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Royal favourites, but up against Thomian grit

Royal College, Colombo would hold the key to their 130th Battle of the Blues three-day cricket encounter against S.Thomas’ College, Mt.Lavinia which starts at the picturesque Sinhalese Sports Club grounds in Colombo today.

The Reid Avenue boys go out firm favourites to win the ‘big match’ but their coach Gamini Perera had a different opinion. “When it comes to an all important game of this nature, it’s a different ball game altogether.

Hence, the season’s performance is not going to play a big role. It wont be a cakewalk just because of the fact that we have fared well this season, “ he explained.

The 1993 Royal captain said what matters most would be how they play on that particular day. “True, that the season’s performance and track record would be a morale booster. But what matters the most at the end is how we perform at the big match. Our strength lies in batting with three of our leading batsmen in peak form. There are other batsmen to support and we need only one or two of them to score a century and hold our innings together,” he explained.

Perera predicted the team which performs well on day one will hold the upper hand.

“It would be a tall order for the bowlers to capture 20 wickets on a track generally known to help batsmen. But if the team bowling first could make use of the early ‘life’ and come on top, they would have a distinct advantage. We will make every effort to play positive cricket and come on top,” he concluded.

Despite being rated as the underdogs, S.Thomas’ coach Shiral Samsudeen is optimistic that his youngsters would make their presence felt. “We have been performing well and will go flat out to make it a good match,” he said after the final practice session for the Thomians before the big match.

He looked extremely happy that his boys have fared extremely well in the final outing before the big ‘un. “The boys did well in their last game against St. Sebastian’s. Especially our batting clicked well to post 439 for 9 and that would give tremendous confidence to the team,” he added.

Like his vis-a-vis Perera, Samsudeen too dentified the batting department to be the trump card for Thomians as well.

“We need batsmen to occupy the crease for a longer duration and put 300 runs plus on the board. If we could do that, then we would definitely be in a position to give Royal a good run,” he continued.

Samsudeen, who has been working hard to make sure the ‘black and blue magic’ comes out well, said their batting department is relatively strong.

“We have a good batting department and all 11 batsmen could bat well and they could be switched on virtually anywhere in the batting order. For an example our No. 7, 8 and 9 batsmen had batted in the top order earlier during the season,” he added. He predicted the toss to play a crucial role under overcast conditions.

“Considering the present weather, the toss could be decisive. But irrespective of the fact whether we win the toss or not, the boys are eager to do well and make their maximum contribution. That is a positive sign which is very important,” he concluded. Undoubtedly, the overcast conditions experienced during the last couple of days would make the toss a crucial one. The SSC track is generally a batsmen’s paradise and any team winning the toss would not hesitate to take the first lease. But with the present weather pattern, it is hard to predict what option the captain winning the toss this morning would go for.

Nevertheless, winning the toss would be an early bonus for the captain who calls correctly.

The Royal-Thomian will be played at the SSC grounds for the 16th successive year. Since 1994, all matches of the series have been played at the Mecca of Sri Lanka cricket. But the Royal-Thomian was first played at the SSC grounds way back in 1975. Overall, the SSC has hosted 23 Royal-Thomian encounters, including the centenary encounter in 1979 - the year since the Battle of the Blues turned out to be a three-day affair.

Sri Lanka’s leading mobile communication giant Dialog Telekom will be the proud sponsor of the Battle of the Blues, powering the country’s big match for the ninth successive year. Incidentally, that Royal-Thomian combination at Dialog Telekom - CEO Hans Wijesuriya and General Manager Nushad Perera have played a big role in sports promotion in Sri Lanka.

Of the 129 encounters played, S.Thomas’ takes a lead with 34 wins to Royal’s 33 with the rest drawn.

The Royal-Thomian series has maintained its rich traditions for 13 decades, making an immense contribution to Sri Lanka cricket. It has turned out to be more than a cricket match and an important event of their social calendar for both Royalists and Thomians young and old, as well as for their supporters. It would provide ideal atmosphere for them to recall past memories and share their experience.

That is precisely why most old boys of the two leading schools, domiciled in all corners of the globe, make it a point to return home to attend this great happening. There is no exception this time around and this year’s game too would maintain those high traditions which are hard to match.

The Teams:

ROYAL COLLEGE: (from) Yasitha Abayakoon (Captain), Kusal Perera (Vice captain), Bhanuka Rajapakse, Haroon Mowjood, Maneesha Thanthirigoda, Chalaka Bogoda, Lakshitha de Silva, Sahan Hettiarachchi, Kithruwan Vithanage, Aqueel Sathuk, Dhanika Rajakaruna, C. Devasurendra, Lakshan Landewela, Ramith Rambukwella, Charutha Rajarathna, Anjula Rajapakse, Tharindu Abeysekera, Gamini Perera (Coach), E. G. M. Rajakaruna (Master-in-charge).

S. THOMAS’ COLLEGE: (from) Raveenthiraraja Nirrushan (Captain), Dinesh Walpita (Vice captain), Faheem Saleem, Chamal Fonseka, P. Wijewardena, K.

Perera, R de Silva, S. Liyanarachchi, H. D. K. Silva, D. Wickremaratne, L. Peiris, A. Kerner, S. Peiris, H. A. T. Fernando, W. A. I. Fernando, L. J. de Silva, D. Dolapihilla, C. Kumarasinghe, R. Mathugama, H. T. Ariyaratne, S. C. V. Pathirana, N. Wickremasekera, Shiral Samsudeen (Coach), Lakmal de Zoysa (Master-in-charge).

 

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