THE CRICKET IN THALASSERY

Sir Arthur Wellesly, later Duke of Wellington introduced cricket in thalassery, sometime 

during the last decade of the eighteenth century. He did not have enough players in his e

stablishment. He got his persons, dhobies who washed his clothes near the well 

in one corner of the Thalassery stadium, fisherfolk from their colony and many others 

to make up the numbers. It took more than half a century (1860) for the first cricket club, 

Tellicherry Town Cricket Club, to be formed.

In 1890, Tellicherry and Cannanore played a cricket match at Cannanore. Murkoth 

Kumaran also took part in that match. Tellicherry team had walked to Cannanore

to play that match and returned on foot late at night.

In 1912 the first proper pitch was laid at Thalassery stadium by an Enlgish Engineer 

Anson.

Cricket was not only a way of life but was also a leveller where people of all castes, c

reeds, vocations and class joined together. Most of the British officials like the Sub Co

llector, Collector, S.P., Managers of British comapnies played cricket with indians.

Those were the days when India had not entered the test arena, Ranji trophy t

ournaments and others that followed, had not been heard of in the country.

In November 2008, modern and exclusive cricket stadium developed at Conorvayal
was inaugurated. First Ranji Trophy match at stadium was on 03-11-09 between Kerala
and Andhra. Indian pace bowler Sreesanth played in this match.