Cinnamon Grand reigns as champions at Battle of Spices

Cinnamon Grand walked away with the prestigious Chairman’s Trophy by winning the ninth annual ‘Battle of the Spices’, against Cinnamon Lakeside at their annual cricket encounter. The limited over cricket encounter, saw the teams of city hotels Cinnamon Grand and Cinnamon Lakeside battle it out at the Colts Grounds on Saturday 27 April 2013, in a heated game that set the pitch on fire.

Cinnamon Grand won by nine wickets, scoring 98 runs for the loss of one singular wicket, which saw the team’s supporters invade the pitch with triumphant and celebratory cheer, despite the blistering heat. Honours for ‘best bowler’ was bestowed on Cinnamon Grand’s Ishan Jayaratne from the finance department, who was also awarded the title of ‘man of the match.’

Meanwhile, the Grand’s Kalum Dissanayake from housekeeping and Janudika Sriyapala from finance were named ‘best batsman’ and ‘best fielder’ respectively.

While this was the ninth encounter between the two hotels, it was the first time the Chairman’s Trophy, donated by JK Chairman Susantha Ratnayake was up for grabs. This effectively makes Cinnamon Grand the inaugural champions of the Chairman’s Trophy at the ‘Battle of the Spices’. Cinnamon Grand also won a friendly match between the Heads of Departments of the two hotels, played after the main game.

The party essentially started on Friday night, as Cinnamon Grand’s General Manager Rohan Karr hosted teams from both hotels to an evening of food, drink and fellowship at the scenic Colombo Rowing Club. After which, Saturday got off to a thrilling start for Cinnamon Grand supporters with enthusiastic associates steering a pre-match parade from the hotel to the Colts grounds.

Leading the way was Director of Rooms Division Chris Quyn on his Harley Davidson with a grand biker gang wittily named ‘Karr’s Angels’, followed by a train of associates in cars and a bus. Notably, this merry and vibrant parade was supervised by police escorts to ensure safe and responsible travel for associates.

The ground was home to a shady Cinnamon Grand tent overflowing with good food, drinks and the exuberant spirit of supporters. Flags, head scarves and pom poms in Cinnamon Grand colours swayed to sounds of the DJ and the Papare band, only outdone by the shouts of frantic cheer by Cinnamon Grand supporters.

JK Chairman Susantha Ratnayake and Deputy Chairman Ajit Gunewardene also graced the occasion in support of this yearly event, which stands as a compelling symbol of fine sportsmanship and healthy competition within the JK group’s two city hotels.

Cinnamon Grand General Manager Rohan Karr congratulated his team on their impressive victory while reiterating that that both teams played in the true spirit of the game and have done their respective hotels proud; “While this match was played in the truest spirit of sportsmanship and camaraderie, this event aims at fostering solidarity between two of Colombo’s largest city hotels through Sri Lanka’s favourite past time cricket.

“We are proud of our team’s performance and thank our brilliant players, our dedicated coaches and motivators, our passionate associates who cheered us on to victory and last but not least, the Lakeside team for putting up a good game at this friendly competition.”

Lakeside General Manager Denis Gruhier also commented on the game saying “It was a great opportunity for the teams to get together in a day of fun and healthy competition,” he also added that he will continue to “Encourage this annual game as it is important for the two hotels to engage in such events for team building and bonding.”