COLOMBO: It might be mere coincidence but a farewell match of a Sinhalese cricketing legend on a Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club ground echoes the sentiments of present in Sri Lanka. That Sri Lanka Cricket has chosen a ground vandalised during the anti-Tamil riots in 1983 for a farewell match of Kumar Sangakkara over his home ground Kandy or the more prestigious SSC reflects how things have moved on.
For any first-timer at the P Saravanamutthu Oval, nurtured over the years by TUCC, the colonial ambiance is eerily reminiscent of the Madras Cricket Club enclosure at MA Chidambaram Stadium, with the wooden tapestry and Burma-teak chairs. The names on the large wooden planks that indicate the stands are quintessentially Tamil — T Murugesar Stand, M Sathasivam Stand or Sathi Coomaraswamy Stand. The insignia — embossed with the face of a tiger, two fishes, bow and arrow and harp — conveys the Tamil forebears.
As the name connotes, its genesis too was on racial lines. “At that that time most other communities had their sports clubs, like the SSC (Sinhalese Sports Club) and Burghers Recreation Club. So the founding fathers thought why not establish a club for the Tamils and thus started the TUCC,” narrated Suresh Murugesar, vice-president of TUCC.
In due course, it became the epicenter of cricket. “When we sought the government’s help for ground in the early 1940s, they have us the worst land possible. While other clubs like the SSC got plots in prime spaces, we got marsh land in the outskirts. But then president Sathi Coomaraswamy was confident we could convert this into a nice ground, which we did in a couple of years,” he recollected.
However, history was again cruel. When communal riots broke out in 1983, TUCC too felt the brunt, as the ground was overrun by rioters. “They just went by the name and vandalised the office and ground. It was unfortunate in that we also had Sinhalese players and members. Even now we have more Sinhalese than Tamil players. I am a Sinhalese and I captained the club,” said secretary Dileepa Wickramasinghe. But it resiliently recovered. “We had to start right from scratch. With the help of our members, we managed some sponsors and spent from our own pocket to rebuild the stadium,” he said. In another two years, it resumed hosting cricket.
However, P Sara Oval was thrust into international wilderness for eight years (1994 to 2002). “It’s very evident what happened. Our ground was in perfect condition, but we got no matches,” chimed in Murugesar. But nothing changed their cricket-first outlook. “Of course, we try to promote and protect Tamil players. We have extended our scouting programme to Jaffna. But the club is open to all, irrespective of race, or colour,” he emphasised.