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| Sunday, 7 March 2004 |
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On with the game! 125 years not out by KRISHANTHA PRASAD COORAY One never tires of observing that cricket in Sri Lanka is not a mere national sport or pastime; it is not even a passion. It is an absolute obsession. It is played at every level of society - in the houses of the rich and the hovels of the poor, in villages and urban slums, distraught motorists give way to youngsters who set up crude wickets on the high roads and by lanes and no one really complains. Those who are not carried away by an inexplicable excitement at the mention of Tests of one-day or five are rare. To defy the primacy of the game and its egregious claims to the exclusion of business, family life and even prayer would be to invite disaster. One does not ridicule the flannelled fools any more for fear of instant reprisals. It is very likely that among those millions of avid gazers at the TV screens flaunted in many shops and other merchandising outlets, there are not many who would understand the finer points of the game, especially the nomenclature of positions of fielders. Fine leg to most could conjure up visions of sexual fantasies never indulged in and "silly point" may be confused with a "ridiculous argument." The 'silly' aspect of slip and point, mid-on and mid-off and the 'deep' aspect of fine leg for that matter, 'gully' to say nothing of 'cover point' may belong more correctly to tailors and plumbers rather than to a field sport. A celebrated English journalist talking of cricket says that though the British exported rugby and football to the far corners of the world it was only to the 'perimeters of Empire' that they introduced cricket. There must have been a deep motive in so doing as the proclaimed virtues and discipline of the game carry a quality of dominion over others that rugby and football lack. Despite its commercialisation over the last 50 years, fans still observe a modicum of restraint that is not seen in other games. One never hears of cricket hooligans, only Barmy Armies of beer sodden fans blistered by the tropic sun. It is against this a background that we take a look at the most celebrated annual event in Sri Lanka's sporting calendar. Though the country in recent times is beginning to see an almost annual general or other election it is unlikely that given the tradition of 125 years any alternative form of entertainment would seriously challenge the heady excitement of a Royal-Thomian match. The Royal-Thomian is the greatest and the best known of all cricket events in Sri Lanka. It is not a cricket match it a week long feast of fun and frolic. In ancient times the saying went that "all roads lead to Rome." On the 11th of March 2004 however, all roads will lead to the SSC grounds. |
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