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| Sunday, 6 March 2005 |
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Three-day match on low key because of December disaster ... : Royal and S. Thomas' work on Thursday by A. C. de Silva The 126th Royal-Thomian cricket encounter will be played on a 'low key' this year and will be without much celebration, keeping in line with Government requests to tone down activities after the devastation caused by the tsunami tragedy in late December. This is the joint view of the two principals - Warden of S. Thomas' Dr. David Ponniah and Principal of Royal Upali Gunasekera at the media briefing held on Wednesday evening at Hotel JAIC Hilton. The three-day cricket match will be played on March 10, 11, and 12 at the SSC grounds, Maitland Place with Dialog GSM being the sponsor of the event for the fifth successive year. "This is more than cricket match it has been held for 126 years without a break, despite many obstacles on the way like the World War and other calamities. So, we took a joint decision to have the match this year without the usual pomp and pageantry accustomed with this game", said Warden David Ponniah. Last year was a special year, being the 125th encounter. The sponsorship for this year will be on the same lines of the 124th encounter said Dialog Chief Executive Officer Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya. All tents will be there as usual, but there won't be the usual decorations. The National flag, Royal and S. Thomas' flags will be flown. Alcohol will not be permitted to be brought into the ground. This is a three-day game. However, unlike last year and years gone by in the past decade, there will be a school session for both Royal and S. Thomas' on Thursday. Friday and Saturday will be holidays. It is expected that part of the proceeds of this encounter will go to fund for the tsunami victims. Already a contribution had been made but a further contribution is expected to be made. There was some suggestions that from the match itself a competition be unearthed like giving cash awards for the 4s and 6s hit and request the money collected to be donated to the tsunami victims. Warden 100 not out Thomian Warden David Ponniah knows everything about this encounter more than anyone else as he himself was a participant in the 1967 match where he scored 100 not out in the second innings and wrote his name in the record books as the first "fresher" to score a century in this great encounter. He was firm in his belief that this Royal-Thomian should not have the usual fun and frolic but all concerned should treat it as a cricket match. I don't want to spoil the traditions and the enthusiasm that this game has preserved over the years and hope that the standard maintained in sportsmanship will be gone through. We have had wars, but the match have come through difficult times. It is a very expensive sport and we must keep up the traditions of this noble game and we will also look after the people in distress Warden Ponniah reiterated. Principal of Royal Upali Gunasekera, said that he totally agreed with the sentiments expressed by his Thomian counterpart. He said that Royal is a state institution and have to follow the rules and regulations. So, we are cutting down on there celebrations, but the cricket match will go on. Y. S. de Soyza, Chairman of Royal-Thomian Organising Committee, urged people to attend the traditional match on the three days. He gave an assurance to the crowds that will come for the match that the two teams will play the game according to the high traditions maintained all these years. To the 22 schoolboys who will be directly involved, Soyza said: "Go all out to assert your superiority, and we on our part, would not dampen your spirit. We have to fall in line with national feeling and tone down the celebrations, but the cricket will be played to the best traditions associated with this game", he said. Former Thomian Viran Corea of broadcasting fame was there to introduce the evenings's programme and he very aptly said that in the sponsorship team of Dialog, there was a Royal-Thomian battle upfront with Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, Chief Executive Officer of Dialog a Thomian and Nushad Perera, General Manager Sales and Marketing of Royal and their close partnership in all matters makes it so simple for the match to go on. Perfect harmony "The fact that this match has gone on for 126 years without a break shows that there is perfect harmony and co-operation between the two schools and the organisers. It was a good sign for the sport. This match is played annually, forgetting all the differences. This year the usual fanfare will not be there owing to reasons well-known. But, there is no question about sponsorship. Dialog will continue to sponsor this match in the future too. You can be sure of the unreserved support of Dialog in the years to come", added the CEO of Dialog Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya. He said that Dialog has been involved in many sponsorship deals where sport is concerned in this country. Besides the Royal-Thomian cricket match, the company has sponsored the National Sports for Disabled. Football, Rugby Football, Volleyball, Athletics, Basketball, Golf and the Royal-Thomian Regatta and several others too. The Dialog chief said that his company was not just a flash-in-the pan sponsor. We support sport behind the scene and help the people who deserve, said Hans Wijayasuriya. |
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