My first memories of a Royal Thomian cricket match goes back to 1975, when I was in Grade 1. The match was at the Oval. I went with my father, who was also an old boy. I have distinct memories – not cricket – feeling tiny amongst the dancing revelers, lots of beer being drunk, and singing. The highlights for me – an elephant house ice palam and a necto that my father bought for me, and my brother who is 4 years older, dressed in school uniform of course not looking the same color now as when he had left home in the morning, coming in the lunch break to tap my father for money for goodies. I was jealous, he had a bigger flag than I had and a rattle in hand.
The next memory I still have in my now aging hard disk is the centenary year match. I had graduated, being allowed by my parents to go to the boys’ tent with my friends. I was part of a 1,500 strong cheering squad, cheering for anything that looked like Royal was doing well. This is probably the only match I have some memories left of the proceedings of the game – and this is of Sumith Warnakulasuriya or better known then by his father’s nickname, “Charlie” hitting a double century.
Then came the next faze, the cool faze. The friends were now too cool for the boys’ tent.
Many weeks were spent on shopping for new clothes. This was the stage where we too started singing and dancing like I remember from the first match I went to, but without the substance. We went through it all – one moment we are laughing, singing and dancing, and the next moment we are in a scuffle without even knowing what it is all about.
Then came the serious years. Many of my friends and I were appointed as Stewards. We had to sell souvenirs, maintain discipline in the boys’ tent, distribute food to the VIPs, Prefects and Stewards, prevent drunk old boys from both schools running to the middle of the grounds to pat the batsmen on the shoulder for a good shot hit, and most of all, look cool, important and busy, all at the same time.
The situation got worse when the next year we were appointed Prefects, and I the Head Prefect. We had to carry a fair bit of the match organizing on our shoulders, of course solidly backed by the Old Boys. I won’t go in to names for the fear of missing any out. The souvenir committee started early. We had a cycle parade committee as well. This was the era where the cycle parade was still really a cycle parade, barring a few trucks for the team, the prefects and the bands, and a few private vehicles. But
suddenly, the morning of the parade we were told by the Police that we would not be permitted to proceed. The pressure came on the Prefects. We worked the old boy network to see President J R Jayewardene who spoke very few but encouraging words and the parade was on again.
The organizing pressure was severe. But the Prefects and the Stewards were committed. Everybody performed beautifully. I was able to keep cool through the whole event. Everything went well, except the cricket, but we had a great time nevertheless. The experience I gained still holds me in good stead to face the many challenges in the political arena.
So now out of school, I graduated in to the Old Boy category, where being a little rowdy was accepted. Sadly I missed a few years of the match because I, like many others during that period went overseas for studies – some of us because we didn’t make the mark in to local universities and some of us because we didn’t see light at the end of the tunnel for a local university student of those years, due to the JVP uprisings and disturbance of university studies.
But most of us returned, and looked forward to the match reunions. Those who stayed back
after studies or migrated would also from time to time make an appearance for the match. The events started becoming blurry.
One significantly blurry match was in 2002, when I was a young Deputy Minister and my now Parliamentary colleague Dr Harsha de Silva was on a mission to ensure I had the best flow of the best mixes all day long on the 3rd day. I remember making many stops on Galle Road on my way back to my constituency that night.
The Royal-Thomian is a mainstay in every old boy’s calendar and as busy as we are, we make sure not to disturb those match days in March. My Boss, the Prime Minister, Ranil as he is known on those days, holds it a priority in his calendar. He to date enjoys the Big Match and all the crazy fun that goes along with it including singing completely off tune.
It is a time for friendship; to meet old friends, reconnect with lost ones and reminisce about school antics.
Sagala Ratnayaka,MP
Former Head Prefect
Minister of Ports, Shipping &Southern Development
Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister
