Ladies cricket tour
Excitement rippled through the team at Auckland Airport as the twelve young cricketers and thirteen supporters came together for a journey they had been dreaming about for months. The North Harbour–Auckland (NHA) Ladies XI Cricket Tour was finally underway. What followed over the next 11 days surpassed every expectation: hard-fought matches, cultural discovery, breathtaking excursions and memories that will stay with the group for a life time. In this article, players Augustine Malcolm, Luna Burn, Dorothea Waldron and Deanna Mathew reflect on the tour and what made it so special.
We arrived at the Colombo International Airport around midnight where we were met by our tour organiser Mr. Amita Weerakoon who is a Sri Lankan born New Zealander and the director of the Takapuna District Cricket Club. He took to our hotel in the town of Negombo, a 25-minute bus ride from the airport.
The next morning, we woke to the sound of waves from the vast Indian-ocean rolling onto Negobo’s beautiful golden-sand beach. On the beach, locals were launching their fishing boats to start their working day.
After breakfast, we headed to the Free Trade Zone ground in Katunayake for our first game of cricket against a very strong Sri Lankan Development team.
The cricket ground was one of the best and the biggest our players have played on. Once the game started, we quickly realised that our opponents were of international class. Playing against such a calibre of talent was challenging, and we were well beaten, but it was a very good learning experience and a great opportunity to test ourselves against top-quality opponents.
On day three, we travelled to the city of Kandy, visiting the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage enroute. The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is an orphanage, nursery and captive breeding ground for wild Asian elephants located at Pinnawala village. Pinnawala is notable for having the largest herd of captive elephants in the world.
Luna Burns, who plays for Selwyn College’s 1st XI, said, “Visiting the elephants at the elephant orphanage, walking with them down to the water and being allowed to hug, pat and splash them with water was probably my highlight of the tour”. It was a sentiment shared by many of the players.
On day four, the NHA Ladies played against a strong Kandy District Ladies XI in a T20 game at the St Anthoney’s College ground in Katugastotte. The NHA Ladies played a very strong game, despite losing to the strong local team that included some current Sri Lankan U19 players.
In the evening, the NHA Ladies group visited the sacred Temple of the Tooth, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Sri Dalada Maligawa commonly known in English as the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, is a Buddhist temple in Kandy that houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha. Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country.
On day five, the team headed to Colombo. Enroute, we visited the Geragama Tea Factory and witness the process of manufacturing world famous Ceylon Tea.
Sri Lanka is one of the world's largest tea producers, known for its high-quality Ceylon tea, which significantly contributes to the country's economy and exports. It was interesting to get to see this side of things.
At our first game in Colombo, the NHA group and the Sri Lankan Women’s A team were privileged to have the New Zealand High Commissioner His Excellency Mr David Pine as the chief guest. We were also honoured to be visited by the legendary Sri Lankan Cricketer Rumesh Rathnayake, who handed out the after-match awards to the players.
As the tour pushed forward, two local players, Yenuli and Poornima, from joined our team to help us make up the numbers. During our playing day in Kandy, we grew close to these wonderful girls, and even though they were shy, we started to really understand the Sri Lankan hospitality and kindness. After the two games, we were sad to part ways but grateful for the time we spent with them. However, the next day at the ground in Colombo, we were delighted to see Yenuli and Poornima again, the pair joining us on the squad for four more games!
Next we travelled to the Coastal town of Galle. Enroute to Galle, the group visited a Sea Turtle Hatchery in Kosgoda, where we got to see where the turtles are raised and even handle some of them.
The team visiting a sea turtle sanctuary in Kosgoda
That afternoon, after checking in at the hotel, we visited the Dutch Fort and another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Founded in the 16th century by the Portuguese, Galle reached the height of its development in the 18th century, before the arrival of the British. It is the best example in South and Southeast Asia of a fortified city built by Europeans, showing the interaction between European architectural styles and South Asian traditions.
Selwyn College 1st XI player Augustine Malcolm said “Watching a lot of cricket and the tours New Zealand has of Sri Lanka, I was used to seeing the Galle Dutch Fort from afar and in the background of the cricket broadcast but being able to see it up close was amazing.
“Yes, the fort itself was astonishing, but to me, what really stood out was the beautiful sights happening around the fort: people fling kites with their families and LOTS of cricket being played on make-shift pitches. It was gorgeous to see the true nature of the spirit surrounding the fort!”
Though we had more losses than wins on this tour, this was a truly unforgettable trip thanks to all the cricketing, cultural, educational and luxury experiences we had on tour.
Dorothea Waldron, a Takapuna Grammar School 1st XI player said that “The Sri Lankan cricket tour was an incredible opportunity to learn and enjoy the culture and cricket of a foreign country while making unforgettable memories along the way!
The Foundation's Research Programme publishes surveys, reports, and insights briefs relating to all aspects of New Zealand’s relationships with and interests in Asia. We also provide grants to emerging scholars with Asia-related research interests.
