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History of the
Ceylon Sports Club 1928-1999
Introduction
There does not seem to be precise documentary evidence
of when the first few enterprising Ceylonese left
the shores of their motherland and braved the seas
to seek their fortunes abroad. But there are indications
that the pioneers from that country arrived in the
Far East as early as the 1860's. One of their destinations
was Malaya, of which Singapore was a part, that
attracted people from around the region. Since its
founding by an Englishman, Sir Stamford Raffles
in 1819, opportunities for business and a miscellany
of jobs were boundless for the opening up of the
Malay Peninsula and the building of its infrastructure
: the Malayan railways, roads and other means of
transport. The growth and expansion of the tin and
rubber industries called for estate conductors,
medical assistants, postal workers and others. Most
importantly, the development and building of the
port of Singapore into a hub of services and trade,
attracted workers, both skilled and unskilled whose
labour was to transform a swampy forested expanse
of land into a modern metropolis.
T. M. Turnbull records in his book, 'History of
Singapore, 1819 - 1975', "Singapore's rapidly expanding
economy attracted ever-increasing immigrants. At
the end of the 19th Century, there were 185,000
people. Three-quarters were Chinese, while the rest
comprised Malays, Sumatrans, Javanese, Bugis, Ceylonese,
Arabs, Eurasians and Europeans".
Pioneers 
Of the pioneering Ceylonese---Tamils, Sinhalese, and
Burghers, who ventured eastwards to seek their fortunes,
it is a matter of conjecture whether some of them,
having saved up enough, eventually returned home with
their new found wealth to live the rest of their lives
in comfort, or others, having gained a foothold, remained
and sent regular remittances to their folk back home.
However, it can be ascertained that many inter-married
and settled here, gaining professions and living a
life of comparative ease, away from their native countries
where jobs were scarce and livelihood difficult.
Those who put their shoulders to the wheel, made a
success of themselves. The rallying point seems to
have been Singapore. In 1869 a jeweler named B. P.
de Silva established a jewelry trade in Singapore
which still exists in this country, and is managed
by his descendants..
It makes one wonder how many of the present day Ceylonese
in modern Singapore can count as their forebears,
the "frontiersmen" who arrived here over a century
ago.
And, how many members of our Club are descendants
of those pioneering countrymen ?
Take Mr. V. Ambiavagar, who was President of the CSC
in 1968, and is now a Life Member. He was born in
Jaffna in the year 1905 and came to Singapore in 1913,
when he was eight. He achieved academic fame; was
the Principal of Raffles Institution; and retired
as the Acting Director of Education in 1961. Now aged
93, he lives in this country in contented retirement.
Mr. R.V. S. Sundram was born in the district of Enivel,
Jaffna in 1910 and was brought here by his parents
in the year 1912.
Early Ceylonese tended to congregate together
and many became teachers, doctors, went into other
professions and found employment in the Civil Service.
Others embarked on business ventures. Many brought
with them their penchant for the game of cricket,
that eventually became the catalyst for the sports
oriented among them to establish the Lanka Union,
the predecessor of the Ceylon Sports Club.
According to a foreword to the Early History of
Sport Among Ceylonese Residents in Singapore, "Up
to 1915, sport among Ceylonese youth seems to have
been confined to students in the College of Medicine.
In that year a more organised team began to take
shape under the leadership of Dr. K. Kiramathypathy
(Dr. K. K. Pathy). Soccer and cricket were the chief
games indulged in, although there seems to have
been a greater bias for cricket."
The First Lanka Union Cricket Captain
It will be interesting to read what T.E.K. Retnam
wrote in the 1979 issue of the Souvenir Programme
to commemorate the Golden Anniversary of the CSC
/ TPCA games :
"I came to Singapore in 1918 and at that time we
had no Ceylonese cricket team. I watched a match
being played on the St. Joseph's School ground at
Bras Basah Road, between a Tamil team from Kuala
Lumpur and a team from the local medical college.
