Royal-Thomian

Infobox SL Interschool Tournaments
Tournament name = Royal-Thomian


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Sport = Cricket
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Timeline = 1879 – present
Tournament format = Annual test match encounter
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Footnotes =The Royal-Thomian (Royal versus S. Thomas' Cricket Match), the annual cricket match between Royal College, Colombo (a government-run non-denominational school accommodates approximately 7,000 students) and S. Thomas' College, Mt Lavinia (a private Anglican school that has about 2,500 boys on roll) and is the second longest uninterrupted cricket match series in the world, even older than the Ashes, having being played for 129 years continuously. The original match was played between the Colombo Academy and S. Thomas' College in 1879, with schoolmasters participating as well as schoolboys. From 1880 onwards, only schoolboys were allowed to play in the match. It is the only school boy cricket match in Sri Lanka to be played over three days.

Awards

This match is played for the prestigious 'Father of the Nation' D. S. Senanayake Memorial Shield. Incidentally, Rt. Hon. D. S. Senanayake, who became independent Ceylon's (as Sri Lanka was known at the time) first Prime Minister, donned the Thomian cap in 1901 and 1902. This shield was first presented in 1928.

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.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 colorful items showing support for their team.A notable item is the Royal tradition of carrying a coffin draped in the Thomian flag during the cycle parade.Overloaded cars with supporters singing and careering along the Colombo streets is a familiar sight during match days.More daring supporters are known to enter the grounds of girls' schools and sing and chant raucously. This is frowned upon by the school authorities and police are sometimes brought in for protection.

The match is looked forward to by young and old, male and female and even those who had no connection with either school would 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 3 days of fun and revelry.It is quite normal to see 70, 80 year old old boys coming to the "Big Match" to relive old times and meet old friends.Many expatriates choose this time of year to return to Sri Lanka to see the Roy-Tho!

Problems

In the recent times there have been slight security issues, but it still continues to take place in true roy-tho spirit every year.

External links

* [http://www.royalthomian.info Official Royal Thomian Website]