SCA Release Special Cover Commemorating First Cricket Match played In Sikkim

The year 1938 is remembered in cricket history for the Oval grind when England scored a world record total of 903 in the “timeless” final Test of the classic Ashes Series before the Second World War.

Sikkim too, then a Himalayan Kingdom, has a piece of cricket history attached with that year. That year, the first ever cricket match was played in Sikkim. Yes, in 1938. Cricket in Sikkim is vintage.

At that time Sikkim was foreign to the gentlemen’s game. It was the British Everest expedition team, camped at Lachen in North Sikkim, who decided to play the game of cricket to while away the time. The event has been clearly referred in the books ‘Himalayan Honeymoon’ by Hodder and Stoughton (1940) and ‘Footprints in the Himalaya’ by Sonam B Wangyal (2006).

The match is the earliest definite reference to cricket in Sikkim which saw active cricket only in 1990s, and today a special cover was released by Sikkim Cricket Association (SCA) commemorating the historic event.

“With the release of this cover we want to make the world cricket followers and the people of Sikkim know that cricket in Sikkim is such old,” the SCA said in a statement.

The special cover came into existence after Roshan Prasad, a Cricket Philatelist from Singtam, came across ‘Footprints in the Himalaya’ in 2006 for the first time.

Roshan, who has won many awards for his rare philatelic collection on cricket, decided to make a special cover on the event and finally after 12 years, his dream – with the support of SCA, Postal Department and others, came into existence today, 80 years after the game was played.

The Special Cover was released in a function organized by Sikkim Cricket Association at Gangtok today. Honorable Minister of Forest, Environment and Wildlife Management Department T. W. Lepcha, Postmaster General of Sikkim Region Amitabh Kharkwal, former SLA Speaker K. T. Gyaltsen, former MP Nandu Thapa, SCA executives, members from Sikkim Cricket fraternity and postal department, government officials and cricket enthusiast were present on the occasion.

The Cover is approved and recognized by the Department of Posts, India and it may be mentioned here that this is the first time in Sikkim that a special cover has been released on the request of entity other than the Department of Posts. The cover is first on cricket or any other sports from Sikkim.

Besides being the first cricket match played in Sikkim, the match was also the first to be played at an altitude of 2,728 meters.

Although the historic game was brought to an end by rain, sun is definitely shining on Sikkim Cricket. Sikkim is in the threshold of becoming the full member of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and once Sikkim gets voting rights, cricket will see development in Sikkim, said SCA President Lobzang G. Tenzing.

Minister T. W. Lepcha, also the MLA of Lachen-Mangan constituency under which falls Lachen, the venue of the historic game, credited SCA, India Post and all associated for the special cover. He said the launch of the cover will take Lachen to the world, cricket being a global sport.

Former Speaker and Legal advisor to Chief Minister, K. T. Gyaltsen said the cover will boost the tourism in Lachen and Sikkim as a whole. Referring to Jammu & Kashmir, where polo has become a tourist attraction after it returned after more than 60 years of absence, he said “Lachen, which is already known in tourist map of Sikkim, will attract more tourist if the place is promoted as a venue for the historic cricket match and “cricket festival” is organized”. Gyaltsen and Lepcha also assured their support to SCA today.

The cover will be circulated among cricket lovers and philatelists across the world. The cover will also find a place in cricket museum, the SCA said.