The Royal–Thomian (The Battle of the Blues) is an annual

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

match in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

played between

Royal College, Colombo Royal College, Colombo is a selective entry boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by Rev Joseph Marsh in 1835, it was established as the Colombo Academy by Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton in Janua ...

and

S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia , motto_translation = Be Thou Forever , song = Thomian Song , athletics = Yes , sports = Yes , nickname = Thora , denomination = Anglican , patron ...

since 1879. It is known as ''The Battle of the Blues'' due to the colours of the two school's flags i.e. blue, gold and blue of Royal College and blue, black and blue of S. Thomas' College.

History

The original match was played between the Colombo Academy and S. Thomas' College, Mutwal in 1879, with schoolmasters and schoolboys participating. Mr. Ashley Walker captained the Colombo Academy while Rev. S. J. Meyrick, a member of the staff played for S. Thomas' College, Mutwal. This encounter is not considered the first match as Masters played for both sides. In 1880, only the students took part and this first official encounter between the Colombo Academy and S. Thomas' College, Mutwal in

Modara Modara ( si, මෝදර, translit=Mōdara; ta, முகத்துவாரம், translit=Mukattuvāram), also known as Mutwal ''(anglicised version)'', is a municipal ward of Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka. The mouth of the river Kelani Gan ...

was played at Galle Face Grounds, which is today the site of the

Taj Samudra Taj Samudra, trading as TAL Lanka Hotels PLC, is a five-star luxury hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The hotel is a listed company on the Colombo Stock Exchange since 1982 and the majority of the shares are held by Taj Hotels. The hotel is located r ...

Hotel. The match commenced at 4.00 p.m. each day. The Beira Lake stretched up to the present railway line close to San Sebastian Hill and the two teams rowed across in boats to the Galle Face Grounds. The Academy made 110 in the first inning; and St. Thomas' 59. In the second innings the Academy made 35 and St. Thomas' 24. J. W. de Silva was the Academy captain and F. W. McDonnell the Thomian captain. In this first encounter Colombo Academy won by 62 runs. At present, the match is played between Royal College, Colombo which is a public non-denominational school accommodating approximately 8,000 students and S. Thomas' College, Mt Lavinia which is a private Anglican school that has about 2500 boys on roll and a branch network of three constituent colleges with a total of over 5,500 students. It was the first schoolboy cricket match in Sri Lanka to be played over three days. The Royal-Thomian is the second-longest uninterrupted Cricket series in the entire world, preceded only by the Cricket Intercol played between Prince Alfred College, Adelaide and

St. Peter's College, Adelaide , other_name = The Collegiate School of St Peter , seal_image = St Peter's College, Adelaide Logo.svg , seal_size = 150 , image = SPSC chapel and memorial hall.jpg , image_size ...

, whose first match was played in 1878.

Shield

This match is played for the prestigious ''D. S. Senanayake'' Memorial Shield. Incidentally,

Rt. Hon. ''The Right Honourable'' ( abbreviation: ''Rt Hon.'' or variations) is an honorific style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire and the Commonwealth of Nations. The term is ...

D. S. Senanayake Don Stephen Senanayake ( si, දොන් ස්ටීවන් සේනානායක,; ta, டி. எஸ். சேனநாயக்கா; 21 October 1884 – 22 March 1952) was a Ceylonese statesman. He was the first Prime Mi ...

, who became the first

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

of Independent Ceylon, donned the Thomian cap in 1901 and 1902. This shield was first presented in 1928. If a match is drawn then the school already holding the shield retains it. S. Thomas' College is the current holder of the shield after winning the 140th Battle of the Blues in 2019.

Atmosphere

The "Battle of the Blues" is filled with pageantry, with decorated tents, flags and baila singing and dancing groups present all around the city and the ground itself during the match days and in the days leading up to it. The match is held on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday. By tradition, the schools are closed on match days to allow students to attend the

Big Match Big Matches are annual cricket matches played between different schools in Sri Lanka. The same schools have played one another for many years, some for over a century, and Big Matches form an important part of modern Sri Lankan culture with bot ...

