I obtained 15 tickets and 15 caps from Dilmah the sponsors of the Sri Lanka cricket team, to see Sri Lanka play England at the Dambulla grounds on Thursday October 4th. Actually there were 18 of us in total who came. 15 were packed in the back of my open Tata pick up cab. We got to the grounds just as the match started, and apart from myself, ( i had been to the inaugural match in Dambulla in 2001 where England played SL) no one had seen any international matches in their lives. So it was a treat for all. The grounds looked spectacular and from our covered M stand we had a super view of match and the rock ahead of us and as photos show our back was to the lake with two photos to show the changing light.
There is a photo of Percy our one man cheering squad with an English equivalent lady dancing together, which all made for a perfect day, except that SL lost for the first time in 25 years to England on home soil.I treated the boys to ice creams and then hot dogs, though I drew the line on dinner!! Needless to say the stadium has a strict no alcohol rule as the temple owns the grounds, but I could hardly see anyone in the section we were, including the MAS intimates staff who were not intoxicated.
Apparently in this country the saying goes that they cannot enjoy the dancing and music without the alcohol to give them the extra spark to do the baila twist. I lost my SL flag as one inebriated person from another clan, danced away with it. I guess a small price to pay for the day, and the boys from Hingurakgoda, had a day they will never forget in their lives. Thanks Malik for making it happen.
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