Down Memory Lane...
The month of March is here again.
The rising temperatures in Colombo during this period do not even match upto
the heat and excitement generated by the Royal-Thomian. What distinguishes
the Royal-Thomian (fondly referred to as the Roy-Tho by some) from any other
Big Match is the active involvement of old boys, fans and well wishers of
the two schools. This annual cricket encounter which has truly stood the
test of time no doubt brings nostalgic memories of the days gone by,
especially to old boys of the two schools. It is therefore, no surprise that
many Prime Ministers of the past have made it a point to keep the second
weekend of March free for this grand sporting event. I am sure this year
would not be an exception to the.present Prime Minister as well.
My mind goes back to the Royal-Thomian
cricket encounter of 1988, which was the year that S.Thomas won the Royal-Thomian
cricket match after a considerable period of time. The stands at the P.Sara
Stadium were packed to capacity on the third day of play (12th
March 1988) with many Thomians who had come to witness this great moment
when history was to be created. As for Royal, the writing was on the wall at
the end of the second day with their team trailing behind the Thomian first
innings score. As expected, history was created at approx. 11.10 a.m., on
the 3rd day when Lashan Egalahewa took the final Royal wicket to
give S. Thomas' a convincing victory. From there onwards it was nothing but
merry making for the Thomian supporters who no doubt had much to shout about
and celebrate after 34 years !. I still vividly remember the school assembly
that followed the victory at which the D.S. Senanayake Shield was presented
to the Thomian Captain Anura Bulankulame, to the standing ovation of the
entire Student-body. The victory was of such great importance to Thomians
that the warden at the time, Mr. Neville de Alwis, was compelled to declare
two days as holidays in order to allow school boys to recover from their
ecstatic victory celebrations.
My mind then goes back to the year
1990 when the match was played at the SSC Grounds at which I functioned as a
Steward in the Thomian
camp. For those who have had the
fortune (or misfortune as the case may be) of being a Steward, would know
that the real 'battle' for the Stewards commences several months before the
big match itself with the hunt for advertisements for the souvenir. This
proves to be both a tedious and enriching experience since much character
building can be attributed to the process of securing advertisements and
selling souvenirs. The match of 1990 was thought to be heading for a draw at
the beginning of third days' play. Royal College was consolidating a lead to
the Thomian first innings total of 186. However, the Royalists were not able
to work up a huge lead and were bundled out for 218 runs. The Thomian second
innings commenced soon after lunch. The opening pair of Naresh Adikaram and
Aroshan Serasinghe faced the Royal bowling attack quite confidently to take
the score to 63 without a loss of a wicket. The problem started with the
dismissal of both opening batsman with the score at 63, which triggered a
collapse of an unprecedented nature. Thomian wickets started to tumble
thereafter like a row of dominoes and the Thomians were all out for a paltry
98 runs leaving the Royalists a victory target of 69 which they achieved for
the loss of one wicket. A day of disappointment for the Thomians and rejoice
for the Royalists.
If 1990 was considered to be a bad
year, the yearl991 was no better. This time I was fortunate to be a member
of the tent committee having gone through the mill and done the spade work
the previous year as a Steward. Being a member of the tent committee
entitles one to added 'perks' of extra soft drink coupons, superior quality
straw hats, glistening badges of identification and bigger and better
stuffed gollywogs etc. However, the greater benefit is the fact that one is
no longer required to carry weighty souvenirs around the ground and fall at
the mercy of generous patrons to purchase same. The Thomians desperately
tried to ward-off defeat at the 112th battle but were not able to
withstand the superior batting of the Royalists and succumbed to a defeat by
nine wickets.
My memory then takes me a few
years later to the year 1997 when I had just started employment after
perusing higher education. The highlight of the Royal-Thomian match of that
year was the hat-trick of Roshan Mahapatuna which effectively sealed the
fate of the Royalists on the first day itself. This was after S. Thomas' had
piled up a mammoth first innings score of 340 with Bathiya Karunaratne and
Nilanka Peiris scoring centuries. With the greatest difficulty, I managed to
persuade my boss to grant me leave on Friday even though I had joined my
employer only a month before and was not entitled to any leave. My eagerness
to witness the match on the second day was due to the strong probability
that the match might not even have seen the light of the third day since the
Royalists were placed in a precarious situation. However, the match did
ultimately go onto the third day and the Thomians managed to secure victory
convincingly through a magnificent display in both bat and ball.
The Battle of the Blues is an
event which is much looked forward to by old boys due to the opportunity it
gives to strengthen old school ties and engage in healthy rivalry with our
traditional rivals. It has also proved to be a major social event due to the
glamour and style set by the ladies both young and old who come in large
numbers to support the two schools. The event is paradoxical in that the
match played in the middle means so little in the end and at the same time
is the main reason for all the fuss. Needless to say it must be very
difficult for non-Thomians and non-Royalists to even comprehend the reasons
for holding this sporting event so sacred. In fact it could be said that it
is the mysticism which surrounds the Royal-Thomian that sets apart this
match from any other big match and thus ensuring its continuity through
generations. One can hardly imagine the kind of pressure that 22 school boys
of less than 19 years have to face in the run up to the match and the three
days that go with it. Some come out on top while others leam to take defeat
in their stride.
I believe that the Royal-Thomian
encounter still teaches us many lessons for life. Foremost among them is the
lesson of playing a clean game with respect to the rules and obedience to
the decisions of the umpires. I have never seen any incident of dissent or
any occasion of abuse hurled on the opposite side. This is no doubt a
salutary achievement given the intensity of the competition and the stakes
involved. Credit should go to all players of the past who have
ensured that the game of cricket
is played as a gentleman should. I have no doubt these noble traditions
would be continued in future as well.
The healthy rivalry and
brotherhood that prevails between the two schools is a phenomenal feature.
The occasional fisty-cuffs are a result of intoxication more than anger or
contempt. The tents which are jointly occupied by the old boys of the two
schools bare ample testimony to this fact. It is no secret that lasting
friendships have developed between Royalists andThomians both on the field
and in the tents. One can hardly forget the enormous effort that goes into
the planning and the organising of the match which is also handled by a
joint committee of the two schools. This again is a classic example of two
rival bodies working together in co-operation to make this great event a
success.
All of us present here to witness
this 124th encounter have a proud heritage to protect and hand
down for generations to come. It is important to bare in mind that the
annual Royal-Thomian encounter is the envy of many due to its uniqueness and
style. I hope that the students of both schools, both players and
spectators, would be mindful of their obligations to ensure that the game is
played clean and enjoyed in a healthy manner in the years to come. This
would be the ultimate tribute that could be paid to the "Match" we all enjoy
and hold so dear in our hearts. (Did I hear someone say "Mother of all
Battles"!!)
H.
D. Perera
