Mahamaya Girls College, Kandy established in 1932 is one of the Best Schools in the island in education as well as in sports at present. The main sport in the school is undoubtedly swimming, in which the school has become all island champions for the last 16 years. Other than swimming the school has outstanding teams in cricket, hockey, netball, table tennis chess and basketball.
(Left arm medium pace and leg spin dual purpose
bowler Himasha Kodituwakku.)
Mahamaya Girls School is one of the few schools in the province playing softball as well as hardball cricket. Cricket became popular at Mahamaya in the year 1985 when Nita Pilapitiya was the Principal and at that time there were two teams captained by Thusara Tennakoon and Manjula Kalpage respectively.
Thushara is the sister of former skipper of Dharmaraja College cricket team and NCC cricketer Thilina Tennakoon. Manjula is the sister of former Sri Lanka Test player Ruwan Kalpage from there onwards 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 3rd in hardball cricket in 2008 in which Anuradhapura team became 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 specially at school level the sport must have the backing of the school authorities. The sports loving Principal of Mahamaya Indra Withanachchi along with the Deputy Principals Vishaka Herath, Uthpala Seneviratne, Himali Senadheera and the Prefect of Games Dhamika Mahawattaghe are giving all the support to the school cricketers.
The school cricket net is used for hardball cricket while the Wewasiri Grounds is used for softball cricket and for hardball cricket fielding coaching is handled by the old girls and they have monthly coaching programmes under the district cricket coaches.
The present school cricket captain is Dedunu Bhagya and under her captaincy Mahamaya Girls College qualified for the last tape ball cricket tournament conducted by Sri Lanka Cricket.
There are two cricket teams ie. Under 15 and over 15 and they are hoping to play friendly matches with other school in hardball and tape ball cricket.
Credits:- Dailynews.lk
