Mahamaya Girls going great guns in cricket

Mahamaya Girls’ School,Kandy established in 1932 is one of the best schools in the country in education as well as sports at present. The main sport in the school is undoubtedly swimming, in which the school has emerged All Island Champions for the last 20 years. Other than swimming the school has outstanding teams in cricket, hockey, netball, table tennis , chess and basketball. Mahamaya Girls School is one of the few schools in the Province playing softball as well as hard ball cricket.The game became popular in Mahamaya in the year 1985 when Nita Pilapitiya was the Principal of the School and at that time there were two cricket teams, Senior and Junior captained by Thushara Tennakoon and Manjula Kalpage respectively. Thushara is the sister of former Skipper of Dharmaraja College,Kandy and NCC Cricketer Thilina

The present captain of the senior cricket team of the school, Isiri Meegammana.

Tennakoon. Manjula is the sister of former Sri Lanka Test player Ruwan Kalpage and from there cricket continued at Mahamaya under the captaincy of Yasamali Hettiarachchi and Shalika Gannoruwa.

Under Yasamali’s captaincy Mahamaya Girls college won the Kandy Mayor’s Cup Softball Cricket tournament beating Swarnamali Balika in the finals in the mid nineties. Under Shalika Gannoruwa. Mahamaya became third in hardball cricket in 2008 in which the cricket team of Anuradhapura emerged champions and Kegalle Team became runners-up. Shalika is the daughter of Ajith Gannoruwa former cricketer of Dharmaraja College and Central Province in the late Sixties. For any sport to thrive especially at school level the particular sport must have the backing of the school authorities and the former sports loving Principal of Mahamaya, Indra Withanachchi along with the former Deputy Principals Vishaka Herath, Uthpala Seneviratne,Himali Senadheera and the former Prefect of Games, Dhammika Mahawattage were there to support the students who were involved in sports activities. With the encouragement of the present principal of the school, S.Samarakoon and the present POG Nilu Wijekoon the cricket team is getting popular day by day.

Mahamaya qualified for the last Tape Ball Cricket Tournament under the captaincy of Dedunu Bagya conducted by the Sri Lanka Cricket and the two cricket Teams, Under 15and Over 15 are in top form in cricket at present.