| The
Royal – Thomian, a 130 year history
By Gayathra Manamendra
The most looked forward to sporting
and social event in the calendar of both past and present
Royalists and Thomians the Royal-Thomian big cricket
match also known as the ‘Battle of the Blues’
will be played for the 130th time on the 12th, 13th
and 14th March 2009 at the headquarters of Sri Lanka
Cricket, the SSC, at Maitland Crescent in the capital
city of Colombo.
S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia, a private Anglican
school, has about 2400 boys on its roll and Royal College
Colombo, a government run non-denominational school,
has approximately 8000 thus making it the largest school
in the country.
History records S. Thomas’ College (in Mutwal,
later Mount Lavinia) as the first school to play cricket
in Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was then known). In 1864 S.
Thomas’ has played the first match against the
Small Pass Cricket Club in Colombo the result is recorded
as a run victory for the College. More importantly this
1864 match has gone down in history as the first recorded
Ceylonese Cricket match played in the country. From
1864 to 1877 S. Thomas’ has continued to play matches
against the clubs including the elitist European dominated
Colombo Cricket Club as no other school played cricket
during that time in Ceylon. The Sub-Warden of the College
Reverend Felton Falkner, a Cambridge ‘Blue’
rendered yeoman service to develop cricket at S. Thomas’
during those early years. A pioneer of cricket in Ceylon
Rev. Falkner has coached the College boys and was the
Thomian cricket captain for several years.
Mr. Ashly Walker, also a Cambridge ‘Blue’
arrived in Ceylon in January 1877 to take up duties
at the Colombo Academy in the Pettah (later renamed
Royal College and shifted to Reid Avenue). Mr. Walker
started coaching the Academy boys and organised the
first Academy cricket team in 1878. The very first “College
Vs Academy” cricket match (as the Royal - Thomian
was then called) was played in 1878. Incidentally this
is the first cricket match played by the Colombo Academy,
thus becoming the second school to play cricket in Ceylon.
Although the scores are not given the result is recorded
as a win for the College team by an innings and 3 runs.
The second match in 1879 has ended in a win for the
Academy team by 56 runs. But both these matches are
not taken into account as masters played in both teams.
The first schoolboys’ only “College vs. Academy”
match was in 1880. The result was a 62-run win for the
Academy. J. W. de Silva captained the Academy and F.
W. Mc Donnell led S. Thomas’.
Since the 1880’s these two great schools –
the most prestigious in Sri Lanka - have churned out
world class cricketers. Famous Royal cricketers Dr.
C. H. Gunasekera, Sargo Jayawickrema, Col. F. C. de
Saram, Sathi Coomaraswamy, C. I. Gunasekera, Gamini
Goonesena, Ranjan Madugalle and renowned S. Thomas’
cricketers A. C. Amath, D. L. de Saram, S. Saravanamuttu,
Vernon Prins, Michael Tissera, Dr. B. G. Reid, Anura
Tennekoon and Duleep Mendis have captained, Ceylon or
All-Ceylon or Sri Lanka against foreign teams.
The first All-Ceylon cricket captain Douglas Lee de
Saram (1922) who’s also the first Ceylonese to
get his name in the cricketers ‘Bible’ the
Wisden (1912) played for S. Thomas’ from 1898 to
1902. W. T. Greswell has said in an interview: “If
the players are understudying their popular idol D.
L. de Saram, they should continue to do so. No better
model cricket or sportsman ever donned flannels in Ceylon.”
S. P. Foenander has said: “D. L. de Saram is the
finest all-round cricketer and the most popular in the
history of the game in Ceylon. For sheer stroke production
and power he has never been surpassed and his presence
in the cricket field has made him a cricket personality
second to none in the history of the game in the island.”
Even Sri Lankan national leaders have played in the
‘Battle of the Blues’ President J. R. Jayewardene
played for Royal in 1925. The ‘Father of the Nation’
Hon. D. S. Senanayake played for S. Thomas’ in
1901 and ’02 Sir John Kothelawala played for Royal
in 1914 and ’15 and then Hon Dudley Senanayake
played for S. Thomas’ in 1927, ’28 and ’29.
National hero Edward Pedris has turned out for S. Thomas’
in 1907, whilst the only Ceylonese to be awarded the
Victoria Cross for valour, Basil Hosfall, was a bit
unfortunate to be named the 12th man, in the Thomian
team.
Not many know that the time honoured match is played
for the most coveted D. S. Senanayake Challenge Shield.
So after 129 ‘Battles’ the score according
to Royal records, stands at Royal College won 33 matches
while S. Thomas’ has won 34 matches. But according
to S. Thomas’ College statistics the tally is:
Royal College won 33 and S. Thomas’ 35! The difference
is obviously due to the controversial 9-run match played
in 1885. The Royalists say the match was drawn, but
the Thomians record it as a win! Since then the fierce
tussle for supremacy between the arch-rivals has brought
out the very best in ‘Royal courage’ and the
famed ‘Thomian Grit’ on the field and off
it as well.
When asked to comment on the relationship between the
two schools, former Royal College Principal Mr. Bogoda
Premaratne has had this to Say: “There is no Royal
without S. Thomas’ and no S. Thomas’ without
Royal!
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