When Panadura girls broke boundaries with maiden strokes 100 years ago
Gilbert Roberts
The story of women’s cricket in Sri Lanka is an extraordinary tale of vision, determination and breaking social barriers. At its heart lies the remarkable contribution of St. John’s College and St. John’s Girls’ School in Panadura, institutions that dared to challenge convention in the 1920s and 1930s when the very idea of women playing cricket was considered revolutionary. This pioneering spirit, nurtured by a dedicated coach with roots in the Caribbean embraced by young women willing to defy expectations, laid the foundation for what would become a proud tradition in Sri Lankan cricket.
The visionary
Born in Ceylon to a civil servant and cricketer, Gilbert Clyde Roberts was schooled in Barbados, where his uncle was a member of the West Indies cricket squad in the 1910s. In the early 1920s, he boarded a ship bound for Ceylon— a decision that would change the course of Sri Lankan sporting history.
Young Roberts after meeting Cyril Arnold Jansz, the founder of St. John’s schools in Panadura, joined the teaching staff while taking on the role of cricket coach. (The writer, also a Johnian, was privileged to learn English literature from old Roberts in 1955.) It was his forward-thinking approach and willingness to extend cricket coaching to young women at St John’s College, that truly set him apart.
The first match in 1933
Roberts formed the first women’s cricket squad at the College in the late 1920s; a hundred years ago, but all attempts to find a girls’ school team for a friendly match failed, as there were no other schools that played women’s cricket in the island.
Roberts’s solution was both practical and symbolic. He spoke to Emeliya Jansz, the headmistress of St. John’s Girls’ School, and coached the girls there too, and after a few years of coaching, Roberts arranged the first-ever cricket match between two women’s teams on Sri Lankan soil with girls of the College challenging their counterparts at St. John’s Girls’ School. This historic encounter took place on July 12, 1933, on the Panadura esplanade, deliberately scheduled to coincide with the school’s founder’s day celebration.
The match would become an annual encounter between the two St. John’s institutions. Over the following decade, several girls’ schools from Colombo gradually joined the movement, expanding the sport’s reach and popularity among Sri Lankan women.
The challenge of 1948
Fifteen years after that pioneering match in Panadura, Sri Lankan women’s cricket faced its most significant test. In 1948, the English women’s cricket team, en-route to Australia for official Test matches, planned to break their journey in Colombo. The British Women’s Cricket Association sought to play against a local women’s team.
On November 1, 1948, the Colombo Cricket Club hosted what would become known as the first women’s “test” cricket match in Ceylon. The occasion drew between 5,000 and 8,000 spectators—a testament to the progressive attitudes emerging in newly independent Ceylon.
Distinguished guests included the Governor General, the Bishop of Brisbane, the Assistant Bishop of Colombo, the Yuvaraj and Yuvaranee of Kutch, and Sir Richard Aluwihare.
The Ceylon team consisted of Mrs. O. Turner (Captain), Miss Enid (Gilly) Fernando (vice-captain), Mrs. C. Hutton, Miss S. Gaddum, Phyllis de Silva, Shirley Thomas, Marienne Adihetty, Beverley Roberts, Binthan Noordeen, Pat Weinman and Leela Abeykoon, with reserves Mrs. D.H. Swan and Mrs. E.G. Joseph.
The English team, captained by Molly Hide—probably the best batswoman of her generation—won the toss and batted first. Hide scored a magnificent century, leading England to 168 for 7 declared in 38.3 overs. Ceylon’s captain Mrs. Hutton took six wickets for 43 runs, demonstrating genuine bowling capability.
Ceylon was dismissed for 51 runs in 92 minutes. However, Miss Enid Fernando top-scored with 22 runs outperforming most of the England players. Fernando, nicknamed “Gilly” after Arthur Gilligan, would later migrate to Melbourne, treasuring memories of this historic match.
The St. John’s contingent shines
Three players from St. John’s Panadura made their mark on this historic occasion: Beverley Roberts (aged 16, daughter of coach G.C. Roberts), Leela Abeykoon, and Phyllis de Silva (who would later become the mother-in-law of Sri Lankan cricket star Duleep Mendis). Their performances impressed both spectators and visitors, validating the years of coaching and dedication at their school.
Leela Abeykoon
The most spectacular moment of the match belonged to Beverley Roberts. With a brilliant one-handed catch above her head near the boundary ropes, she dismissed the centurion Molly Hide. The Ceylon Times described it the following day as “a catch which any first-class cricketer would have been proud to make.”
Leela Abeykoon, the wicketkeeper, earned special commendation from both local media and the visiting team. The Ceylon Observer noted that “the wicket-keeping of Leela Abeykoon and her correct style of batting and her good defence evoked commendation from visitors.” Her technical proficiency behind the stumps and disciplined batting approach demonstrated that proper coaching could produce players of genuine quality.
Though decisively beaten, the Ceylon team earned respect for their gallant display. The Ceylon Observer noted that the women “made a decided impression,” with visitors “amazed to hear that their opponents had had less than two months of practice together.”
The sole surviving member of the 1948 team at 94 is living in Kandy. In a interview with journalist Premasara Epasinghe in 2000, 70-year-old Leela Abeykoon said, “We were all under a much-disciplined human being—a cricket coach, a guide and philosopher, G.C. Roberts. He was like a father to all of us.”
Regarding her selection to represent Ceylon, she expressed joy and delight, particularly because two other Johnians—Phyllis de Silva and Beverley Roberts were also selected.
Roberts and his family migrated to Australia in the 1970s, and he passed away on April 7, 1981. His legacy, however, lives on in Sri Lankan women’s cricket. The foundation he laid in the 1920s,30s and 40s strengthened by that historic 1948 match, created pathways for future generations.
As we approach the centenary in 2033, there is a fitting way to honour this legacy: St. John’s College and St. John’s Girls’ School recreating that historic encounter on July 12, 2033, once again on the Panadura esplanade.
The Panadura Sports Club and Sri Lanka Cricket should champion this meaningful celebration. With their support alongside the school authorities, this centenary match could become a moment of national pride—honouring the pioneers who founded women’s cricket in Sri Lanka.
How the Times of Ceylon reported the 1948 match
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