DFAT wins the 50th Anniversary match for the General Anton Muttukumaru trophy at Duntroon

March 21, 2017

The 50th anniversary cricket match for the General Anton Muttukumaru trophy, which is played between the Commonwealth represented by Canberra based High Commissions and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was won by the DFAT team at Duntroon on Sunday 19th March 2017. The match is jointly organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society, Sri Lanka High Commission and DFAT.

The trophy was presented to the winning team by DFAT Secretary Frances Adamson and Anton Muttukumaru Jr.

RCS President Colin Milner made the opening remarks.

Each year donations collected at the match and proceeds from the food stall organised by the Sri Lankan High Commission are given to a selected charity. This year’s proceeds will be donated to the Carwoola Bushfire Appeal.

Sri Lankan High Commissioner Somasundaram Skandakumar speaking at the occasion recalled the longstanding cooperation in cricket, between Sri Lanka and Australia, which was highlighted during the recent visit of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka by the Prime Minister’s XI playing the Sri Lankan team despite the latter’s short tour to Australia.

Anton Muttukumaru Jr. recalled the very first match for the trophy which was also played at Duntroon and in which he himself had participated from the Commonwealth team. General Anton Muttukumaru after whom the trophy is named, was the first Sri Lankan Commander of the Sri Lanka Army (then Ceylon) and he served as High Commissioner to Australia from 1963 to 1966.

The Commonwealth team comprised payers from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand and was captained by Chandana Weerasena from the Sri Lanka High Commission, which coordinates among the Canberra based High Commissions for the Commonwealth team. The DFAT team was captained by Robert Sutton.

Pakistan High Commissioner Naela CHOHAN also graced the occasion while former President of RCS Kanthi Jinna, representatives and families from the participating High Commissions and DFAT as well as members of the RCS were present and supported the two teams.

Sri Lanka High Commission

Canberra

20 March 2017