"The moving finger writes; and having writ moves on; nor all your piety nor
wit shall lure back to cancel half a line; nor shall your tears wash out a
word of it".
- Omar Khayyam
(predicting what would
happen when a cricket umpire raises his finger!)
The "Ashes" Test series between
England and Australia is over 100 years old. So is the Royal- Thomian. Of
course nobody burnt Royalist bails or Thomian stumps and placed the charred
remains in an um. Instead, what has been burnt into the hearts and minds of
generations of Thomians and Royalists has been a sense of fairplay; to play
the game hard but with goodwill and decorum; to respect not only the players
of your own team but also those in the opposition; to realize that the two
white coated men in the middle are the arbitrators of the match and that
their decisions have to be accepted with grace and good humour; to remember
above all that a cricket match is not just a game, but a great game which
can bring so much joy to players and spectators alike if it is played in the
true spirit of cricket.
It grieves me, as a cricket
umpire, to see the deteriorating standards of discipline in world cricket-
so much so that an ICC code of conduct had to be implemented in 2002. It is
up to all school cricket administrators in Sri Lanka to instill into young
minds that 80% of cricket is a mind game and that discipline both on and off
the playing field is of paramount importance.
Over the years, St. Thomas' and
Royal have produced a glittering array of cricketers many of whom have
played for Sri Lanka with great distinction. What they all had in common was
that they were gentlemen. They realized that cricket is primarily a game and
not a business and that the game is bigger than the individual. I sincerely
hope that the Thomians and Royalists of today will follow in the footsteps
of their illustrious predecessors.
Cricket is as much a game of
chance as of skill, so I wish both teams playing today -the very best of
luck. May this year's match be a truly memorable "Battle of the Blues".
Asokha De Silva
