Oldest big match in kandy

Kandy’s Battle of the Maroons:

Hafiz Marikar

Today is the second day of the Kandy’s oldest big match, between Kingswood and Dharmaraja, which is played for the 107th time and known as the Kandy’s Battle of the Maroons.

Dharmaraja College leads the series with thirty three wins and Kingswood have won on nineteen occasions, rest have ended in draws.

It is the longest cricket match series in the hill capital. Having been played for 106 years. It is also known as the “Battle of the Maroons” in public. For the first time Old Rajans have installed a special stand, for Old Boys of both schools, which is going to help them recall their past.

A record since discovered, reveals that the first match between the two schools took place in 1893 went on till 1898, where the teams were drawn from students and masters.

In 1893 the Dharmaraja side was led by a master, non other than that great educationist Don Baron Jayatilake (later Sir), Kingswood was led by E.M. Spencer.

This match was played at the Bogambara Grounds, which is no longer a cricket venue.

The first game to played between the students was in 1899. That year's Kingswood team was led by T.B.Marshal and J.C. de Mel led Dharmaraja. From this year onwards, this series has been marked by a growing enthusiasm and increasing friendly rivalry as the years rolled by.

Details are not available series by series, but few traced by this writer. Today this oldest big match of Kandy is one of the most looked forward to cricket encounters, for the students, Staff, Old Boys and parents.

For this game, Old boys come in numbers.

When this series, was 61 years old a shield was presented by the Kingswoodians in memory of late C.W.H. Lutersz, who was a teacher at Kingswood for well over four decades. And lately, T.B. Tenakoon memorial trophy was presented.

Kingswood last beat Dharmaraja that was way back in 1958 under the captaincy of C. Maurice Fernando, who became the ‘Daily News’ school boy cricketer of that year. And the Dharmaraja side was led by G.S.Wickreamsinghe.

Dharamaraja in 2011 broke a 30-year-old hoodoo, and in 2012 repeated. Will they do the same this year too?

Out of the 106 games played, there are two games that are recalled as being of unique interest. In the year 1918 Rajans had been dismissed in one inning for a total of 9 runs, only striking a parallel with an earlier Royal-Thomian encounter in which Royal had been bundled out for 9 runs in one innings.

Another unforgettable year had been in 1948, when the game ended in a draw with both teams were found to have made exactly the same total at end of play.

In 1960 the match ended in a draw, but the Kingswood principal K. M. de Lanerolle, after going thorough their score sheet, awarded the game to Dharmaraja for their better performance in batting, bowling and fielding.

The first to score a hundred, was P.L.Athur Alwis, that was n 1942 under the captaincy of T.B.Talwatte. In that game T.B. Talwatte too scored a century. In this game Rajans had won the toss and put the Rendell Hills school to bat and dismissed them for 70 runs. The debacle was caused by J.B. Wadugodapitiya, T.B. Talwatte and P. L. Athur Alwis taking 2 for 15, 2 for 43 and 4 for 11.

Rajans in reply lost four quick wickets for just 27 runs with Kingswoodian T.S. Jaimon taking 4 for 11 at that point. Then came in Arthur and joined Skipper T.B.Talwatte. These two took the score to 110 for 4. Kingswood skipper S. Jayasena tried all his available bowlers.

At this point Talwatte had to leave the field on 48 due to a nose injury, and in his absence Arthur went on to score the first hundred in the series- 121 and Talwatte came back after attending to his injury and scored his hundred 104 not out and the Rajans declared their innings at 319 for 90. Jamion ended with 5 for 90.

Kingswoodians in their second turn managed to score 97 runs, and the Lake View boys were home with an innings and 152 run win. Arthur had a match bag of 9 for 39 runs.

In 1951 in another interesting game, where Kingswood led by S.R. Shelton Perera who had the rare privilege of captaining all age group teams from under 14 notched up a massive 320 runs for the loss of 3 wickets, on the first day.

In this game, Kingswoodians rattled the Rajans to beat them by ten wickets in the fifth ball of the last over. This is how the final over was bowled, with two fours off the first and the third deliveries and a single in the fourth delivery, now one run to win in two balls In the second ball saw a finer cover drive and with a ball to spare.

In 1952 - Chandra de Silva scored 158 for Dharmaraja at the pocket size Randles Hill Grounds. Asoka Perera scored 148 for Kingswood. Then the highest in an innings 401 for 9 declared by Kingswood in 1957 Maurice Fernando top scored with an unbeaten 101.

In 1959 Clifford Ratnavibushana scored 167 to over take the 158 made by Chandra de Silva, in 1983 Dharmaraja’s Senaka Dissanayake went past every one to score a double century, which is the highest individual score up to now.

Some of the early days best bowling figures in an innings are R. Burke of Kingswood 8 for 7 in 1916 and in 1914 A. Jayasundara of Dharmaraja to 8 for 9, In 1944 Derrick Schockman 6 for 63, in 1945 A Raoo 7 for 43, in 1956 M.Nizar 6 for 48 Kingswood, in 1961 J U.Mendis Kingswood 6 for 45, in the same year S. Rajakruna Dharamraja 7 for 20, in 1964 Ananda B.Jayasundara who was rated as the fastest at that time took 7 for 32, 1966 Sena Abeyaguanrthne Dharmaraja took 7 for 32, In 1967 - Kingswod captain Tissa declared the innings with nine runs short for a century, if he had made it he would have earned the distinction of scoring consecutive centuries, in 1966 he made 100. IN 1976 and 1977, P.B. Wickremasuriya Kingswood and Ajth Naranpanawa Dahrmaraja score centuries in both years They are only two players to do so.