It’s that time of the year where the whole of Colombo takes a carnival atmosphere and especially one particular venue in the heart of Colombo takes centre stage. Some say that in the second week of March people flock from all corners of the world just to watch a cricket match. But is it just another cricket match? Today we dive through the history of the longest and oldest running uninterrupted cricket encounter in Sri Lanka and the second oldest encounter in the world. It survived two world wars, local insurrections, a brutal 30-year war and a global pandemic. Going strong for 145 years, this is simply an out of the world experience of a cricket match.
We spoke to a few ardent old boys of both Royal and S. Thomas’ as to what the famous ‘Roy-Tho’ means to them and their lives at school and beyond. But before that let’s have a look at a bit of history surrounding this world famous encounter.
This match is played for the D. S. Senanayake Memorial Shield, in honour of the Father of the Nation who became the first Prime Minister of Independent Ceylon. He donned the Blue Black and Blue Thomian cap in 1901 and 1902. This shield was first presented in 1928. The Royal-Thomian is the second-longest uninterrupted cricket series in the world, preceded only by the cricket inter-collegiate encounter played between Prince Alfred College, Adelaide and St. Peter’s College, Adelaide, dating back to 1878. Royal are the current holders of the shield winning it last year whilst the Thomians last tasted victory in 2019. Royal lead the tally with 36 wins with STC winning 35.
Here are the reminiscences of good old Royalists and Thomians of different eras on the Royal–Thomian encounter. They spoke to The Daily Morning about their most memorable Roy–Tho moments and what the encounter means to them.
Sachitha Jayatilake (former Thomian cricket captain, rugby and water polo vice-captain)
It’s an age-old traditional cricket encounter which I would say holds a great interest globally being the second oldest cricket match to be played uninterrupted for 145 years now. The encounter has produced some of the country’s most prestigious cricketing personalities who have gone on to play the game at the highest level. I would say that Royal–Thomian is the blue-ribbon event in the school cricket calendar.
The most memorable big match moment for me was to lead the Thomian side at the big match with great pride and honour. The Royal–Thomian is not just a big match it’s The Big Match and when you walk out to the grounds the feeling you get is unexplainable, it’s a surreal experience. That is a dream every school boy has when they enter STC.
Abdellah Yusuf
Roy-Tho obviously brings back a lot of fond memories. It’s a time when the entire school gets together. Not just the present boys, but even the old boys. It’s an event that’s looked forward to throughout the year from my school days, of course, the celebration started from the cycle parade itself. It’s always a very exciting time when you’re juniors, you have to go in your cycles and as you grow older, you organise trucks then you go in the trucks as well and other activities like you know, having a sneak-peek into girls schools, which is always a lot of fun those days. But other than that, it's just a great occasion for the entire school where present boys, all boys, everyone comes together to enjoy the camaraderie not just amongst themselves. For Thomians as well for a lot of people the game is actually secondary. It’s just that it’s an occasion for everyone to come together and have a great time.
Those days we were allowed to run onto the ground whenever a player scores a 50 or 100. It was great fun just the thrill of running onto the ground. Now of course it is restricted but those were always good fun. Then of course the cycle parades there. They were just tremendous fun as well. We used to take a big road, get onto the truck as and go as well. Just hanging out with your friends, R-O-Y-A-L chants when you were smaller.
Last year though Thomians went as favourites but Royal managed to upset them. This year too I think both teams are pretty much equal. S. Thomas’ probably have a slight advantage in terms of their bowling attack. They’ve got some good fast bowlers, but I think Royal’s batting is probably their strong suit. So it will be an interesting contest, but obviously I’d back Royal to get the job done this year as well.
Shanaka Amarasinghe
It’s a chance to get back to probably the best time of your life because you realise far too late in the day that working a 9-5 or working in whatever you do is not anywhere close to the kind of fun you had with your friends. Trying to catch up and relive that period of your life, I think it’s a futile attempt because you have to come back to work on Monday but nevertheless, I think those three days everyone looks forward to it because you can be a boy again.
My most memorable Royal–Thomians were after I joined S. Thomas’ Mount from S. Thomas’ prep because you’re just much closer to the action. And for me, the most memorable thing was just being in and around the squad that won in our final year in 1997, and just watching those guys prepare, watching them being so chilled-out before the game. Bathiya Karunaratne was running the cycle parade with us on Wednesday and Thursday, he was scoring the fastest 100 (century) in the Royal–Thomian.