Later I came to know that there were a few Ceylonese
students who were interested in forming a Ceylonese
cricket team. There were five of them who wanted
to form a club that would be interested in sports
only. If I remember right they were G. Oorloff,
M. Thiruchelvam, P. Nadarajah, M. Supramaniam, and
Thillainathan. They all later qualified as doctors.
They were able to persuade me and a few others to
name a few---S.K.Ratnam, Dr. K. K. Pathy, M. Ignatius,
S.R.Williams, T. A. Chunchie, to form a club and
to be known as Lanka Union. Mr. S. K. Ratnam was
elected President. We had no official premises and
we were obliged to use the Lanka Dispensary (at
Serangoon Road) as our office as we could use the
telephone there. Later S.K. Ratnam was able to persuade
Dr. Pathy to accept the presidency. I, (T.E.K.Ratnam)
was asked to captain the Lanka Union cricket team."
January 1920.....The Lanka Union Is Born
Dr. Pathy also comments on this topic. He wrote
on 4th August 1958, 'The first attempt to organise
ourselves into a united Ceylonese body for the purpose
of encouraging sport, took shape in the minds of
three Ceylonese students, then in their teens at
the King Edward VII College of Medicine. They were
G. Oorloff, S. Subramaniam and P. Thillainathan.........
They contacted a good number of young Ceylonese
to ascertain whether there would be sufficient support
from all sections of Ceylonese for such an undertaking.
All who fell in line with their views, then banded
themselves into a small body and signed a pledge
to support wholeheartedly the building of a united
Ceylonese body for the purpose of the Physical,
Social and Moral advancement of Ceylonese residents
in Singapore."
1920.....The First Meeting
"The (first) meeting took place at a house in
Race Course Road in January 1920, and thus the Lanka
Union came into being. The chief reason for
adopting the word 'Union' was because it was meant
to stand for a united body of all sections of Ceylonese
students in Singapore, namely, Burghers, Sinhalese,
Tamils, Moors, Malays, etc.." 'The first elected
president was Mr. S. Kanagaratnam (S.K.Ratnam) and
the first secretary was Mr. G. Oorloff, and the
early membership did represent all sections of Ceylonese.
Since Mr. S. Kanagaratnam was unable to assume office
as he was about to proceed to Ceylon, Dr K. Kiramathypathy
(Dr. K. K. Pathy) was elected President (of the
Lanka Union) in his stead at the same meeting."
Dr. Pathy continues, 'In the early stages games
had to be played on outside grounds as we did not
have a ground of our own, until late 1922. In the
formative years of the Union, much help, both physical
and financial was rendered by Mr. S. K. Ratnam and
another who preferred to remain anonymous."
'In this connection we should be failing in our
duty if we did not record the great assistance given
to us by the Padang Clubs of Singapore, the Singapore
Recreation Club, and the Singapore Cricket Club
in granting its facilities for practice and for
matches, and for the great hospitality they showed
us at all times. Griffith Jones assisted by Dr.
Noel Clarke and Theo J Leijssius, well-known figures
encouraged us."
1922.....The Second Annual General Meeting
The only available record of members of the Lanka
Union is a pictorial one taken beside the Ceylon
Tamils' Association Clubhouse at No, 11, Handy Road,
(beside the present Cathay Building at Dhoby Ghaut),
prior to holding the Second Annual General Meeting
in the hall of the Ceylon Tamils' Association in
January 1922.
1922.....The Move to Balestier Plain
"In 1922, with the help of the Assistant Controller
of Labour , Mr. J T N Handy, the authorities leased
out a piece of land at Balestier Road. Members lost
no time erecting a small shed which served as a
clubhouse and the kebun's quarters."
In 1924 a turf wicket and a practice pitch
were laid. Dr. J.A.Scharenguival, a prominent Ceylonese
cricketer helped in the laying in the first turf
wicket. In spite of his fame as a Malayan cricketer
of repute, and his longstanding membership in the
S.C.C., Dr. Scharenguival preferred to associate
himself with the Lanka Union. His association with
us was a great encouragement to the Union and helped
to (establish) the Lanka Union on the cricketing
map of Singapore. In the preparation of the cricket
pitches, much physical help was rendered by S. K.
