After serving as Cricket Secretary for several years, Charles Silva has now thrown his hat in the ring for the prestigious Galle Cricket Club (GCC) presidency, Cricket Age reliably learns. The Club elections are scheduled to be held on October 30.
Originally, the GCC elections were scheduled for June 29. However, as then Incompetent club president Kumar Samarasinghe postponed the election due to fear of losing the post, Galle District Court suspended his administration with Immediate effect and appointed business tycoon Dilith Jayaweera to take over until the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
Charles Silva’s Statement Of Intent reads:
“Anyone can make promises to a cricket club. It takes a strong, energetic and honest man with a wide range of proven career accomplishments who is spidered into a vast network of local and international strategic partners and contacts to make them come true”
Cricketing Pedigree:
I hail from one of the most known cricketing families in Sri Lanka . As you know, my Granduncle the late Ben Navaratne was an acclaimed wicketkeeper whose world class skills were recognized by such greats as Sri Donald Bradman, Keith Miller and our own Bertie Wijesinghe. My father played college cricket and first class cricket for Thultex. I myself was vice-captain of the college team at St. Aloysius, was in the last 30 pool of the U19 National Cricket Team, 20 years a first class cricketer for the Galle Cricket Club. Additionally, I captained Wattala Anthonian Premier team, opened batting for BRC and captained both the Kandy and United Southern sports club teams. Needless to say, my life has been steeped in cricket even before I was born. It is this pedigree and commitment to our wonderful sport that took me into cricket administration in my post-player era. I am the uncontested secretary of our club for 14 long years in which post you have seen me execute my duties with utmost honesty and integrity winning one championship and coming in runner up on two other occasions. Further, I am president of the St. Aloysius Cricket Foundation and have served as a member of the National Cricket Umpires Selection Committee. It is obvious to say that I know both the cricket field as the administration of it to a level that few can match and none can better.
Business Pedigree:
Never one to merely stick with one organization, I have explored the business world in many positions in many organizations including John Keells, Horizon and Conway Shipping Companies through which I learned to a fine degree of excellence how to manage logistics which are so critical to cricket administration. Next on my horizon was business management and the study of agri-products in Italy. I launched my own companies, RC Exports, Green Scape Coir Exports and Bio Greening Coco Naturals and brought them to compete at the top level in the sector. In the process I acquired rare skills in business management and marketing, risking my own assets without fear, becoming a young entrepreneur who regularly brings in USD 4-5 million annually and winning many national entrepreneurship awards. It is obvious therefore that I know my capability and ability to achieve every goal I have set out to achieve and that is the type of drive and commitment that will play a critical role in making the Galle Cricket Club the best in the country.
My Promise:
First and foremost, I will continue to be that honest executive for the Club and hold its constitution inviolate as a matter of principle that is non-negotiable, giving credit where it is due and bringing together all of our membership to work together for common goals. In this, as you know, I have a rare skill in identifying the best person for a job and shall work exclusively within a meritocracy that favors only ability in task execution. I shall work with the board and membership to bring in LKR 100 million in the first year as a fixed financial asset base to encourage everyone to target winning major championships in the next two years. I shall leverage the fact that Galle is a tourist destination and enhance its visibility as well as that of the club working with the local authorities and top travel agents with two business people already committing to this cause. I shall work tirelessly to ensure that cricketers from Galle are identified early, coached and mentored to enable them to quickly transition to national level, increasing the number of players from Galle in the national pool. With women’s cricket and Rugger gaining rapid entertainment space in the international arena, I shall commit to the participation and advancement of women in our sports through active engagement with our school system as well as national women’s sports bodies with whom we are in discussion even at this writing. It is a well-known fact that there is very little engagement of the Galle Cricket Club with the Sri Lanka.
