Samantha Dodanwela in SLC Exco

Former Trinity, SSC cricketer and Chairman Samantha Dodanwela was elected to the Executive Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) at their recently concluded Annual General Meeting (AGM). 

He becomes the third Trinitian coming in to the Exco of SLC after late Gamini Dissanayake and late T.B. Werapitiya, both holding the top position at the Board of Control for Cricket in the country decades ago. Samantha will be the Chairman of the Tournaments Organizing Committee.

Samantha played under Channa Fernando (1987/88), Dudeepa Ratwatte (1988/89) and Suren Jayasinghe (1989/90) and was the Vice Captain in his last year under Suren Jayasinghe. In 1989, he took 5 wickets at the Big Match against St Anthony’s College played at the Asgiriya Stadium. He went on to take 65 wickets in that school season.

Soon after leaving school Samantha turned out for the Sinhalese Sports Club playing alongside some top class captains such as Mahinda Halangoda, Asanka Gurusingha, Arjuna Ranatunga and Aruna Goonawardena. Samantha represented Central Province in the Inter Provincial Tournament from 1993 to 1996. Not only had he turned out for the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI in 1996 against the visiting Aussie outfit under Steve Waugh, he was also in the squad of 18 players in 1996 shortly after the World Cup.

Dodanwela had a short stint in UK playing League cricket. At SSC he created a record by becoming the Chairman of Cricket at the esteemed club for 10 consecutive years which is a tough record to be broken by any. 

During his tenure as Chairman, SSC became the only cricket club in the country to win the championship in all three formats in one season. They accounted for the T20, Limited overs encounter and the League event. They also won the Under 23 event in the same year. He is also the Vice President of the Colombo District Cricket Association.

Dodanwela is a Tea Taster by profession and Managing Director of Mercantile Produce Brokers Ltd. (SJ)