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Cricket-the great leveller
By R. J. De Silva
The Royal Thomian is an epic Cricketing encounter. Because of its 127 year old history, rich traditions and the quality of cricket played before some twenty thousand spectators, the Royal Thomian has grown in stature unsurpassed by any other schoolboy Cricketing encounter anywhere in the world.

As an old Royalist and one who has watched the Royal Thomian virtually from the first ball for 46 years on the trot, I have vivid memories of the matches played in 1969, 1983, 1990 and 1991 because those were the years Royal beat S. Thomas’. But these victories were far in between and therefore are not easily forgotten. The victory in 1969 led by my college mate Eardley Lieverz was memorable because the Royal team then played as a well knit side and I enjoyed the victory as yet a schoolboy.

There were no individual performances to write home. In 1983, the present coach Chulaka Amarasinghe’s team simply steamrolled over the hapless Thomians. That year, Rochana Jayawardena toyed with the bowlers to hit a belligerent 145 in the first innings and spun out the Thomians in both innings with his tantalizing off spin. In 1990, Lokubalsuriya is remembered for bowling a stunning spell to have the Thomians collapse spectacularly for 98 in the morning of the last day to give Royal an unexpected victory.

Of course, we also remember the years 1964 and 1997 when Royal lost. But they pale into insignificance compared to more disastrous losses later on in 1988 and 2005, because the latter two losses were by innings and before lunch on the last day of the match. The match Royalists will not want to relive is the one in 1999 under Amarasuriya. Royal set to dominate after scoring 288 for 3 declared in the first innings lost the match on the 3rd day after a dramatic collapse for a mere 80 runs in the second innings.

In 1988, Royal could not score 100 runs in either innings and was thrashed by an innings and 70 runs. The year 2005 was a disaster because Royal scored a mere 94 runs in the first innings and had to contend with many internal issues apart from playing bad cricket. I am sure many a Thomian would have conjured up another facile victory this year because S. Thomas’ had about 7 players from the previous year.

Drawn matches during the said period, were no second to those won or lost, for they remain as testimony to individual brilliance of epic proportions. I recall the magnificent innings played by Halangoda and Richards for S. Thomas’ in the 1979 Centenary Year and the unbelievable innings played by the pint sized Gamini Perera for Royal in 1992. These batting feats enabled S. Thomas’ and Royal respectively, to save their Alma Mata from certain defeats. During these 46 years, there were many other great individual performances by Royalists and Thomians, too numerous to recall in this instance.

But the 127th ‘Battle of the Blues’ I believe, is the best ever Cricket match played in the series. It is the best because the side that scored 278 for 8 declared in the first innings and 295 all out in the second innings, still lost the match. There is no match in the series where a side that has scored so many runs (573) had conceded defeat. While I appreciate the sheer tenacity of the Thomians, particularly in the second innings, a resurgent 2006 Royal side was too good.

Royal overpowered the Thomians with aggression and tactical precision. Royal’s declaration at the end of the 2nd day was considered ill advised by many Royalists when the umpires offered bad light to the batsmen after bowling a mere 4 overs. They thought that Royal could have piled on another 50 runs to make sure that Royal did not have to bat again. But the Royal coach had other ideas. Many of us did not know that a balance of 8 overs would be added to the normal 105 overs on the 3rd day.

This then was the difference because finally Royal had 23overs to score 142 runs after S. Thomas’ had consumed 91.3 overs (4overs + 87.3overs on the 3rd day) in the second innings. Some of us were privileged to witness the tension and the drama when the number of overs left for play was being calculated by the umpires with the 2 coaches on the grounds. Royal’s determination to avenge last year’s drubbing was great. Several attempts by Thomian supporters to either stop the match by running away with the stumps and bails making batsmen bat in very bad light, could not prevent Royal winning with 11 balls to spare.

I see this game not so much for its individual brilliance or for the records broken, but for the manner in which victory was fashioned by Royal. S. Thomas’ declared their first innings with about 20overs to bowl at the tired Royalists and many expected the generally vulnerable Royalists to relive the debacle last year and lose about 2 or 3 wickets and thereby seal the fate of the match for another year. But what took place was unbelievable. Both openers tore into the Thomian attack in a manner never seen in the series before. The first 50 runs came in 33 balls. Opener Senaratne’s six over extra cover off left arm seamer Bamunuaratchi who was expected to swing the ball and cause havoc, was a beauty.

There was no let up for the bowlers from either end with both batsmen attacking relentlessly. I believe that 104 runs in 20overs at close took the match away from the Thomians. S. Thomas’ had the next morning to exploit the normal SSC conditions the way Royalists did but instead, more batting records were shattered. I pay tribute, to the supremely confident and attacking approach of the Royal batsmen. At the end of the second day, Thomians were on the back foot and Royal had rewritten the record books- opening partnership (218) and the series highest total for an innings (432 for 7dec).

The Royal openers for the second time showed that the 1st innings was no fluke. The two openers were seen at the wickets before the fielding side walked in, a rare sight indeed. I am sure this would have added to the psychological pressure the Thomians were now under. Senaratne and Maligaspe once again tore into the Thomian attack and took 32 runs off just 3 overs. Coach Amarasinghe played the final trump card he always held by sending the 15 year old Kusal Perera to bat at no.3 despite scoring a naught in the first outing. For Kusal, it was his 3rd month at Royal and had never played in front of 20,000 spectators before under pressure cooker atmosphere. Kusal Perera did not let down his coach or thousands of Royalists sensing victory.

He hit a glorious six over mid wicket with consummate ease to first establish his authority and then began to run one’s and two’s so easily that it gave Dimitri Siriwardena a 4th year coloursman confidence to get over his known nerves at the start. Kusal has a very bright Cricketing future ahead of him.
I must pay tribute to Dimitri Siriwardena who finally carried Royal to victory with a beautifully compiled 46 not out. He hit the winning boundary in an authoritative manner. After all, it was his team that lost the match so badly last year. I am sure he must be relieved that he was at the middle when Royal finally won.

Those of us privileged to see the 127th Royal Thomian will agree that it was the best game of cricket played in the series so far. It had all the ingredients for the connoisseurs of the game. The match went down to the wire. As a form of entertainment, nothing has surpassed it before. Royal performed a great comeback. The result once again proved that there is nothing bigger than the sport and cricket is a great leveller. The better side will win next year.

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