The three Royal Ramanayake Musketeers
Sandesh and Hashen with the proud father Champaka
The Royal-Thomian big match is known for tumbling records for anything and everything. Be it the action or generation of grandfathers-fathers-sons-brothers playing. But with this year’s winning edition, a rich and rare record entered the record books.
In an unmatched, and an unlikely to be emulated family feat, the Ramanayake brother’s – Hashen, Himesh and Sandesh – played and won for the Royal College in three different teams. The win was all recorded within a 10-year period from 2013-2023.
These three musketeers, the owners of this unique record, and sons of former national fast-bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake, say it’s a mix of coincidence and luck. This stunning feat, a first at the 144-year Royal-Thomian history, began in the making when Hashen Ramanayake, eldest of the three brothers, won it first in 2013, exactly a decade ago.
In height of coincidence, exactly a decade since, his youngest brother, Sandesh Ramanayake, again part of last week’s winning team, completed the family feat.
“It feels really nice. Obviously, it was unexpected. To me and Himesh, we won a few years ago (2016). Seven years since then,” Hashen Ramanayake told the Sunday Times at their residence in Nugegoda, on the eve of the 46th Royal-Thomian One-Day encounter on Thursday.
“I was in tears for a good 10-15 minutes. I saw the crowd invading and I ran into the middle. Knowing that we didn’t have the shield, my brother bought it back and that was special.”
“It was spectacular,” the 28-year-old declared.
Flanked by his eldest brother and father, Sandesh Ramanayake said, “It’s a really good feeling. It’s not that often to have that happen.”
“It’s all about the hard work we put in and the team effort. The whole team had it in mind that we can win and we believed. That’s the way we won the big match. It’s mostly luck and hard work.”
Albeit, it all seems a record, a feat, it was not meant to be in that way. The 18-year-old Sandesh, sustained a severe back injury in the primitive part of this season, and consequently missed a half of the matches. The second year coloursman narrowly escaped missing out on this year.
However, though, he recovered in the nick of time, defying worries and doubts to complete a triumphant trio.
“Sandesh this year had a good start to the season. Then he had a severe back injury. Subsequently, he did not play for three-and-a-half months. We were worried. I am really proud of the way he came back to the team, went back to the second XI. I had to help him a lot. First game of the second XI, he got a 50. He gradually got into the runs and wickets. Just two games ahead of the big match, he got a chance to return to the first XI. He fought back his place in the team”, father, Champaka Ramanayake, elaborated.
Himesh Ramanayake, the second-winning member, won in 2016 and added the cream of coincidence into the cake.
The three Ramanayake siblings (from left) Himesh, Sandesh and Hashen
“It’s a very uncommon thing in any series,” he recounted.
“Three brothers playing and winning, I feel lucky. No one planned it. Even when malli (Sandesh) did it, I think I’m lucky to be a part of such a great achievement.”
“2016 never thought Royal would win. After both schools piled above 300 runs in the first session, it is difficult to derive a result. But royalists did produce an unexpected win,” Champaka chipped in of 2016.
“Himesh’s game, I never expected to win,” he added, having followed the action from the 2016 T20 World Cup, alongside Ranjan Madugalle, also an ex-Royalist, at the Royal-Thomian.
Hashen, also having played a match-saving knock in 2014, talking about the differences in between 10 years, said, “In 2013, when we (his team) won, we had a brilliant season. Never lost a game. We were a far better side even before going into the Royal-Thomian. The game was interrupted due to rain and etc. We still managed to win quite comfortably”.
“But looking at this season, they (Sandesh’s team) came as underdogs, almost completely dominated. That’s a bigger achievement and surprised all of us,” he added.
Champaka knows well and truly it’s a few and rare record.
“It’s a very rare, rare feat.”
“It’s a difficult feat when you consider….okay, you can play three in the same family, and it’s tough to win three games for Royal from the same family. Rare feat. We won twice. But this year too, had a good gut feeling we could win and make it thrice. To get into the Royal College team, also is a tough thing. Playing for the big match is also a tough thing. And winning is huge. When you go into details, it’s huge,” he, also the discoverer of legendary fast-bowler, Lasith Malinga, explained.
Hashen also revealed, though his family are the first to etch themselves into the history, about 65-years ago, another pair of royalists own the record for two from the same family.
“We are the first for three,” he self-proclaimed.
When asked Sandesh whether the win has soaked and synced, it is still getting into their systems.
Reflecting the moments of rejoicing with pauses, finding it difficult to lay it out in words, “When the ninth wicket fell, we were almost in tears. When we were bowling, fielding, the feeling we could win this match was a really good feeling. The whole eleven was in tears. The bowler Sineth (Jayawardena) told me when he was bowling, we are going to win this match and it’s a whole lot different feeling”.
“We deserve it,” he concluded.