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| Sunday, 29 February 2004 |
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Royalists failed to obey Principal Ashley Walker in 9 runs match! by A.C.De silva Warden of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia Dr. David Ponniah was down to give a brief history of the up-coming 125th Royal-Thomian cricket match at the press conference held on Tuesday at Hotel Galadari, but he admitted that his speech would be somewhat an extended one, as he had to trace back many happenings of the past all of which goes to make this match the great one it has come to being. After the initial words of thanks to Dr. Hans Wijesuriya - the Chief Executive Officer and Nushad Perera - General Manager, Sales and Marketing of Dialog - the exclusive sponsor of the match for the last four years for the generous sponsorship and glowing tributes paid to the Organising Committee for the hard work put in for the last few months, the Thomian Warden went slap bang into the origins of the encounter and that much talked off and famous nine runs match of 1885. He said that the Royal-Thomian is not merely a match. It is a relationship between two schools that has gone for 125 years. After tracing the origins of the match which dated back to 1835, two Cambridge Blues Ashley Walker captained the Academy - that's how Royal was originally known and Felton Falkner was in charge of S. Thomas' and masters too played in the first game in 1879. It was in 1880 really the match got off with only schoolboys involved and the count down to the series is taken from 1880 onwards - that's how the souvenirs show. When talking about the Royal-Thomian, the nine runs match of 1885 has to figure. According to records that the Thomians maintain correct, Royal has won the match 32 times, while the Thomians won on 33 occasions with 59 drawn games. There was a Royal scribe too, who agrees what has been said in the paragraphs that follow. Warden Ponniah said that both teams were on the grounds and no team went off the ground. The Royal captain urged by unsporting behaviour of the supporters refused to play even though one of the umpires Ashley Walker - the Principal who was one of the umpires ruled that the ground was fit for play after the rain ceased. Royal were dismissed for 9 runs and according to history of Royal College though the circumstances were quite ordinary, Royal were dismissed for 9 runs and though the umpires ruled that the ground was fit for play, the Royalists refused to do so. Quoting 'History of Royal College, the Warden of S. Thomas' said: "Royalists apologised and the Thomians accepted the apology and the fixture continued from the following year". This has become a point for debate about the match and it will go on in the future too, the Warden said. There are cetaintly moments to remember in the long drawn out series. The two oldest captains - Bertie Wijesinha of S. Thomas' who captained the team in 1938 and 1939 and alongside him his erstwhile friend Gamini Salgado the Royal captain were presented mementos for their fine achievement of this great encounter. Doing the honours were Ranjan Madugalle, who captained Royal in the Centenary Match and who has brought great honour to Sri Lanka by being appointed chief match referee of the ICC, while on the Thomian side it was Mahinda Halangoda who played that match-saving unbeaten knock of 70 in the second innings when the Thomians were trying hard to save the game. Johann Pieris who captained the Thomian team that year is out of the island and Halangoda turned out to be a star-class substitute. The historic centenary match also occupied a place. S. Thomas', were bundled out for 152 in the first innings, then Royal made 321 for 8 wickets declared and Halangoda and Richards staged a fightback in the second innings to save the match for the Thomians - which went on to show the Thomian grit. Dialog boss Hans Wijesuriya said that it was a privilege for his firm to be associated with the Royal-Thomian. "Here are two great schools battling it out and we are happy indeed to be partners in this great encounter", the CEO of Dialog said. Speaking in lighter vein, Dr. Hans said: "In the Centenary Match, there was Mahinda Halangoda and Richards who saved the match for S. Thomas', but I hope that this time there will be no one to save the Royalists". At Dialog, there is a fine combination of two gentlemen - Chief Executive officer Hans Wijesuriya - a Thomian and Nushad Perera - General Manager (Sales and Marketing) a Royalist and the two seems to hit-it-off well and the Royal-Thomian has become richer year by year. When a question was asked as to why the Royal Thomian match is allowed to clash with the Sri Lanka vs Australia First Test in Galle (last two days of Test being the first two days of the Royal-Thomian), it was pointed out that a large turn out will somehow come for the Royal-Thomian. English cricket commentator Christopher Martin-Jenkins once said that the Royal-Thomian cricket match draws bigger crowds and had around 20,000 spectators, the Englishmen who were involved with a Test Match against Sri Lanka had only about 3,000 spectators for their match. So, the organisers expect a record crowd for the 125th encounter and according to preliminary estimates, the three-day match and the one-day encounter to follow will cost the organisers around four million rupees. In keeping with the occasion, the toss in the three-day game will be made with a gold coin. |
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