. Souvenirs published by both the schools are sold on all three days, the duty of distribution entrusted to the souvenir committees. On the day before the match, the students of each school take a walk around the city in a "cycle parade" with bands and decorations and other colourful items showing support for their team. Overloaded cars with supporters singing and careering along the Colombo streets is a familiar sight during match days. The match is looked forward to by both the young and old, male and female, and even those who have no connection with either school turn up and enjoy the celebrations. It is more of an occasion for the old boys and present students of both schools coming together for three days of revelry. It is quite normal to see elderly alumni from either school coming to the "

" to relive old times and meet old friends. Some expatriates choose this time of year to return to Sri Lanka in order to relive their old school days. File:The RC flag at the Royal-Thomian.jpg, alt=, A Royal flag at the 128th Royal-Thomian File:Thomian flag.jpg, alt=, A Thomian flag at the 129th Royal-Thomian

Venues

* Galle Face Grounds (Home of

Colombo Cricket Club The Colombo Cricket Club (CCC) is a first-class cricket club in Sri Lanka. It is the oldest in the country, having been formed in 1863, and is headquartered at 31 Maitland Crescent, Colombo 7, close to the headquarters of Sri Lanka Cricket. Hi ...

) - 1880, 1882 to 1891, 1893, 1894, 1897, 1899, 1912 *

Gordon Gardens President's House is the official residence and workplace of the President of Sri Lanka, located at Janadhipathi Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Since 1804 it had been the residence of British Governors and Governors-General and was known as the ...

- 1881 * Nomads Cricket Club (NCC) Grounds,

Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...

- 1892 * CCC Grounds, Maitland Crescent - 1895 to 1896, 1898, 1900 to 1911 * Campbell Park - 1913 to 1915, 1917 * NCC Grounds, Maitland Crescent - 1916, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1941 *

Sinhalese Sports Club The Singhalese Sports Club (SSC) is a first-class cricket club in Sri Lanka. Singhalese is the most successful club in Sri Lankan domestic cricket, having won the Premier Trophy a record 32 times to 2017. Although the name is correctly spelt wi ...

(SSC) Grounds, Victoria Park (current NCC grounds) - 1918 to 1934, 1938, 1940, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1948 * Colombo Oval - 1943, 1945, 1947, 1949 to 1974, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1986 to 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993 * SSC Grounds, Maitland Place - 1975, 1976, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1994 to Present

Notable people who have played in the Royal Thomian Cricket MatchThe Royal Thomian Derby

;Royalists *

J.R. Jayawardene Junius Richard Jayewardene ( si, ජුනියස් රිචඩ් ජයවර්ධන, ta, ஜூனியஸ் ரிச்சட் ஜயவர்தனா; 17 September 1906 – 1 November 1996), commonly abbreviated in Sri Lanka as ...

Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

John Lionel Kotalawela General Sir John Lionel Kotelawala ( si, ශ්‍රිමත් ජෝන් ලයනල් කොතලාවල; 4 April 1897 – 2 October 1980) was a Sri Lankan statesman, who served as the 3rd Prime Minister of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) fr ...

Forester Obeysekera * N.S. Joseph * R. L. de Krester *

B. R. Heyn Major General Deshabandu Bertram Russell Heyn (October 1, 1912 – February 3, 1998) was a Sri Lankan general and cricketer. He was a former Commander of the Ceylon Army. Early life and education Born to Gerald Chetwynd Swartz Heyn and ...

* B. W. Bawa * P.B. Bulankulama *

Eran Wickramaratne Eran Wickramaratne, ( si, ඉරාන් වික්‍රමරත්න) ( ta, இரான் விக்கிரமரத்ன) MP is a Sri Lankan banker and politician. He is the former State Minister of Finance and member of Parliame ...

