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Grand plans afoot for......:
Thurstan - Isipathana Golden Jubilee cricket match
by Ranjan Anandappa
Thurstan and Isipathana are making elaborate arrangements to stage
their golden jubilee 'Big Match' on 22nd and 23rd March, 2013, at the
SSC grounds with the blessings of President Mahinda Rajapaksa who will
grace the occasion. The President is a distinguished old boy of Thurstan
College and has already purchased the first ticket to signal a rousing
start for the event.
Both schools being established a little more than six decades ago,
will meet each other for the 50th occasion with the old boys of both
schools eagerly waiting for this historic occasion. Usually this
encounter is played as the first of the series of big matches during the
end of February. But this year it has been postponed to facilitate old
boys and well-wishers who are domiciled in other countries hoping to
make their presence at the 'Big Match'.
In a preliminary press briefing held at the BRC pavilion in
connection to the event, principals of both schools were eager to make
the occasion a memorable one.
The principal of Isipathana College, A.M.K.C. Perera said that it is
an important juncture for the two schools in the annals of its history
and also for its future endeavours. The matches played in the past
between the two schools were free of any major incidents and was played
in a peaceful atmosphere and he said that he earnestly hoped that this
historic meeting too, will be a peaceful one.
The principal of Thurstan College, Nihal Yapa said that any school
staging an event for the 50th time is something unique and this one is
no exception and the two schools are looking forward to celebrating it
on a grand scale.
Priya Paranavithana who convened the press briefing said that he was
proud to be a Thurstanite who had represented the school at the first
'Big Match' in 1964 at the Nomads grounds (where the Nelum Pokuna
Theatre is now situated) and thereafter being involved in almost every
match in various capacities.
However, he regretted the sparse crowd seen during matches unlike a
Royal-Thomian encounter where one could see bigger crowds.
He hoped that the 50th encounter will end the spate of drawn games
and produce a result to keep the spectator interest alive.
In the 49 encounters played so far, Thurstan has won five and
Isipathana four. Thurstan has produced two Sri Lanka cricketers Amitha
de Costa and Hemantha Boteju and a Test player Niroshan Bandaratileka
while Isipathana has produced Jayantha Paranathala and Uvais Karnain who
represented Sri Lanka prior to the country gaining full Test Status and
Test players like Asoka de Silva, Sanjeeva Weerasinghe, Nuwan Zoysa and
Suresh Perera.
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