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| Sunday, 13 April 2003 |
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Ceylinco and Seylan Bank sponsor Royal-Thomian history book by A. C. DE SILVA Royal, S. Thomas' are two big names in the field of education and sports in this country and when the two institutions get together it's a big happening. And so it will be next year when the 125th 'Battle of the Blues' cricket match comes along around March next year. It is an accepted fact that the joint Organising Committee for the match - that's Royalists and Thomians have so far done a perfect job all these years and the joint committee has already started work for the historic 125th encounter - the oldest cricket encounter played without a break here in Sri Lanka. There's a string of events that lead up to the Royal-Thomian cricket match next year - there is to be a joint funfair between Royal and S. Thomas' on the Royal grounds in the first week of March, then two weeks prior to the match, there is to be a motor show also at Royal grounds, then there are a number of limited over cricket matches - for under 30, under 40, under 50 and so on, staff cricket match, a combined walk of Royalists and Thomians to show solidarity between the two schools, a raffle. There will also be a fashion show and water ballet. The events mentioned will all be held before the three-day match, however, there is one event that will be held after the match - that's the sit-down dinner of the two Old Boys Associations. "Everything seems to fall in place and there should be some spectacular things happening in the early part of next year," said M. Balasubramaniam, Co-chairman of chairman of organising committee. Finding sponsors for a Royal-Thomian event has not been a difficult task as old boys of the two schools occupy many top posts in private sector establishments. With slightly under an year to go for the match, the Joint Committee of Royal College Union and S. Thomas' College Old Boys' Association have decided to have a Royal-Thomian Cricket Match History Book to commemorate the historic 125th match. It will contain not only the score cards of every match from 1880 to 2003, but also reminiscences of absorbing and abiding interest of the matches and statistics updated to 2003 and profusely illustrated with team photographs and other photographs and the book is destined to be collector's item. Balasubramaniam is a famous Thomian athlete of the past and has been a tower of strength in the OBA. The Royal-Thomian cricket match will be sponsored by Dialog, GSM, but to get up the elaborate History Book of the Series needs extra funds and the Joint Committee of the two schools didn't have to bother much as there was an establishment ready and ever willing to sponsor - Ceylinco Insurance Company Limited and Seylan Bank Limited - both coming Chairman Deshamanya Dr. Lalith Kotelawala. The Royal-Thomian History Book will have that veteran Royalist cricketer Channa Gunasekera and Thomian Nihal Gunaratne as co-editors and these two are known to do a thorough job and it will be so. Around 2,500 books are to be printed and some books will be sent overseas as well. At Ceylinco and Seylan Bank, a Royal-Thomian is like a home-and-home match and everything works out well. Ceylinco Group Chairman Deshamanya Dr. Lalith Kotelawala is an Old Royalist, Managing Director R. Rengathan is a Thomian, General Manager Ajith Pasqual captained Royal team. "When it comes to a publication of this nature to commemorate the greatest of all sporting encounters in Sri Lanka and which every Royalist and Thomian will be proud of, we do it together with consummate ease," said Ceylinco Chairman Deshamanya Dr. Lalith Kotelawala. Ceylinco boss Kotelawala said that he didn't play cricket, "Cricket is thrust upon you and I have met some nice people through cricket". There are seven national cricketers at Seylan Bank - Mahela Jayawardena, Chaminda Vaas, Dilhara Fernando, Kumar Sangakkara, Tilan Samaraweera, Kaushalya Weeraratne and Naweed Nawaz. Kotelawala, however, was actively interested and took a leading part in athletics while at Royal. He got Public Schools and Royal College Colours for athletics and was a member of the 1956 4x100 metres relay team that set a record - the other members of the team were: David Gunasekera, Deepal Abeysekera, W. J. M. Abeysekera. He was also a boxer, ruggerite and also took an active part in cadeting. |
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