FROM THE PRINCIPAL, ROYAL COLLEGE
The two Colleges, Royal and S. Thomas' hove
met on the cricket field for ninety-nine years, continuing what
came to be a tradition with the passing of years. When the first
two teams representing the Colleges stepped on the playing
fields, way back in 1880, little did they dream that they were
starting a tradition that would be continued in unbroken
succession for a hundred years. What started as a friendly
match between two Colleges, soon burgeoned out into one, in
which to represent the College as a member of the First XI Team,
was the highest aspiration of every school boy, and an event
which became the rallying point where old loyalties were
renewed, and new ones made under the old school banner. With
this year's match, the 100th cricket encounter will be chalked
up, and reflecting on this series, one cannot help observing
that the first elected President of the land represented Royal
and no less than four Prime Ministers have played on one side or
the other. What was said of Wellington that the Battle of
Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton, is a veritable
truth and of particular relevance to the Prime Ministers of our
country, in that the discipline and sportsmanship of the playing
field have played no small part in equipping them to manage the
affairs of the country when they were at the helm, and perhaps
in the next 100 years there may be the likelihood of the future
Presidents, Prime Ministers and leaders of the land, rising out
of the ranks of those who have represented the College at this
game.
A hundred annual cricket encounters between two
Colleges is a unique achievement, having perhaps no parallel in any
school, here or even abroad. I would like to commend the Committee
for their efforts in getting up a document which is a comprehensive
history of the match and one that will doubtless be preserved in the
archives of the Colleges and one that any College or private library
can be proud of. The greatness of a school lies in its bequeathing
intact the traditions it has inherited to future generations, and in
this respect Royal is the proud inheritor of a tradition of moulding
young men, who ore instilled with the high ideas of sportsmanship,
fair play and justice. Our values have been developed by the strict
adherence to rigid principles that govern all aspects of the life of
the school. They govern the requirements for admission, the limits
of periods allotted for particular courses and our code of conduct
and thus only students who have conformed to these requirements and
who are eligible to be in school are considered for selection to
represent the College at co-curricular and extra-curricular
activities. We believe it imperative that students be taught to obey
the low both in the letter and in the spirit and we set the example
both by practice and by precept. We of Royal, as have our
predecessors before us, have borne this uppermost in our minds and
we endeavour to turn out young men who will truly be a credit to
their school and country. I am proud and privileged to hold office
in this centenary match year and commend that the spirit of true
sportsmanship and friendship which has characterised the ninety-nine
encounters between the two Colleges, be maintained in this centenary
year and in the years to come.
L. D. H. Peiris