Ratnam, T.E.K. Ratnam and a large number of young
Ceylonese students who eventually became members
of the Ceylon Sports Club. In that same year, (1924),
a temporary shed was erected along the Balestier
Road side of the field which served partly as a
shade for the playing teams." 'But on all occasions
when we had visiting teams, an additional canvas
awning was set up in order to entertain the visitors.
Our first cricket tour was in April 1925 when we
visited Kuala Lumpur as guests of the Tamil Union."
1925.....The First T.P.C.A. Games
T.E.K. Retnam writes about these games, 'There was
no Tamil Physical Culture Association (TPCA) team
then, but only a team calling themselves the Tamil
Union. I had a brother, S.T.Williams who used to
captain the K.L. Railway Institute cricket team.
I wrote to him asking him to arrange a game for
us against the Tamil Union. He arranged a 2-day
game against the Tamil Union to be played on the
Railway Institute Ground on Good Friday and Saturday,
a one day game on Easter Sunday against the Railway
Institute and a one day game against the YMCA on
the adjoining ground. This was the beginning of
our annual games. Later the (Tamil Union) members
were able to organise themselves and the Tamil Union
was re-named the T.P.C.A. We played the Tamil Union
, the Railway Institute and the YMCA at cricket
and won all three games, but we fared badly at football
against the Tamil Union."
1926.....The First
Hard Wicket
Dr. Pathy continues, "In 1926, we decided to change
our cricket pitch to a hard wicket and under the
expert advice of Mr. E.P. Jayasinghe and the assistance
of Messrs B. Dudley and T.E.K. Retnam, the hard
wicket was ready for our first match of the season
against the S.C.C. Our boys played very well on
the new pitch and we won by seven wickets and five
runs. About this time we were also instrumental
in the formation of the Indo Ceylonese Football
Association. In 1926 a farewell party was given
to Dr. Scharenguival.
1928.....The Ceylon Sports Club is Registered.
As time went on, members felt the need for a decent
Clubhouse and set about collecting funds for that
purpose. They also reckoned that the Lanka Union
was not necessarily the best name for the Club.
After much consultation with the Registrar of Societies
an Extraordinary General Meeting was called in order
to dissolve the Lanka Union and reconstitute itself
into the Ceylon Sports Club. 
Thus, the Ceylon
Sports Club came into being and was registered on
11 June 1928.
Dr. Pathy gives credit to Messrs. Ben Dudley, P.
Ratnasabapathy, K. Kumaravelu and K. Muthukumaru
who gave much of their time, money and energy for
the benefit of the Club. The first President of
the Club was Mr. S. Muthukumaru, J.P. He held that
post up to 1936.
1930-- A Semi-Permanent Clubhouse 
Following the registering of the Lanka Union as
the Ceylon Sports Club in 1928, a Building Fund
Committee was set up comprising T. A. Chunchie,
D. J. W. Abeygoonasekera, T. E. K. Ratnam and Dr.
V. K. Thambipillai, 'the energetic Secretary who
traveled all over the (Malay) Peninsula, interviewing
prominent Ceylonese for contributions towards the
Building Fund." (Dr. Pathy notes, 'We were not allowed
to put up any building which was not of a semi-permanent
nature as the whole Balestier Plain was meant to
be an emergency landing ground for aeroplanes, and
therefore several plans that we would have liked
to adopt had to be scrapped.") Through their untiring
efforts a semi permanent building to serve as a
Clubhouse was erected in April 1930 with the help
of the president, Mr. S. Muthukumaru who absorbed
a large portion of the cost. Dr. Pathy goes on,
'It will be invidious to pick out names of individuals
who helped with contributions, as it was a united
effort by all members, each contributing his mite
towards the common effort. The furniture of the
Club was donated in kind by several members. A billiard
table was presented by four of our members, namely,
Dr. N. Rashid, Dr. A. Thurai, L. Quyne, and E. E.