Ranjan Madugalle Deshabandu Ranjan Senerath Madugalle ( si, රන්ජන් මඩුගල්ල; born 22 April 1959) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who currently serves as the Chief of the panel of ICC match referees. He was educated at Trinity College, K ...

Gamini Goonesena Gamini Goonesena (16 February 1931 – 1 August 2011), born in Colombo, was a first-class cricketer from Ceylon who played prior to his country being granted Test status. A gifted allrounder who was a right-handed batsman and a legbreak and goog ...

* Churchill Gunasekara * Fredrick C. de Saram *

Satyendra Coomaraswamy Sathyendra "Sathi" Coomaraswamy (1919 – 15 January 1988) was a Sri Lankan first-class cricketer in the 1940s and 1950s, before Sri Lanka had Test status. Coomaraswamy was born to Chellappah Coomaraswamy, a civil servant and later Senator and ...

Donald Rutnam Donald Ross Rutnam (19 September 1902 – 10 June 1968) was an Indian civil servant and sportsman of Anglo-Ceylonese origin. He was a member of the Ceylon Civil Service and served as the Deputy Commissioner of the Central Provinces and Be ...

Basil Gunasekara Admiral Deshamanya D. Basil Gunasekara (born 7 May 1929) was the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy from 1973 to 1979. Early life and education Born to a planter in Katana, Gunasekara was the youngest child of a family of five members. Educated a ...

Muhammad Ajward Macan Markar Muhammad Ajward Macan Markar, FRCP is a Sri Lankan physician, academic. He was the first Professor of Medicine at the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya. Born to Sir Mohamed Macan Markar, he was educated at Royal College Colombo, where he played c ...

Asantha De Mel Ashantha Lakdasa Francis de Mel (born 9 May 1959) is a former Sri Lankan Test and ODI cricketer and selector for the national team. He bowled Sri Lanka's first ball in a Test match. He was one of few Sri Lanka bowlers in the 1980s above med ...

Sudath Pasqual Sudath Prajiv Pasqual (born 15 October 1961) is a former Sri Lankan international cricketer who played two One Day Internationals during the 1979 World Cup competition. He remains the youngest Sri Lankan ODI cricketer aged 17 years 237 days. A ...

Jayantha Amerasinghe Amerasinghe Mudalige Jayantha Gamini Amerasinghe (born February 2, 1954, Colombo) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played in two Tests in 1984. International career Amerasinghe is the only Sri Lankan to top-score for his team in a Test as a ...

* Rohan Jayasekera * Roshan Jurangpathy *

Jehan Mubarak Jehan Mubarak ( ta, ஜெகன் முபாரக்; born 10 January 1981) is an American-born former professional Sri Lankan cricketer, who played all formats of the game. He is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm offbreak bowler. Pers ...

* Pradeep Jayaprakashdaran * Kithruwan Vithanage *

Kushal Janith Perera Mathurage Don Kusal Janith Perera ( si, කුසල් පෙරේරා) (born 17 August 1990), more commonly known as Kusal Perera, is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer and a former limited overs Captain of Sri Lanka national cricket team. ...

Bhanuka Rajapaksa Pramod Bhanuka Bandara Rajapaksa, (born 24 October 1991), popularly known as Bhanuka Rajapaksa, is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer, who plays limited over internationals for the national team. He is a left-handed batsman (cricket), batsman ...

Lasith Embuldeniya Lasith Embuldeniya (born 26 October 1996) is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer who plays Test match cricket for Sri Lanka. He made his international debut for the Sri Lanka cricket team in February 2019, and plays for Nondescripts Cricket Club ...

;Thomians *

Dudley Senanayake Dudley Shelton Senanayake ( Sinhala: ඩඩ්ලි ශෙල්ටන් සේනානායක: ta, டட்லி சேனநாயக்கா; 19 June 1911 – 13 April 1973), was a Sri Lankan statesman who served as Prime Mi ...

