ROYAL-THOMIAN GOLDEN MEMORIES THAT LINGER
War clouds were
gathering and everyone was gearing one's self to meet any
eventuality and we young Thomian Cricketers were no exception.
The majority of us had just turned 16 years and were fighting
fit. The 1939 Royal Match was played and fought out in that
climate and spirit. We had styled ourselves "the Atoms", as we
were all quite short but powerfully built. Our teams signature
tune was-
"Soldiers of Fortune
are we, Men who are happy and free, Birds of a teacher we all
fly together, Soldiers of Fortune are we."
The es'spirit de Corps
of our Team was exemplary and we were determined to attack from
the word go and retrieve our lost prestige, after the innings
defeat in the previous year of 1938-so we did! And all the
Thomians rolled out the barrel in celebration.
Bertie Wijesinghe, our
Captain set the pace. In the 1'" ball of the match he had V.J.H.
Gunasekera L. B. W. and the score board read one for nought, and
from there on, there was no looking back. Wickets fell at
regular intervals except for C. I. Gunasekera's and R.L. De
Kretser's partnership. C. I. was out for 59 runs to E. D.
Cotelingam the "dark horse" of our side, in every sense of the
word. He was unpredictable in all departments of the game, but
he possessed a fighting spirit which was his forte. Eardley
Hermon our Wicket keeper was a tower of s(rength and was half
responsible for C. I.'s dismissal in the 1 sl
innings. Had he continued with his cricket after leaving the
school, he certainly would have made the Sri Lanka grade. He was
the best school Boy Wicket Keeper of his time.
The late Lyn Taylor,
opened bowling from the other end. He did not have to tear down
the pitch to make his deliveries as is done today. He was a cool
headed intelligent left arm slow bowler who concentrated on
varying his flight and pace on an immaculate length and line. If
he failed in the 1st innings of a match, he came off
in the 2 "d innings and was a potential match winner.
I have yet to see another bowler like him.
The rest of the Team,
who were all hell bent on winning the match, ably supported the
bowlers with superb fielding and dedicated concentration. We
had Royal out in the 1st innings for only 146 runs
and we made 178 runs. A satisfactory achievement considering the
fact that Royal had some 7 coloursmen while we had seven
freshers. C. I. Gunasekera of Royal was at the peak of his
School cricketing career, a very strong boy, powerfully built
and devastating when in full flight. He really hammers the day
lights when set, thus demoralising his opponents. But on this
occasion, we had the measure of him. He met his 'Waterloo'. In
the 2nd innings he made nought trapped by lyn Taylor
in the covers. In this Match, I was fielding at the do or die
position of short-leg but when C.I. walked in for his 2nd
innings, I was in the extra cover position and just before Lyn
Taylor bowled, 1 signaled to George Ekanayake was fielding in
the short leg position and changed place with him, and I am
convinced that, move of mine, paved the way for our victory in
1939. C. I. drove Taylor powerfully into the covers and George
Ekanayake fielding an extra cover brought off a brilliant catch
inches above the ground. Had I been there, it may have been a
four. That catch was at the beginning of the end. Royal totaled
a 175 runs in the 2nd innings Lyn Taylor took 6 wickets for 47
runs. In our 2nd innings we made a 145 runs for the
loss of 5 wickets and won the match. Bertie Wijesingha made 70
runs in a grand Captain's innings and the other members of the
Team gave him all the support. Our Victory that year was due to
a dedicated team work tempered with what is now commonly known
as "Thomian Grit"
1940 was a War year -
the 2"'' World War and Sri Lanka then being a Colony of Great
Britain was well and truly involved to the extent that there was
a song in vogue- "Only Thomian Cricketers could help to win the
War". And in that spirit we played the 1940 Royal match at the
S.S.C. grounds. Our Captain that year was the late Dugald
Abeysekera
who later joined the
R. A. F. and was killed on his operational flight before he was
entitled to a spot of leave. The match itself had its ups
and downs. Royal
scored 207 runs in their 1 51 innings and we scored
176 runs; no one got over 50 runs. In bowling. E. R. Hubert of
Royal took 4 for 77 and over for. S.Thomas' Col'iege I took 4
for 51. In the 2 rKl innings Royal scored 135 runs
for 5 wickets and declared and we scored 155 for 8 wickets when
stumps were drawn for the day, leaving the Match drawn. Raja
Proctor, the smallest boy on the side made a sparkling 57 runs
with Dugald Abeysekera on 39. Raja, though small was called the
'Mighty Atom and he flogged Royal bowling all round the wicket.