C. Thuraisingham. Special mention must be made of
the following who also gave much of their time,
money and energy 
for the benefit
of the Club, namely, Messrs. B. Dudley, P. Ratnasabapathy,
K. Kumaravelu, and K. Muthukumaru. The furniture
and fittings were donated by the members and soon
the Ceylon Sports Club came of age and took its
place amongst the Sports Clubs of the Colony."
In 1937 Dr. N. Moothathamby was elected President
and continued in that position until 1940. He was
succeeded by Mr. E. M. Thampoe-Phillips in 1941
who presided until 1948.
1942.....World War II. The Clubhouse is Destroyed
In the second half of 1941, the peace and tranquility
over this entire region gave way to anxiety and
despair when news filtered in that the Imperial
Japanese war machine was steaming down to South
East Asia. The British army had stored drums of
petrol in the Clubhouse. The first bombs of the
war in Singapore were dropped at dawn on 8th December
1941. On the 14th February 1942, the Clubhouse was
dynamited to smithereens as the Japanese advanced
towards the city.
To use the terminology of the period, 'The Clubhouse
was destroyed in the course of defensive action
by the British Military Authorities during World
War II." Singapore surrendered the following day,
and three and a half years of enemy occupation began.
The Japanese built their military barracks on the
site. As Mr. S.M. Vasagar says, 'No Clubhouse, no
cricket, no billiards table, and the entire field
was overgrown by a vegetable garden full of tapioca,
sweet potato, banana trees and other food producing
plants to cope with the scarcity of food."
1945 -- Aftermath of the War
With the end of hostilities in the Far East, Singaporeans,
among other people of the region, began to settle
down to a time of peace and stability. The war had
left them in a state of confusion. They picked up
the pieces, as it were, and members flocked back
to restore the Club that had been dormant during
the turbulent three and a half years of enemy occupation.
Mr. A. P. Rajah was elected Custodian of the
Club in 1949 and 1950, and when CSC cricket and
hockey teams were making their mark as forces to
be reckoned with.
C. T. Retnam writes, 'After the liberation of Singapore
by the British, members felt the need for a Clubhouse.
The field was so badly damaged that it was not until
1949 that it was made suitable for sports once more.
The task of reconstruction was shouldered by the
various sub-committees elected from 1946 onwards.
An attap shed which was formerly the
Ceylon Tamils' Association storehouse served as
a temporary Clubhouse, and was given to the CSC."
1951---The Need For A Clubhouse 
In 1951 Dr. C. Subrahmanyam became President and
remained in that post until 1960. It is significant
to note that during this time, his various sub-committees
spared no efforts to raise funds for an ambitious
project, namely, the erection of a permanent building
that would be the pride of the Ceylonese community.
C. T. Retnam continues, 'By 1951 membership had
increased and the Club was doing well at Cricket
and Hockey. The Management
Committee 
boldly launched an ambitious Building
Fund Campaign which was inaugurated with a grand
Hockey Gala and a Fun Fair attended by more than
1500 people. Under the capable leadership of Mr.
M. Saravanamuthu, the 
Building Fund Committee set to work in earnest. No less than seventeen
plans were considered before the final choice was
made. By the end of September 1951, more than $48,000
was raised and the Committee decided that the time
was ripe to lay the foundation stone for the building.
On the 13th of October 1951, the foundation stone
was laid by the first Prime Minister of Ceylon,
the Rt. Honourable Mr. D. S. Senanayake P.C. in
the presence of over one thousand distinguished
guests from all walks of life."
1954----The Long Awaited Building is Officially
Opened 
From the 14th February 1942 when the old wooden
semi-permanent Clubhouse was blown up during the
war, until the 13th April 1954 when the new Building
was ready for occupation, CSC members waited patiently
for a new building.