* Vernon Prins *

Michael Tissera Michael Hugh Tissera (born 23 March 1939 in Colombo) is a former Sri Lankan ODI cricketer who played in the 1975 Cricket World Cup. School Tissera was educated at S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia, where, initially appearing in 1954 aged fourte ...

Anura Tennekoon Anura Tennekoon (born 29 October 1946) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and captain of the Sri Lanka national cricket team. He was educated at the S. Thomas' College in Mount Lavinia. After captaining the school team and being selected as best ...

* Buddy Reid *

Mano Ponniah Charles Edward Manoharan "Mano" Ponniah (born 3 May 1943) is a Sri Lankan architect and engineer who played first-class cricket in Sri Lanka and England from 1964 to 1969. Cricket career in Ceylon Mano Ponniah attended S. Thomas' College, Moun ...

Bradman Weerakoon Deshamanya Robin Bradman Weerakoon, CCS (born 20 October 1930) is a Sri Lankan civil servant. As a senior bureaucrat of the Sri Lankan government, he served nine Sri Lankan heads of state in a career spanning half a century.David, Marianne (inter ...

Duleep Mendis Deshamanya Louis Rohan Duleep Mendis (born 25 August 1952), known as Duleep Mendis, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and former captain of the team, who captained Sri Lanka to their first Test series victory in 1985. He was primarily a speciali ...

* Guy de Alwis *

Aruna Gunawardene Aruna Alwis Wijesiri Gunawardene (born 31 March 1969) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played one One Day International A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international st ...

Saliya Ahangama Franklyn Saliya Ahangama (born 14 September 1959) is a Sri Lankan Australian cricket coach, commentator and former cricketer who played in 3 Tests and one ODI ODI may refer to: * Object Design, Incorporated, a defunct database software company ...

* Kaushik Amalean * Kapila Wijegunawardene * Johanne Samarasekera *

Nisal Fernando Ungamandadige Nisal Kumudusiri Fernando (born March 10, 1970) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played two One Day International, ODIs in 1994. External linksCricinfo article on Nisal Fernando
1970 births Living people Sri Lanka One Da ...

* Jeewan Mendis *

Kaushal Silva Jayan Kaushal Silva (born 27 May 1986), or Kaushal Silva, is a professional Sri Lanka test cricketer. He plays for the Sinhalese Sports Club and the Sri Lankan Test team. He made his first class debut in the 2001/02 season. He is a right-hande ...

Stanley Tambiah Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah (16 January 1929 – 19 January 2014) was a social anthropologist and Esther and Sidney Rabb Professor ''(Emeritus)'' of Anthropology at Harvard University. He specialised in studies of Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Tamils, a ...

* S. Saravanamuttu * P. Saravanamuttu * M. Saravanamuttu * Mevan Pieris *

Ranil Abeynaike Ranil Gemunu Abeynaike (12 February 1955 – 21 February 2012) was a Sri Lankan cricketer. Abeynaike was a right-handed batsman who bowled slow left-arm orthodox. Born at Mount Lavinia, he was educated at S. Thomas' College Mount Lavinia, in th ...

Shantha Kottegoda General Shantha H.S. Kottegoda, WWV, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP (born November 6, 1949) is a retired senior Sri Lanka Army officer. He was the seventeenth Commander of the Sri Lankan Army from 1 July 2004 – 5 December 2005. He had served as the S ...

Michael Jayasekera Education Jayasekera was educated at St Peters College Bambalapitiya where he represented the college in First XV Rugby and moved to S. Thomas' College, Mt Lavinia Sri Lanka, where he won colours in cricket, rugby and athletics. He won the ...

* A. F. Molamure

References

External links

Official Royal Thomian WebsiteMultimedia coverageOpen ForumThe Royal–Thomian – 130 years on: The Battle of the Blues Steeped in tradition
{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal-Thomian Big Matches Royal College, Colombo S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia Sri Lankan cricket in the 19th century Sri Lankan cricket in the 20th century Sri Lankan cricket in the 21st century Student sport in Sri Lanka