The start of the 1998-99 domestic season today sees club loyalties being thrown out of the window as some of the leading clubs find themselves helpless to stop top cricketers from joining clubs offering lucrative payments
With the Sri Lanka Cricket Board giving Rs. six lakhs for each club in the Premier competition, and this season being the final one before the number of clubs are pruned down from its present figure of 16 to 12, fringe clubs have been dangling the money as bait to attract top cricketers to boost their status.
Tamil Union and Bloomfield, are two clubs badly hit by the late transfers of key players.
Everything looked rosy for the Wanathamulla club when S. Skandakumar, a stalwart at Tamil Union and former secretary of the Cricket Board, took over the presidentship early this year. The club was looking forward to enhancing their development program with some good performances this season which would have improved their coffers.
But suddenly all their plans for a successful season have been thrown askew by four key players leaving the club.
Old warhorse Champaka Ramanayake has gone to Galle CC as the club's player cum coach and taken along with him batsmen Varuna Waragoda and Ruwin Peiris. Tamil Union have also lost the service of promising wicket-keeper batsman Indika de Saram, who has joined Colts. Last year, Chandika Hathurusingha left them and joined Moors SC.
What Tamil Union find hard to swallow is that these players whom they have helped over the years have left them at a time when they are needed most.
With skipper Muthiah Muralitharan on the injured list, they will be led by all-rounder Upul Chandana for today's Premier limited overs game against Police SC at the Sara Stadium.
Bloomfield are the other club who have been hit by transfers. They too have lost four key players, while a fifth has gone to Australia to play grade cricket.
All-rounder Ruwan Kalpage and left-hand batsman Naveed Nawaz have crossed over to NCC, while fast bowlers Ruchira Perera and Pulasthi Gunaratne have gone to SSC and Singha SC respectively. Ruchira Palliyaguru, another fast bowler is in Australia.
There was some danger of Sri Lanka players Sanath Jayasuriya (the club captain), Roshan Mahanama and Kumara Dharmasena also leaving them, but they have finally decided to stay.
Bloomfield president Shelley Wickramasinghe said that one of the main grouses the senior players had with the club was that the club was not sufficiently supporting them to ensure their selection in the national team.
Bloomfield have a tough game when they take on a full strength SSC side led by national captain Arjuna Ranatunga at Maitland Place. SSC have no problems whatsover, but have been strengthened by the arrival of batsman Avishka Gunawardana (from NCC), left-arm fast bowler Ruchira Perera (from Bloomfield) and all-rounder Tilan Samaraweera (from Colts). A question mark still hangs above the head of left-arm fast bowler Nuwan Zoysa, who although recovered from his side strain, is not match fit.
NCC having lost Gunawardana are hit by injuries to fast bowlers Ravindra Pushpakumara and Sajeeva de Silva and, experienced batsman Aravinda de Silva. However, skipper Hashan Tillekeratne can take heart that they have been compensated to some extent by the arrival of Kalpage and Nawaz. NCC host Antonians at Maitland Place.
Chaminda Vaas leads Colts who have lost Tilan Samaraweera, but have the services of de Saram, and fast bowlers Ajantha Lankatillake (from Matara SC) and Ishara Amerasinghe (from BRC). Colts play Havelock Park rivals BRC on the latter's grounds.
Moors SC who host Singha SC at Braybrooke Place have been considerably strengthened by Sampath Perera (from Bloomfield), Primal Salgado (from Sebastianites), Hahan Tillekeratne (from Nomads), Ashan Ranaweera (from BRC), and Ranga Herath (from Kurunegala YCC), all signing up with them. Chandika Hathurusingha, who took them to the semi-finals of the Sara trophy last season retains the leadership.
CCC v Galle CC at Maitland Crescent, Panadura SC v Sebastianites at Panadura, and Kurunegala YCC v Matara SC at Welagedera Stadium are the other matches in a card of eight matches down for decision today.