A
Rewarding Experience
By Anura Tennekoon
When young Nabil Mubarak requested an article for the Royal-Thomian
Souvenir, I promptly refused as I had already contributed
several article in the past. He then said that it need not
necessarily be an article on Cricket, as long as it was on a
subject pertaining to my experiences at College. Due to his
persistence, I thought of writing about the time I spent in the
College Boarding, as it has had a profound influence on my
cricketing career as well as my life in general.
My association with the College Boarding began, when as a five
year old, I entered Winchester House. My colleagues and I came
under the supervision of Reverend and Mrs. Barnabas who we
regarded as our foster parents as we were their for nine months
of each year. They were both a kind (couple) but strict
disciplinarians. Everything had to be done time, regardless of
our tender age and although we hated this regimented lifestyle,
we soon came to accept the routine: looking back, I realise that
the moulding we were given was the best a child of that age
could have received.
Winchester house was situated at the edge of the cricket ground and my
dorm-mates and I had the privilege of watching some of the best
cricketing talents of our time at practice and at play. So I,
was hooked on the game and dreamed of emulating the best of
them. Fortunately there were many boys who shared my aspirations
and we were never short of players. Even during room-time when
we were confined indoors, a ruler and eraser served as a bat and
ball for us to practice in the corridor. This I'm sure must have
helped me develop a keen eye, which was an asset to my game.
I was a Boarder throughout my school career. From Winchester we
graduated to the main boarding block which was divided into two
Houses, namely Miller-Chapman and Coppelston-Claughton. Here we
were greeted with a rag which immediately toughened us for the
intense rivalry between the two houses. The boys of each house
considered their members to be part of a large family and looked
after and vouched for each other as siblings do. It fostered a
sense of togetherness and sharing was a way of life. As the
boarders did not enjoy the choice of food that the day scholars
had, and had to be thrifty in managing our meagre pocket money,
we looked forward eagerly to the goodies brought by visiting
parents or well wishers to supplement our diet. Whenever a
visitor arrived on the compound; there were a number of eyes
eagerly surveying and guessing at what was in the parcels being
handed over.
The Boarders formed the backbone of many a sporting team in my
time (Era). The convenience of being able to walk across from
the classroom to the dorm, putting away your books and getting
into your sports gear, helped us to concentrate fully on our
sporting activities. The matches between the two houses in the
various sports were hotly contested. The highlight of these
sporting activities used to be the Boxing Meet where the
contestants without; much skill in the art of boxing, entered
the ring to display sheer bravado. In doing so they provided us
with hilarious entertainment of the highest order
As my main interest was cricket, I had ample opportunities of
playing many tennis ball cricket matches. A bed-pole of 2 inch
width was used as a bat for these games and I soon learnt the
art of connecting the unpredictable tennis ball by presenting a
vertical bat. I owe a great deal to my colleagues in the
Boarding- who toiled for many an hour drying to get me out as
the practice they gave me helped me to play many a long
innings at the
crease.
The experience of Boarding Life has taught many of us to live
disciplined lives. Having had to forego many social functions
that the Day Scholars attended has given us the-ability to be
selective in our choice of outings. It has also taught us to be
more sensitive to the needs and wants of others around us.
Despite the many advantages a properly managed Boarding House
affords, it is disheartening to see that the numbers in the
Boarding have dwindled to a mere 50 students, from the 260
during our time.
Therefore, I appeal to all Thomians to ensure than the Boarding
is restored to its former position as it can afford a student a
well-rounded character especially in this age where so much time
is spent on travel.
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