket
Tournament is conducted annually among the past cricketers of eight premier Buddhist schools in Sri Lanka
in honour of Col. Olcott, the founder of Buddhist education in Sri Lanka. The organizing function in each year is rotated among each participating Old Boy Associations
. About this time, groups Old Boys of Nalanda, Dharmaraja and Ananda were meeting informally in the evenings at the Bloomfield Cricket Club. It was during one of these gatherings that the idea of a limited over tournament among the Old Boys of the major cricket playing Buddhist Schools was proposed by the 1st Test Captain of Sri Lanka, Bandula Warnapura of Nalanda. Accordingly, the first tournament of the series was held by the Old Nalandian Sports Club on 12 th December 1999 at the Nalanda College Grounds.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
Tournament is conducted annually among the past cricketers of eight premier Buddhist schools in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
in honour of Col. Olcott, the founder of Buddhist education in Sri Lanka. The organizing function in each year is rotated among each participating Old Boy Associations
Beginning
This cricket tournament was started in 1999 following the 75 th Anniversary Celebrations of Nalanda CollegeNalanda College
Nalanda College is a Buddhist school in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The college was established by P. de S...
. About this time, groups Old Boys of Nalanda, Dharmaraja and Ananda were meeting informally in the evenings at the Bloomfield Cricket Club. It was during one of these gatherings that the idea of a limited over tournament among the Old Boys of the major cricket playing Buddhist Schools was proposed by the 1st Test Captain of Sri Lanka, Bandula Warnapura of Nalanda. Accordingly, the first tournament of the series was held by the Old Nalandian Sports Club on 12 th December 1999 at the Nalanda College Grounds.
Participants
- Ananda CollegeAnanda CollegeAnanda College , Colombo which is considered as the leading National school in Sri Lanka, was established on November 1, 1886, by the Buddhist Theosophical Society led by Colonel Henry Steel Olcott...
, Colombo - Dharmaraja College, Kandy
- Dharmasoka CollegeDharmasoka CollegeDharmasoka College, Ambalangoda, is a leading mix school in Sri Lanka. The college was established in 1913.It is one of the educational institute supported by the Buddhist Theosophical Society led by Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, and accordingly is one of Sri Lanka's oldest schools...
, Ambalangoda - Dharmapala VidyalayaDharmapala VidyalayaDharmapala Vidyalaya, Pannipitiya, established in 1942 on land owned by Anagarika Dharmapala, is a leading Buddhist school in Sri Lanka. It is a national school and provides primary and secondary education.-Donation of the land:...
, Pannipitiya - Maliyadeva CollegeMaliyadeva CollegeMaliyadeva College, Kurunegala, is a government school established in 1888, by the Buddhist Theosophical Society led by Colonel Henry Steel Olcott. It is one of Sri Lanka's oldest schools and considered by many to be a leading Buddhist school in Sri Lanka.It is a National School and controlled by...
, Kurunegala - Mahinda CollegeMahinda CollegeMahinda College is a Buddhist boys' school in Galle, Sri Lanka. It is a national school, which provides primary and secondary education. The school was established on March 1, 1892 by the Buddhist Theosophical Society led by Colonel Henry Steel Olcott...
, Galle - Nalanda CollegeNalanda CollegeNalanda College is a Buddhist school in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The college was established by P. de S...
, Colombo - Rahula CollegeRahula collegeRahula College is a boys' school in Sri Lanka, located in Matara district - . Though it was originally a Buddhist school,now it is run by the Government of Sri Lanka as a National School. It was one of the first schools which was converted to a National School...
, Matara.
Past Venues and Winners
| Year | Host School | Champion |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Nalanda College | Maliyadeva College |
| 2000 | Dharmasoka College | Dharmaraja College |
| 2001 | Dharmapala College | Dharmasoka College |
| 2002 | Mahinda College | Ananda College & Dharmasoka College |
| 2003 | Rahula College | Ananda College & Dharmasoka College |
| 2004 | Ananda College | Dharmashoka College |
| 2005 | Dharmasoka College & Maliyadewa College | |
| 2006 | Dharmapala Vidyalaya | |
| 2007 | ||
| 2008 | ||
| 2009 | Dharmapala Vidyalaya | Ananda College |
External links
- Ananda Net
- 2007 Championship:The Daily Mirror