ROYAL - THOMIAN MATCHES IN THE YEARS GONE BY

When I was a little boy of five, my father's greatest wish was that I grow up to captain the Thomian team. 1 eventually did captain S. Thomas' but, I suffered the worst fate that could befall a Thomian, which is that I was not able to captain in the Royal - Thomian match but more of that later.

Much has been written about Royal - Thomian matches over the years and quite rightly so. I believe that, next to the Eton and Harrow match, this is the oldest school match, but what is more important is that it is a match between two friendly schools, the friendships begun at an early age have remained throughout our lives and, undoubtedly, our Royalists friends, are perhaps the best friends we have, next to our own school-mates.

The Royal- Thomian match brings with it so much excitement, year after year, and as little school boys in the mid 1930's, not only did we speak about it but our teachers spoke about it in class, and helped to fire our enthusiasm and our imagination. The Royal-Thomian was played on two days, Friday and Saturday and it began at 12.00 noon and ended at 6.00 p.m. The Warden gave us lunch on both days, and also the College bus took us to the ground, lustily cheered by our school mates who had just been let out of class. The matches were played in alternate years on the SSC grounds and NCC grounds, until 1943, when R Sara, a distinguished old Thomian, constructed the Tamil Union ground, then known as the Colombo Oval. The NCC lost the match, which went to the Tamil Union and in the '50s nearly all Royal Thomian matches were played at the Tamil Union for almost 20 years or so, but now, all matches are played at the SSC.

Clubs did not have the impressive stadia that we now see, and both schools had to make do with cadjan sheds, which some naughty old boy set fire to after the match was over, and the Fire Brigade had to be called in. When it rained, of course, we had little shelter but the schools being only half the size they are now, accommodation was rarely a problem.

We never hesitated to run onto the field for the slightest excuse, but the match still went on, and we had a result. Today, with three days and no interruptions, we struggle to see a result. One Umpire was appointed by each school, and there were accusations that the umpires helped their old schools. I certainly do not think so, but. then rumour and gossip is some­thing you can never contain.

For the ladies, it was an occasion to display their finery and the girls of Ladies' College and Bishop's College, looked forward to the Royal - Thomian match, as much as the Royalists and Thomians did, and perhaps, many of them met their match on days such as these.

Liquor was consumed quite freely but not excessively, and each school looked after its own tent. We did not have the combined Tent Secretaries and the Old Boys Unions running the match as we do now.

Transport was nowhere near what it is today and to get to the match and back was quite a task, because very few had cars, and the trains and buses were jammed with passengers, trying hard to get home early, after a day's play.

I think my first Royal -Thomian match was when I was five years old in 1935, and when I went to the grounds, everyone was talking about M. 0. Gooneratne and his performance. He had scored 107 runs in the second innings and had taken 7 for 34. Either performance was outstanding, and combination of both, was truly great. MO was a leg spin bowler, of out­standing ability. Unfortunately, he broke his leg a couple of years later while diving to save a four when playing for Sri Lanka and was lost to first class cricket but he did continue to play Club cricket and for the Army occasionally. His prodigious leg break had to be seen to be believed.

At that time, Donald Fairweather was a legend. He captained the school in 1934/ 35 and 1936. He played 5 years for the school, from the age of 15 and, together with F. W. Porritt, played for Sri Lanka as a school boy.

It was in 1936, that Norman Siebel made the record score of 151 after we had lost four early wickets, and young Bertie Wijesinghe, a stripling, played with him to score 57, and they brought the score from 65 to 201 for 7. Most of that match I saw, but unfortunately, we could not win.

Willie Jayatileke captained us in the next year, and brought us victory after a drought of many years. He played a captain's knock of 110 and helped us to win the match. 1938, was a year of great hopes, and great disappoint­ments. Bertie Wijesinghe was at his brilliant best, and he was an outstand­ing batsman and bowler and everybody expected great things from him. Unfortunately, Bertie was out for a duck in the 1st innings, and royal,

captained by pat McCarthy, another great cricketer, who was lost to Sri Lanka Cricket when he emigrated to Australia, swamped us by an innings and left us in disgrace.

But S. Thomas' made up for this the next year, again under Bertie, when we beat Royal by 5 wickets, Bertie scoring 63 and 70 but it was W. E. Taylor (son of our fearsome class teacher, Mrs. Taylor), the slow left arm bowler who perhaps won the match for us with 6 wickets, including that of the great C. I. Gunasekera who had, by then, become a terror in school cricket. George Ekanayake's catch on the boundary to dismiss CI, is still talked about those who saw it. A record partnership of 150 runs between N.T. Wijesooria and "Chikka" Molamure, was the highlight of the 1941 Royal-Thomian match. They set up a record of 150 runs for the 2^nd wicket. S. Thomas had every chance of winning, but royal, in their typical fashion, played out time, and had 119 for 9 and many more runs to get when the light came to their aid.

