Bharath Ramaraj in Colombo
Brian Lara’s original photo when he stroked that famous double-ton at the SCG in 1992. Lara standing alone amid the ruins in the 1992 World Cup game against Australia. Sachin Tendulkar’s signed photograph. And a slew of team sheets from a bygone era. A visit to Colombo’s Cricket Club Cafe can give goosebumps to a connoisseur.
The list of rare collectibles is endless. Photos of Don Anurasiri and Aravinda de Silva from the 1992 World Cup. Tendulkar from the 1990 tour of England. Peter Parker, the umpire, and Arjuna Ranatunga, related to the ball-tampering controversy during the WACA Test in 1995. The willow that helped Garry Sobers hit six sixes in 1968. Signed autographs of the Lala Amarnath-led Indian side from the Australia tour of 1947-48. Similarly, signed autographs of the South African and Australian line-ups from the 1993-94 Test series. Damien Fleming, Ray Lindwall and Glenn McGrath’s signed leather balls and much more.
The Cafe also has a room exclusively meant for Sir Don Bradman. An assemblage of photos, ranging from his splendid 334 at Leeds and Bradman being photographed alongside his opposite number, Norman Yardley, in 1948.
It also has Bradman’s signature from his first Test against England, in Brisbane, in 1928. And also an autograph from the 1948 series. These are rare images, where slides were developed over the course of the game. One could also notice a slight tweak in his signature, while comparing the ones from his first Test and the tour of England in 1948.
“So, there are 60 original signatures of Don Bradman,” Gabrielle Wright, one of the co-owners, told RevSportz. “One of the signatures is from the very first Test he played against England. Bradman’s signature, when he was younger, had an asterisk underneath. So, that is how you tell the age of memorabilia. So, in some of the black and white photos, when you look closely, you can see the asterisks.”
You also end up checking the Cafe’s menu card. Virtually everything is named after cricketers. One of the food items is named Sachin’s Sausages. You can also find Langer’s Lamb Wrap, Bravo’s Spicy Beef Wrap, Hobbs’ Hot Dog, Imran’s Pakistani Pumpkin, Murali’s Mulligatawny, Ponsford’s Prawn, Sangakkara’s Seafood and plenty more. There was something named after Rohit Sharma as well, but my memory bank can’t seem to recollect that for the moment.
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It all began sometime in 1995, when the Australian couple – James & Gaby – had the idea of starting a cricket-themed cafe in Colombo. Over the years, the Cafe has grown in stature, and has now been shifted to a new building. Incidentally, there is a story attached to it.
When McGrath, the great Australian pace bowler and Hardys’ Brand Ambassador visited the new premises, for a moment he was taken by surprise. According to Gaby, McGrath had said, “This isn’t the Cricket Club Cafe.”
Not just McGrath, the Cafe has also hosted Australian cricket teams – the Test and ODI squads of 2016, as well as the Australian unit that toured Sri Lanka in 2022. Just before the Australian team arrived in Sri Lanka last year, there was unrest in the island nation. At that time, Gaby did play a small part in ensuring the tour would go ahead as scheduled.
“It was the time when the country came together,” she said. “It didn’t matter whether you were Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Tamil, the country was together. And to have the Australian team visit during that time was absolutely magnificent. As a cafe owner, who has been in the country for 28 years, I was very keen to put the message across to Cricket Australia.
“Sri Lankans really needed something uplifting at that time. During that doom and gloom, for that Australian team to come and give the Sri Lankan public some relief. No, electricity, no petrol and so forth… it gave something to smile about. Boy! Didn’t they party at the ground? I went to a few matches, just to see the enjoyment… you wouldn’t know there was a crisis in the country.”
From the photos to the menu card and Gaby’s infectious smile, everything about Cricket Cafe has a feel-good factor attached to it. Long may it continue to be a hub for cricket connoisseurs to hang out.