Big Matches in Sri Lankan boys’ schools is a big deal. It is one of the most significant events in school calendars. It doesn’t matter whether you are still schooling, recently passed out or you left school ages ago. The big match of your school comes first during the big match season.
If you are a guy then you know the excitement and the feeling that you get when you heard the name Big Match. And if you are a lady, well you never know how it feels but you will have plenty of experiences that you cannot put into words.
It doesn’t matter whether you are from the Hill country, highly developed western province or from the mesmerizing down south… Big Matches usually happen in every boys’ school located in these locations.
The Royal-Thomian big match is a cricket match series that is one of the biggest cricket encounters happening in Western Province. It is also the oldest cricket match series in Sri Lanka.
The tale of the Battle of the Blues
The match got this name because of the school colours. The Royal College has blue and gold while S Thomas has blue and black in their flags. It is a cricket tournament played for three consecutive days.
The first match started in Eighteen Seventy-Nine. This is also the first-ever cricket match played between schools. Sri Lanka got this sport from the British in the nineteenth century and it was introduced by the British cricketer Ashley Walker.
Royal College was the first school that got this sport. By then the Royal College was known as Colombo Academy and the S. Thomas College was located in Mutwal. In the first match both students and teachers played. The Colombo Academy team was led by Ashley Walker while Rev Meyrick led the S. Thomas team.
The preliminary schoolboy match
It was just considered as a cricket match between the two schools because the schoolmasters were also included in the team. The real match which only the students played was held in Eighteen Eighty. This match was exciting for both schools. It was new and both sides were looking for the win.
It was a fine evening. The Galle face ground was so ready to witness this historical event. The mesmerizing view by the ocean and the salt dipped breeze was just the perfect atmosphere for the players as well as for the admirers. Everyone was looking forward until the clock ticks 4.00 p.m. Those days there were no perfectly built roads. The team had to row the boats across Beira Lake that was spreading up to the San Sabastian cliff.
The two captains J W De Silva from Colombo Academy and F W McDonnell the S. Thomas captain were both motivating their teams to gain the victory. And by the end of the 1st inning, the Colombo Academy team was scoring hundred and ten and was in the lead. And at the end of the encounter, it was a successful victory to the Colombo Academy.
The current scenario
Since then the big match is continuously held every year on the first Term. Today the Galle face ground is holding the Taj Samudra hotel building. Nowadays they hold the big match in Gordon gardens, Nomads cricket club, CCC grounds, Colombo Oval and Sinhalese sports club cricket grounds.
The current big match series was scheduled to have in the month of May at the Sooriyawewa Mahinda Rajapaksa International cricket stadium. This will be the hundred and forty-second encounter and the premises will be the ninth premises that will have this big match.
The Royal-Thomian big match is the 2nd longest uninterrupted cricket match series happened in history. These matches went on during the world war periods but somehow the schools managed to hold it somehow without breaking the chain.
The trophy
The most important feature in this big match series is the shield. It is known as the D S Senanayake memorial shield. It was named after Mr D S Senanayake who became the first prime minister in Sri Lanka. He was also a noble old boy at S Thomas College and also a talented cricket player. This shield was awarded in the Nineteen Twenty-eight but it ended in a tied score. At present, S Thomas has the shield.
On the big days
The three days of the big match of the battle of blues are the three days that almost every Royalist and Thomian are on leave. And not just them but also their partners and friends will be coming to support the teams. The grounds where the matches are holding will be painted in blue and gold as well as black and gold flags and banners of the schools.
The students and the old boys use different types of face painting, headbands and accessories in school colours and chanting their school name. There will be a special vehicle parade along with this big match to support the schools. And what they won’t ever miss is Papare bands and baila songs. This is a common thing that is visible in vehicle parades and in a cricket stadium.
It doesn’t matter who wins at the end. Everybody goes home as a winner because the big match is an event where you meet friends and show your talents to the world.