The war years then intervened, and cricket took a back seat, but the Royal-Thomian match was one of those matches which still continued unbroken throughout the war years. We lost badly in 1942. Royal was captained by Gamini Salgado, who was a great cricketer and an even greater gentleman, if ever there was one. But, the following year, we turned the tables on them, under V.G. Prins, when K. L. M. Perera and Sam Elapatha had a last wicket partnership of 114 runs. The following year, we won by an innings under the captaincy of Renga Selvaratnam and Sam Elapatha, this time bowled well with 6 wickets and 3 wickets, but, in 1945, the slide began. We were thrashed very badly in 1945, even though we had a side that showed promise of winning earlier on in the match. The next year, we had to con­tend with Mahes Rodrigo, who was not out in both innings, and Royal won once again.

1947 was my first year as coloursman and like many things in cricket, I was lucky to get into the team because others, including coloursmen, had failed. Royal was captained by Kasipillai who had earned a reputation as a fear­some batsman, and once again, won by 9 wickets. S. Thomas were badly outplayed, and we were still recovering from the effects of having to break up the school during the war. The only wicket I took was that of John Cooray, who is now a priest, Revd. Yohan Devananda. I got him out early

in the first innings, but in the second innings, he made up for it with a brilliant 64 not out, scoring rapidly all around the wicket, demonstrating what a wonderful cricketer he was. He played in 1945 and 46 as well, and holds the record of being the highest scorer in both 46 and 47, and having played in 3 successive matches, all of which were won by Royal.

1947 also saw the advent of another great cricketer, who was to do well not only in Sri Lanka, but abroad - the diminutive Gamini Goonasena, who came in to the side, I believe, just before the Royal Thomian match. He was a leg spin bowler of great talent and he continued to play in 48, when he took 7 wickets, and again in 1949. Gamini played for Sri Lanka, as a school boy, and later, for the English Country Nottinghamshire, and also captained Cambridge, where he broke the batting record in the Oxford/Cambridge match. The 1948 match was, however, one of the most exciting matches I have ever played, and feel that perhaps I made some contribution towards its excitement. Royal batted first and with only two session left, it looked as if the match would become a draw. I then had some good fortune, and bowled quite well, and we bundled Royal out for 101, with me taking 6 for 27. K.C. Perera and Bradman Weerakoon, two very docile batsmen, sud­denly became fired-up and showed that they could push the score along, and brought us within a glimpse of victory. Shathikumar and I were at the crease, in the last over and with the last ball to bowl, we had 3 runs to score. Shanthi, a great admirer of the late M. Sathasivam, played a late cut but I do not think it was to emulate Satha. He probably thought he could get 4 runs through the gap, but he ended up with a single, and I do not think Shanthi, who tragically passed away several years ago, ever lived it down.

1950, was my year as Captain, but I twisted my ankle in the previous match, and despite every effort by the doctors and my well-wishers, my playing was dpubtful until just before the match.. The whole school waited with bated breath for the decision, while I was in the sick room, I had scores of boys visiting me to check on my foot, and quite a few Royalists too, who had not forgotten my previous year's performance. Finally the doctor passed me, and so did the Warden. The coach, however, decided that I should not play, though perhaps I could have. Roger Inman captained the side instead, but the match was drawn.

Although my first Royal-Thomian was in 1935,1 thought I would mentioned just a few facts of earlier days.

We had Robert Senanayake, brother of the late Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake, who captained S. Thomas' for three Years 30. 31 and 32, and had the unenviable distinction of having lost in all three years. In the 1929 Jubilee match, S. Thomas' had a powerful side and was expected to walk over Royal, but that was when F. C. de Saram and Sargo Jayawickreme came in to their own. They both scored runs, and helped to win the match. They both served Sri lanka cricket immensely in the years that followed.

1.   Roy Herman was an outstanding batsman and captain, who captained the College in the Jubilee match which we lost al­though we had a good side. This is something the Royalists' have not stopped talking about since, perhaps to drown the ignominy of the 9-run match.

He also captained the school against St. Peter's College, a Schools team from Australia and S.Thomas' were the only side which beat that team when they visited Sri Lanka.

Z   Some of the outstanding cricketers I could remember are Donald Fairweather, who is credited with having hit a six into a moving train at Mt. Lavinia, Bertie Wijesinghe, who had no equal as a school boy cricketer in his time, Eardley Herman, who, in my view, was the Best school boy wicket keeper I have ever seen. Their names still remain etched in my memory as Thomian he­roes of the past.

3.   In later years, we have had captains like P. I. Peiris who played under me, and Michael Tissera, and Anura Tennekoon all of whom blossomed in the under 14 team, under the peerless lassie Abeywardena, did well in the Royal Thomian, and went on to play for Sri Lanka, with distinction. Both Michael and Anura played as schoolboys for Sri Lanka, and served Sri Lankan cricket for many years as captains.

4.   W. A. Wijesingle was a batsman without peer, and although Bertie, his younger brother, went on to play for Sri Lanka for several years, many of those who had seen Alex say that he was the better batsman of the two.

S. Thomas' has produced wonderful cricketers in the past and several of-them have represented Sri Lanka, but in the fitness of things, other schools now have got equally good facilities, and their players have come into their own. This has done Sri Lanka cricket a great deal of good, because it is able to get the best talent from all over the country to play for Sri Lanka.

S. Thomas' still have a pan to play, and I am sure it will rise to the occasion • sooner rather than later.

C.T.A.Schaffter

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