The Darrawella Club

The Dickoya & Maskeliya Cricket Club (DMCC) was founded in 1868, and is situated in close proximity to the town of Dickoya, in the Hatton region. The Clubhouse, which is at the foothills of Darrawella Estate is hence, most often referred to as the Darrawella Club.

The Darrawella Club is one of numerous planters’ clubs that sprouted during the pioneering days of the plantations in the 1800s and which served as a vital social mechanism and more, to the otherwise isolated lives of the tea, rubber and coconut planters. Access between points in this pre-motorised era was often limited or even non-existent, particularly in the hill country. Hence, these clubs serviced relatively small sectors initially, which resulted in several clubs being established within what is in today’s context, in close proximity.

Naturally, as accessibility and modes of transport progressively improved, and travelling times were dramatically reduced, the need for numerous clubs within a single region diminished. Many either fell by the way side, or operated a sparse service with limited patronage, making way as it were to a single larger club in the region.

Darrawella was one such large club and indeed, was one of the largest and finest of its kind during the planter clubs’ hay days. This is depicted through the Club’s extensive and historical collection of memorabilia which is reproduced on this website. Initially, Darrawella Club boasted a golf course, which at some point in time became disused. It was nevertheless its exploits on the cricket and rugby field for which the club was reputed and these facilities remain in existence to this day. So too, the tennis courts, the indoor badminton court and the billiards and snooker room with its two full size tables, not to mention a fair sized library.

The Club is still very active in the context of an evolving need and purpose for the planters’ and others in the region. While sporting and social activities are still part and parcel of the Club, a variety of educational and social welfare programmes are now facilitated through the use of the Clubhouse premises.

The Darrawella Club is featured in more detail in an article written in 2002 on the History of Tea and Cricket in Sri Lanka and can be accessed here.

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