Dugald too was a dashing batsman. E. R. Hubert who suffered most
from his hectic hitting will remember him for a long time. We
needed only 12 runs to win this Match and had Royal
reciprocated the sporting gesture of the Thomian Captain of
1925 by allowing some extra time to have a result (so the story
goes) anything could have happened with a Halangoda yet at the
wicket when stumps were drawn. I had scored 4 not out with a
scorching 'Slash' drive through the covers and was in a real
attacking mood.
Anyway, 39 years later
in 1979,1 was pleased to witness my nephew , young Mahinda
Halangoda rise to the occasion like a colossus in the Centenary
match when defeat was staring at us in the. face. He and his
partner young Richards endorsed the term 'Thomian Grit'. They
had pulled us out of the dumps and placed us in a commanding
position. Mahinda scored an unbeaten 70 and Richards an unbeated
20 runs-another instance of sound understanding and good team
work. Whilst at the 'middle' Mahinda appeared to convey to the
spectators the Trinity motto 'Respice Finem' (look to the end)
and Richards kept us wondering whether he had any west Indies
connections although his approach to the game was with a
difference - a stubborn defence laced with canny maturity the
occasion demanded. The time factor had intervened and the Match
ended in draw - this was a case of "Alls well that ends well!"
To leave out the
social side of this great Cricketing event would be remiss on
my part. The fun and frolic of yester-year was second to none.
In my time there used to be 10-15 thousand spectators but now
its more in the region
of 30-40 thousand. Girls Schools such as Ladies and Bishops were
in the fore-front of the event in colour-full eye catching
attire and baila songs such as-
"Onna ithin
pattangathha Royal-Thomian match, Mothers looking round my dear
for the matrimonial catch"
Were the hit tunes of
the day. The Governor-General used to grace the occasion, in the
company of Revd. Canon R.S. de Saram Warden, S. Thomas' College,
the Principal of Royal, the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Ministers. Public administration used to come to a stand -still
with most Heads of Department and clerical hands on "Sick" leave
for the occasion. Those were the days!
In lighter vein, an
Old Royalist of aviation fame and who stands about six feet in
his socks, they say, did a real Veni, vidi, vici, he came flying
from England, in his private plane, saw and conquered the heart
of a Ladies College lassie, married her and lived happily ever
after. However, her affiliations were with S. Thomas' College,
so the Royal conquest was short lived because their only son
became a Thomian and she continues to be a staunch supporter of
S. Thomas' College. I presume with the hubby's backing. The
dictum of that era was that a L. C. girl flirted with a
Trinitian, made love to a Thomian and finally married a
Royalist. This case was no exception to this rule.
It is also told that
many an Old Royalist has found solace in S. Thomas' College and
that is what this great game of Cricket has taught us -tolerance
and magnanimity. Yes, its not whether we win won or lose but how
we play the game.
In conclusion, I wish
the Royal and Thomian teams the very best in the 1981 encounter
the 102 "d in the series and may the better win. My
father, the late Mr. John A. Halagoda, coached the Thomian side
in the 1930's and produced Centurians Alex Wijesinghe and
captains such as L.S. Gauder, Donald Fairweather. Willie
Jayatilleke and R. B. Wijesinghe. I played in the 1939 and 1940
matches. My brother. Brigadier John F. Halangoda is a Trinity
Lion for cricket, and his son Mahinda leads the Thomians this
year. May his team and leadership, bear testimony of all
that S. Thomas'
College stands for, in thought, word and deed.
Incidentally, Canon R.
S. De Saram's daughter Wendy has come all the way from England
with her husband, and will be watching this year's encounter. In
her days, she was a vociferous supporter of the Thomians and was
admired by many a Thomian cricketer. But then, there was a force
to reckon with-the Canon. Looking forward to watch a sporting
Match played in the best traditions of the game and series.
A. Q. Halangoda
Excerpt from the
Souvenir of the 102nd Battle of the Blues