C.T.Retnam says, 'As the walls of the new building
rose slowly, the activities of the Club continued
unabated. In their desire to erect a structure 
with furniture and fittings
in keeping with a modern Clubhouse the overall cost
rose from $60,000 to $ 155,000. On completion, the
Club was formally opened by the Rt. Honourable Mr.
Malcolm MacDonald P.C., Commissioner General for
the United Kingdom in South East Asia on Tuesday
13th April 1954 in an elaborate ceremony." The President
of the Club, was then Dr. C. Subrahmanyam. Today
the Club stands as a prominent landmark along Balestier
Road paying silent tribute to all those who contributed
to make it an emblem of grand endeavour. It provides
a commanding panoramic view of the cricket ground.
1954.....Jackpot Machines 
In 1954, the first four jackpot machines were installed,
and the Club's financial position improved substantially.
Thirty-four years later, in 1988, the Jackpot Room
was redesigned on the instructions of the Inland
Revenue Department and 2 new machines were added.
The electrical capacity was stepped up due to frequent
blackouts.
Mr. S. M. Vasagar was elected president in 1960
and was succeeded by Mr. J. L. R. Pillai who presided
for a two year period in 1960 and 1961.
Mr. K. Visvalingam was President for a two year
term, in 1964 -1965, and Mr. G. Sathianathan in
1966. They were followed, in 1968, by Mr. V. Ambiavagar,
who played a significant role in developing sports.
From 1969 to 1977, Mr. M. Gunaratnam was elected
to the helm. Mr. Vasagar came on again to serve
a further thirteen years as President from 1978
to 1990, becoming the longest serving president
in the history of the Club. Mr. Richway Ponnampalam
took over the reins of presidency from 1990 to 1993.
1979.....Golden Anniversary of the CSC/TPCA Games
To commemorate the 50th (Golden) Anniversary of
the CSC/TPCA games which were first held in 1929
in Kuala Lumpur, a souvenir programme was printed
and issued. Held in Singapore, C.T.Retnam wrote
of that occasion, ' The occasion was celebrated
in grand style. Mr. E.W. Barker, Minister for Law,
Science and Technology was the Guest of Honour who
declared the Games open and bowled the first ball
in the cricket game. TPCA were the overall winners."
Mr. C. T. Retnam goes on," With the opening of the
new building with its bar and canteen facilities,
Club life became very active. A billiards table
was bought, partly financed by the contributions
from members and well-wishers. By the end of 1975,
membership had increased to 858, out of which, 272
were associate members. Extension to the ground
floor was completed at a cost of $48,000. Plans
were under way to extend the kitchen facilities
and renovate the lounge and re-site the billiards
room.
1979.....Renovations
The Club premises were renovated in 1979 at a cost
of $100,000 just before the CSC/TPCA Golden Jubilee
games. A ladies' changing room was built on the
ground floor and the two men's changing rooms were
refurbished and hot water showers installed. By
1982, the bar and lounge had been extensively renovated
and refurbished. New membership cards were issued
to all active members.
Club Lease
During Mr. S. M. Vasagar's presidency, the lease
of the Club expired on 31 December 1981. Since then,
it has operated on a Temporary Occupation License
(T.O.L.). Furthermore due to road widening to accommodate
the Central Expressway, the Club lost a portion
of its frontage. The kitchen area was also affected
and had to be rebuilt and renovated.
Constitutional Amendments In 1984,
amendments to the Constitution of the Club with
regard to Life Membership, Entrance fees and Subscriptions
which were adopted at the 1983 Annual General Meeting
were approved by the Registrar of Societies. The
Management Committee decided to implement them with
effect from 1st July 1986.
In 1990, amendments were approved, (clause
18 (b) by the Registrar of Societies that, 'No member
who has been elected to the office of President
or Hon. Secretary for a period of three consecutive
years shall be eligible for re-election to the same
office within an interval of two years," and Clause
18 (c), 'In the event that the position is not contested
then the outgoing President or Hon. Secretary may
be eligible for re-election on a yearly basis."
