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| Ground information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Kurunegala, North Western Province | ||||
| Establishment | 1972 | ||||
| Capacity | 10,000 | ||||
| Tenants | Wayamba (cricket) | ||||
| End names | |||||
| City End Swimming Pool End | |||||
| International information | |||||
| First WODI | 5 May 2008: India v  Pakistan | ||||
| Last WODI | 11 May 2008: Sri Lanka v India | ||||
| Team information | |||||
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| As of 2 September 2020 Source: Cricinfo | |||||
Welagedara Stadium (Sinhala: වෙලගෙදර ක්රීඩාංගණය , Tamil: வெலகெதர விலையாட்டு அரங்கம்) is a multi-use stadium that has hosted international and local cricket matches and other events in Kurunegala, Sri Lanka. The stadium can hold at least 10,000 spectators.[1] It has regularly hosted international tour matches, unofficial test matches and U19 one-day games.
The stadium is beside the Kurunegala-Dambulla Road, Kurunegala, 95 km away from the capital, Colombo. The giant Elephant Rock nearby provides a dramatic backdrop.
Further information
[edit]Although the stadium was officially in 1972 by then Minister of Home Affairs, Justice Felix Dias Bandaranaike, its history dates back to the British colonial period. It hosted its first international-level match under the name Welagedara Stadium in February 1895, when a Sri Lanka Colts XI faced the touring Pakistanis.[2]
The venue staged matches during the 2000 Under-19 Cricket World Cup and the 2008 Women's Asia Cup. Since the 1980s, it has hosted numerous international List A games, U-19 fixtures, Unofficial Test matches, and many domestic club matches. The Battle of the Rocks is, a long-standing rivalry between Maliyadeva College and St. Anne's College, Kurunegala, is regularly played here, as is the Battle of the Greens between Royal College Wayamba, Kurunegala, and Sir John Kothalawala College. Notable cricketers such as Rangana Herath, Lanka de Silva, and Eric Upashantha played at the stadium in their younger days.
7°29′32″N 80°22′04″E / 7.492295°N 80.367643°E
Gallery
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References
[edit]- ^ "Welagedara stadium kurunegala| Cricket Grounds". www.cricket.com. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
- ^ "Welagedara Stadium - Cricket Ground in Kurunegala, Sri Lanka". ESPN cricinfo. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
External links
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