MUSINGS FROM ROYAL THOMIANS GONE BY
My Royal Thomian career has spanned a period of
almost 40 years. First as a little child, I remember being taken
to see the 'big match' by my parents. We would go armed with ham
sandwiches, Chinese rolls, beef patties, Green Cabin - chicken
and ham pies, and cold bottles of Lemonade, Lanka Lime and
Orange Barley.
We would sit in the dusty stands of the Oval,
(now the P Sara Stadium) on uncomfortable wooden benches and watch
the bands and the crowds, and I would entertain myself with my new
Royal 'golly', flag or Noisy twirler, which invariably got
confiscated by one of the irate adults, before the day ended.
Then as a young 'Royalist' armed with a boys tent
ticket, and a few rupees for food and drink and a flag bigger than
myself, we would sing and cheer ourselves hoarse and make claim of
what we would do when 'we played' the big match.
Naturally we would smash the Thoras', make
history and be the hero's of a great Royal victory.
Well.... Some of those dreams did come true.
Now, as a middle aged 'old boy', I make this
annual pilgrimage to the venue of the game, to meet my old team
mates, class mates and fellow revelers who throng to this great
event. We spend three days, reliving old memories, dragged out of
dusty cupboards of memory, adding a bit of spice, glamour and a new
twist with every year, and with every additional inch round our
waist lines.
We swap yarns, drink gallons of any liquid with
alcohol in it, try to act like teenagers, fail miserably and make
total and utter fools of ourselves we stagger home to swearing never
to repeat this. Then we come back the next year and do it again.
This is what the Royal Thomian is all about. It
is an event that holds something sacred for the young and the old.
For those who come to play, come to watch and those who come to be
watched.
The memories of this event are many. From
watching the heroes of my youth, Jagath Fernando, Asitha Jayaweera,
T.M.S. Saldin, and Ranjan Madugalle play, to participating in my
first 'Cycle Parade'. A right of passage of sorts.
And then, in my 16th year, the much awaited walk
out to the middle of the SSC Grounds, proudly wearing the Blue and
gold striped blazer, prior to the start of the first 'big match' I
played in.
There are memories of taking the field, amidst
the clamor of a hundred 'papare' bands. The long and lonely walk to
the middle to bat for the First time, the first runs scored and the
elation of knowing I didn't score a 'duck'.... And then the
inevitable longer walk back.
All these are etched in my memory. Clear as the
day they happened. Stored like valuable old books, to be taken out
at this time of year, read, re-read and tucked away for another
year.
Among these are two incidents of significance,
reflecting contrasting acts, both revolving around the game and how
it is played. One, a great act of sportsmanship and the other, you
can judge for yourself.
The first was in 1982.
I was playing my second Royal Thomian against a
strong Thomian team which included the likes of Ken de Alwis,
Shantha Jayasekara, Stefan Anthonisz, Frans Molamure, Ranil Pieris
and Kapila Wijegunawardena; most of them close friends of mine, both
on and off the field.
The Thomians batted first and a flurry of wickets
fell. Significant among them was that of Anothonisz who fell
stumped, off the bowling of Rochana Jayawardana in the mid 70's.
The rest of the game bore no single event worthy
of mention, but in the second Thomian innings, Stefan who opened the
batting with Ken, was batting confidently, not out, in the high
40's. A mere tap away from his second half century of the game and
immortality in the annals of history for twin fifty's in the
Royal-Thomian.
Malik Samarasinghe, our slow left arm spinner was
operating to a tight field, when he got one to pitch on off, and
drift in to the batsman, who attempted to play a square cut, a tad
too close to his body. The result was the faintest, feather of a
snick.
The only person who reacted on the grounds was
Sarinda Unamboowe, the , keeper, who let out a yelp and leapt in the
air, not supported by a single of his team mates around the bat, nor
the bowler. The umpire decisively shook his head with a disdaniful
stare down the pitch, clasped his hands behind his back and turned
his head away; Sandesh Algama at first slip kept hopping up and
down, repeating "What? What? What?"
Anthonisz stood firm for a few seconds looking at
the ground, and then turned and looked Unamboowe in the face,
muttered an audible obscenity and to the shock of all, on and off
the field, tucked his bat under his arm and trudged off the field.
The Royalist players, once they realized what had
happended, stood to applaud the batsman all the way to the pavilion.
The first thing Unamboowe did at Tea break was
walk into the Thomian dressing room to shake Anthoniesz by the hand
and make the confession "I would never have done that"
'Esto Perpetua' Stef. To this day I drink to
you'.
The following year, in 1982, Royal made history.
Under the leadership of present Royal coach and one of Sri Lanka's
finest opening batsman and all round cricketers, Chulaka
Amarasinghe. Royal thumped the Thomians, to finish the game before
tea on the third day and record a historic win after 14 long years.
Those present on those two and a half days of
cricket witnessed one of the greatest all round performances ever
seen. Rochana Jayewardana's 148 runs with the bat and 9 wicket match
bag. This well and truly sealed the fate of the Thomians, who after
a flurry of wickets on the first morning, never looked like they
were in control and folded meekly after a brief rear guard action,
halfway through the third day.
I had the honour of witnessing Jayewardana's
innings from the best seat in the house. The non strikers end.
I came into bat when he was in his 40's, first,
watched him score his half century and then watched as he ran amok
with the Thomian bowlers, belting them to all parts of the grounds
to bring up his century.
When the century making stroke was played, there
was a pitch invasion, as was customary during those days, with
enthusiastic supporters running on to the pitch to congratulate
their hero with a hug or a pat on the back. I too, walked over to
Rochana to congratulate him. Therefore, I was in very close
proximity to see two brothers, both ex Thomian sportsmen, run onto
the field and up to Rochana. What followed thereafter defied all
rationality. While one brother locked Rochana's arms from behind,
the other punched him twice in the stomach, leaving Rochana winded
and stunned. Retaliation was made impossible by the crowd and the
brothers having done their cowardly deed bolted back into the safety
of the stands. I guess their plan was to derail the assault on the
Thomian bowling.
This was not to be. Poetic justice was such that
Rochana stepped up his attack and put Royal in a well and and truly
commanding position, resulting in a resounding and deserved win for
a proud team that played the game hard but fair.
This act although abominable in its nature is not
in anyway a reflection of the sprit of the game or the relationship
between the Royalists and Thomians. I look at it as an isolated
incident of insanity, which totally contravened the general
competitive but congenial and warm atmosphere that prevailed on the
field.
I guess everyone will have a tale to narrate of a
Royal Thomian memory, be it an incident in the stands or one out in
the middle. Either way these are cherished. The good and the bad.
That is what makes this event special.
This year too, I will pack my 'refreshments' and
make the pilgrimage to the grounds and watch the teams out there,
vie to make history. There will be 'freshers' making their first
appearance realizing schoolboy dreams. There will be 'seniors'
making their final appearance at this event, there will be runs
scored, wickets taken and friendships bonded on and off the field.
Whatever the outcome, each member of both teams will take way from
this event, memories that they too will look back on fondly.
.......And in the stands, the old and the young,
fathers and sons, of both
schools will stand shoulder to shoulder with each
other, sharing a bond that few 'outsiders' will experience or
understand and they 'will raise a cheer' and 'let the echo ring'
raising their voices to celebrate one of the greatest sporting
events we know of.
Long may the Royal Thomian live.
The Keeper.
