1954 to 1958-Reminiscing
by
Michael Tissera
The 75th encounter in 1954 was my first "Big Match". I was really still a tot - a few days short of my 15th birthday.
It was only a few weeks earlier that I was playing tennis one evening on the Warden's Court in Mt. