Thomas' Cricket Match), the annual cricket match between Colombo Royal College (a public non-denominational school accommodates approximately 8,000 students) and S. Thomas' College, Mt Lavinia (a private Anglican school that has about 2500 boys on roll with several affiliated schools) is the longest uninterrupted cricket match series in the world (the oldest being the series between St Peters Coll
ege and Prince Alfred College, South Australia but now it is not being played), even older than the Ashes, having been played for 135 years continuously. The original match was played between the Colombo Academy and S. Thomas' College in 1879, with schoolmasters participating as well as schoolboys. From 1880 onwards, only schoolboys were allowed to play in the match. It is the only school boy cricket match in Sri Lanka to be played over three days.
*Atmosphere
The "Battle of the Blues" is filled with pageantry. With decorated tents, flags and baila singing and dancing groups present all around the city and the ground itself during the match days and in the days leading up to it. The match is held on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday. By tradition, the schools are closed on match days to allow students to attend the Big Match. Souvenirs published by the both schools are sold on all three days as a memento, the duty of distribution entrusted to the souvenir committees. On the day before the match,the students of each school take a walk around the city in a "cycle parade" with bands and decorations and other colorful items showing support for their team. A notable item is the Royal tradition of carrying a coffin draped in the Thomian flag during the cycle parade. Overloaded cars with supporters singing and careering along the Colombo streets is a familiar sight during match days. During the week leading to the match,daring supporters from senior grades and school leavers are known to enter the grounds of girls' schools (usually by jumping over the walls though the gates are sometimes opened for them), particularly Bishop's College Colombo, (S.Thomas' sister school) and Ladies College Colombo, and sing and chant raucously, a phenomenon known as "trucking". This is frowned upon by the school authorities in recent years and police are sometimes brought in for protection, when minor acts of vandalism or altercations among students are reported. The match is looked forward to by both the young and old, male and female and even those who had no connection with either school would turn up and enjoy the celebrations. It is more of an occasion for the old boys and present students of both schools coming together for 3 days of fun and revelry. It is quite normal to see 70, 80 year old old boys coming to the "Big Match" to relive old times and meet old friends. Many expatriates choose this time of year to return to Sri Lanka to see the Roy-Tho! OLD ROYALISTS WHO PLAYED IN SRILANKAN CRICKET TEAM
1. Ranjan Madugalle - former Test Cricket Captain of Sri Lanka
2. Gamini Goonesena - former Ceylon & Cambridge University Cricket Captain
3. Churchill Gunasekara - former Ceylon Cricket Captain
4. de Saram, OBE, CA - former Ceylon Cricket Captain
5. Gunesekera - former Ceylon Cricket Captain
6. Satyendra Coomaraswamy - former Ceylon Cricket Captain
7. Sargo Jayewickrema - former Ceylon Cricket Captain
8. Dav Whatmore - former Australian cricketer & Sri Lankan, Bangladesh team coach
9. Asantha De Mel - former Sri Lankan cricketer
10. N.S. Joseph - former Sri Lankan cricketer
11. Jayantha Amerasinghe - former Sri Lankan cricketer
12. Sudath Pasqual - former Sri Lankan cricketer
13. Rohan Jayasekera - former Sri Lankan cricketer
14. Roshan Jurangpathy - former Sri Lankan cricketer
15. Mahesh Rodrigo - former Ceylon cricketer and All Ceylon Rugby Captain
16. Channa Gunasekera - former Ceylon cricketer
17. Pat McCarthy - former Ceylon cricketer
18. Pradeep Jayaprakashdaran- former Srilankan Cricketer
19. Jehan Mubarak - Sri Lankan cricketer
20. Kushal Janith Perera - Sri Lankan cricketer
21. Kithruwan Vithanage - Sri Lankan cricketer
22. Ramith Rambukwella - Sri Lankan cricketer
23. Bhanuka Rajapaksa - Sri Lankan cricketer
OLD THOMIANS WHO PLAYED IN SRILANKAN CRICKET TEAM
1. Amath - Captained Ceylon in Cricket
2. D. de Saram - Captained Ceylon in Cricket
3. Col. Fredrick de Saram - Ceylon cricket captain, Oxford Blue.
4. V. G. Prins - Captained Ceylon in Cricket
5. M. H. Tissera - Captained Ceylon and Sri Lanka in Cricket
6. N. Chanmugam - Sri Lanka Test cricketer
7. B. Reid - Captained Ceylon in Cricket and Table Tennis
8. P. Tennekoon - Captained Sri Lanka in Cricket
9. L. R. Duleep Mendis - Captained Sri Lanka in Test Cricket
10. Guy de Alwis - Sri Lanka Test cricketer
11. Saliya Ahangama - Sri Lanka Test cricketer
12. Kaushik Amalean - Sri Lanka Test cricketer
13. Kapila Wijegunawardene - Sri Lanka Test cricketer
14. Pieris - Ceylon cricketer, Cambridge blue
15. Ponniah - Ceylon cricketer, Cambridge blue
16. Mevan Pieris - Srilankan Cricketer
17. Ishak Sahabdeen - Sri Lanka Cricketer
18. Jeevan Mendis - Sri Lanka Cricketer
19. Kaushal Silva - Sri Lanka Test Cricketer
For more information visit
http://www.royalthomian.info/
