The Col Henry Steele Olcott Memorial Cricket Tournament will this year be organized by the Dharmaraja College Cricket Foundation to be played from December 8 to 10 at the Asgiriya International Stadium in Kandy.
The eight-team competition features leading schools established by Col Olcott in Sri Lanka, Ananda, Nalanda, Mahinda, Dharmapala, Maliyadeva, Dharmasoka, Rahula and this year’s hosts Dharmaraja College.
Played among cricket teams formed by the eight premier Buddhist schools, the three-day event is expected to feature former top class national players and former first-class players who played cricket at the highest level, representing their respective schools, top domestic clubs and the country.
The tournament has two segments involving present players and past players of the eight schools during the three days.
The semi-finals and finals will be played on the final day and the eight schools have confirmed their respective list of players which includes well-known names.
Ananda College includes former national stars such as Arjuna Ranatunga, Thilina Kandamby, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara and Sanjeewa Ranatunga.
Former all rounder Upul Chandana turns out for his alma mater Mahinda College.
Maliyadeva College has included former national caps Ranjith Madurasinghe and Jeewantha Kulatunga in their list of players. Former fast bowler and present national chief selector Pramodya Wickramasinghe is among the list of players released by Rahula College, Matara.
The inaugural tournament was played in 1999 hosted by Nalanda College and pioneered by the late Bandula Warnapura, the first Test cricket captain of Sri Lanka. Mahinda College boasts of the most number of titles won outright, which is seven, Dharmasoka has won it five times and joint champs on three other occasions.
Ananda College and Maliyadeva College have won it on three occasions and Dharmapala College Pannipitiya twice while Dharmaraja and Nalanda won it once each.
