32nd Battle Of The Blues, UK (9th August 2015)

by Geethaka Fernando

The 32nd Annual 'Battle Of The Blues - UK' once again provided a day of enthralling and nail biting cricket for the Old Thomians, Old Royalists and their families who live in the United Kingdom. The Walker Cricket Club which boasts of a 160 year proud cricketing history was this year's venue for the special occasion. The day was blessed with bright sunshine and a gentle breeze sweeping across the lush green.

The Thomians fielded a very young side this year against a formidable Royal squad which included many Sri Lanka U19 players and former Royal captains. Having won the previous three encounters comprehensively, the Thomians were highly determined to defend the coveted Amersekara Shield again.

The Old Royalists' captain Malinda Thotiwilage won the toss and decided to take the first lease of the pitch. The Royal openers, Shashimal Edirisinghe and Chamika Karunaratne, made their intentions very clear by going after the bowling right from the outset. However, the opening stand didn't last for too long as a Thomian fielder produced a brilliant stunt to run out Shashimal when the score was just 15. This brought Hashen Ramanayake to the crease who joined his SL U19 and former Royal Skipper. This pair put on a brisk 75 run partnership in 10 overs dispatching the ball to all corners of the Walker Park. At this stage it seemed as if the game was drifting away from the Thomians. However, the Thomian skipper who is known for his tactical nous, made some early changes to bring the spinners in which paid immediate dividends. Sacha Seneviratne made the crucial breakthrough in his second over by dismissing Chamika Karunaratne for 54. The Royal skipper then joined Hashen and tried to maintain the momentum by constantly looking to rotate the strike. However, the tight spells by the spin trio, Vidhesh Balasubramaniyam, Shami Mendis and Hasula Premathilake, and the sharp fielding made sure that the Royalists didn't get to break the shackles again. Hashen (42), Malinda (49) and Heshan Morawaka (48) batted sensibly to take the Royal Score up to 235 which still looked a difficult chase considering the recent Royal-ThomianEncounters.

The Thomian openers walked into the middle after a hearty lunch and some uplifting words from the skipper. Their aim was to hold the fort for as long as possible against the fiery pace attack of Royal. The 2013 Big Match centurion, Sanesh De Mel and the fresher, Sacha Seneviratne got off to a cautious start whilst getting the measure of the pitch. What followed was one of the finest displays of batting the 'Roy-Tho' UK fraternity has ever witnessed. Sacha muscled the ball to all parts of the ground whilst Sanesh rotated the strike by caressing the ball with a touch of 'Sanga-like' elegance. This meticulously paced partnership took the Thomian score up to 143 before Sacha departed in the 27th over for a well made 62. The fireworks recommenced when Shami Mendis joined Sanesh and started hammering boundaries at will. Shami revealed the 'maverick' inside his calm-self when he stroked a couple of reverse-sweeps which nearly cost him his wicket. Sanesh reached his maiden century in the series with a beautiful paddle sweep down to deep squire-leg. Shouldering the burden of getting the side over the line, captain Mendis also got to his half century with a towering six over deep mid-wicket. This pair ended this remarkable chase comfortably with nearly 2 overs to spare (Sanesh De Mel 112 n.o & Shami Mendis 64 n.o). In the customary manner, the fierce tussle on the field between the old boys of these two great institutions was left at the ropes and the merrymaking continued deep into the night whilst savouring the camaraderie this event always offers.

Old Thomian Team: Shami Mendis (C), Divahar Ramalingam, Geethaka Fernando, Asanka Weeratunge, Nielsh Setunga, Hasula Prematilaka, Sanesh De Mel †, Sacha Seneviratne, Vidhyesh Balasubramaniam, Hemaka Ariyaratne, Praveen Siriwardena

Old Royalist Team: Malinda Thotiwilage (C), Hashen Ramanayaka, Heshan Morawaka, Chamika Karunaratne, Pasindu Chamikara, Gayan Ranasinghe, Gihan, Premachandra, Shashimal Edirisinghe, Ashley Sivaraja, Nishan Weerasinghe, Shirly Jeyarajah
Summary: Old Royalists 235 for 9/ Thomians 236 for 1 in 38.4 overs