Our Captain this year Mahith Perera is a special sportsman and I hope that he will be able to make himself and his school proud. We won the basketball game last year which was really a welcome anomaly from the usual results we face against Royal. So I hope we’re going to make it really competitive because we’ve managed to lose matches that we should have won in recent history. I hope that Mahith and his team will make themselves proud, something that they can look back on at the end of their careers and maybe in 20-30 years time say “this is what we did !”.
Kanishka Perera
As a past cricketer, a college prefect and now an old boy of S. Thomas’ College, the Royal–Thomian holds a unique place in my heart. Beyond being perceived as just another Big Match to the outside world, to the schoolboy cricketers of Royal and S. Thomas’, it’s just three days you prepare for physically, but mentally, throughout your entire school life. I had the privilege of pursuing that same dream for over a decade. Those years played a pivotal role in moulding me into the person I am today. As a college prefect, I had to play a role of organising and leading activities surrounding the encounter, such as the Cycle Parade. Prefects play a crucial part in fostering unity and pride among students leading up to the momentous encounter.
As a passionate fan and old boy now, the Royal-Thomian is an opportunity to reconnect with friends, reminisce about the good old days, and proudly express our unwavering support for our alma mater. The Royal–Thomian encounter of 2007 was a memorable one for me. It was a big win for S. Thomas’ that year, under the captaincy of Ashan Peiris. This was the first time I witnessed a Thomian victory. It wasn’t just about the win; it was about the shared jubilation, the chants echoing through the grounds, and the sense of triumph that brought the Thomian community together. This memory will forever hold a special place in my heart. To this day, I walk into SSC to witness the iconic rivalry, with the hopes of reliving that same experience all over again.
Nikhil George
The highly anticipated annual Royal–Thomian encounter has always been a social gathering to catch up with colleagues who have been dispersed around the world as well as to celebrate the thrillingly cricket encounter between the two great schools.
The memories made and over three long days seem to last a lifetime as new friends are made every year. A sense of pride is felt to belong to one of the oldest cricket rivalries with unmatched heritage and history growing each year.
Jayamal Rathnayake
The Royal–Thomian has transcended the realm of sports and has become a social occasion. It is something beyond a Big Match for those in the Royal–Thomian fraternity and serves as a reunion of friends, to relive fond memories and create new ones.
To me, the Royal-Thomian is an opportunity to enjoy a thrilling match, whilst reconnecting with friends and colleagues from both schools over three long days. It also brings a sense of pride to know we belong to an event recognised the world over, for its unmatched atmosphere, camaraderie, and heritage.
Reza Ghany
The Royal Thomian Big Match is an essential part of the social fabric of Sri Lankan culture and marks an exciting time in the year for both schools, communities, friends, and families to come together (wherever they may be in the world) to celebrate their love of cricket and renew bonds that last a lifetime!
The Royal College boys’ tent is the ultimate experience for any young student and his first foray into the sporting arena and the Royal Thomian family. Here you learn to make friends, share your food, and cheer unreservedly for your school, thus, battle hardening every Royalist and Thomian to compete on and off the field at the sight of a Royal–Thomian encounter.
As a first-time student, the initial onslaught into ice creams and carbonated drinks, playing run and catches with a maddening waving of flags, transforms you, as you get older, into an appreciation for your friends, the environment, the sport and the realisation of your role in society and Royal–Thomian encounters. This is where ambitions are forged and dreams are conceptualised in the student athlete.
Hence we play the Royal–Thomian at a high intensity in any sport; whether it be the rugby team in the last 22 at the Complex for the Michael Gunaratne Trophy, the rowing crew on a ‘take her home’ on the Beira lake for the T. Noel Fernando Memorial Trophy or the water polo team at the Sugathadasa in the dying minutes of the final quarter scoring a goal for the Dr. R.L. Hayman trophy! The list and the competition is endless and so are the great many citizens of Sri Lanka produced through this process. This is where a love for the game is born and from it we move forward to our class rooms and work places to continue learning of books and men and learning to play the game!
Navod Wijewickrama
When I was really small I used to listen to the radio commentaries when I wasn’t able to be at the grounds. So I’ve listened to some of the Thomian greats playing like the late great Upekha Fernando, Bathiya Karunaratne, those late 90s years S. Thomas’ won a few times. A flight from Melbourne to Colombo carried Royal and S. Thomas’ flags recently, so it’s a match beyond everything. From a fan’s point of view, I think even all the old boys would say the main objective whoever wins or loses for the 22 on the field is to take the game to the third day and have a great memorable outing.
Whilst wishing both Royalists and Thomians a great game ahead at the SSC on the 7,8 and 9 March, our only hope at The Daily Morning is that cricket will be the ultimate winner.