1986/1987.....Construction of the 
Wings & Tennis Courts - Renovations
The long awaited clubhouse renovation was undertaken
during the year in
1986/1987. The 2nd floors of the wings were covered
and converted into the Billiards cum Card room at
the Expressway end and the TV & Darts cum Reading
room at the IA (Indian Association) end. The Roof
Garden was also covered with the intention of using
it as a multi-purpose hall during functions. The
lounge on the ground floor was air-conditioned.
A new kitchen and storeroom was constructed on the
ground floor. A new Tennis court was built. The
entire club house was renovated and the total cost
amounted to $196,627.30 . Members' contributions
helped finance the project and the names of the
24 members who contributed $1000 and above had their
names recorded on a plaque in the main hall. On
14th November 1987, a grand opening ceremony was
held and the Honourable Mr. S. Rajaratnam, Senior
Minister (PMO) was the Guest of Honour.
1988
The Card cum Billiards Room was air-conditioned.
From 1991 to 1993
Mr. Richway Ponnampalam was President. During his
term, a new children's playground was constructed.
In 1991, CSC Annual Scholarship Award and CSC VISA
Cards were introduced.
1992 
The Club started a scheme whereby bus services were
provided for funerals of deceased members.
1993
The Jackpot room and inner lounge were extended
and renovated.
1994 - 1996
Mr. R. Theyvendran was elected President. During
his three year term, he brought on dynamic changes
and policies which transformed the Club into what
was referred to as a 'million dollar" Club. An artificial
pitch and two cricket practice pitches were constructed.
Also implemented, were the GIRO Scheme for payments
of membership subscriptions, a death grant of $1000
and a bouquet of flowers for newly-weds and for
members who are hospitalised.
The Mentor Programme (mooted by the then Hon. Secretary
P. Raveentheran) was launched in 1995, under the
Chairmanship of Mr. M. Sivaraj.
In the same year, CSC went on the Internet with
its own Website, coordinated by Mr. P. C. Manoharan
and Mr. P. Raveentheran.
Mr. A. Rajendra presided from 1997
to 1998. It was his brainchild that saw the
Tuesday Evening Draw being organised and established
as a weekly event which attracted more members than
usual to the Club.
During his tenure in office, the renovations to
the Secretariat and Rest Rooms were completed.
1999-2003
Mr. P. Raveentheran was elected President. Prior
to his Presidency, he was the Hon. Secretary for
eight years and Vice-President for another year.
During his term, he had met up with the relevant
Ministers and their Ministries to set up long-term
plans for the Club and the Balestier Plain. It was
Mr. Raveentheran’s brainchild that saw the
Marking of Balestier Plain as a Historic Site by
then Ag. Minister for Community Development and
Sports, Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim as the 62nd Historic
Site of Singapore on 30 March 2002. His Committee
launched a novel Membership Card with Loyalty points,
a first among Sports Club in Singapore. It was also
involved in the complete renovation of the Club’s
Function Hall. During his tenure, Coaching Clinics
for Cricket, Hockey, Tennis, Netball and Golf were
launched.
From 2003
As the saying goes, “Back by popular demand”,
the current President, Dr. R. Theyvendran, PBM,
popularly known as Dr. Denan, was elected to the
helm by the General Body, as the incumbent, Mr.
P. Raveentheran had to step down due to constitutional
requirement, which allows the office-bearing President
a maximum of only three consecutive terms. He has,
since his return, improved the financial position
of the Club as well as made some changes to the
façade of the Club with the inclusion of
a bandstand. At the beginning of 2005, the Youth
Wing, mooted by Dr. Denan and his Committee, was
launched. The idea was to see more Youth members
to participate in the Club’s activities as
well as to identify and groom future leaders to
run the Club.
The csc website available since 1995 had been
revamped as "http://www.cscsingapore.org.sg"
