Uyanwatte Stadium is situated on the southern tip of Sri Lanka. The first cricket in Matara dates back to 28th December 1884 when a Combined Ceylonese Cricket Club played against Matara CC. There was no Matara Cricket Club during this period and the team was made up of a collection of cricketers who played against visiting teams from the other parts of the island.. The Matara Cricket Club was actually born in the year 1904, the bulk of the side being European tea planters. In the early part of the century there was no pavilion but there was a shed put up for the annual Race Meet, and the players used this. In 1966 the then President of the Matara Sports Club, Edmund Samarasekera, who continued for 21 years in this position, played a major role in developing the venue. A new pavilion was built, and contributions from various cricket enthusiasts helped to complete the building. The first international side to play in Matara was the Pakistan U23 team in 1973. Current internationals, Pramodya Wickremasinghe and Sanath Jayasuriya both come Matara. The ground, which has staged `A' internationals and U19 matches, now looks set for a major period of development.
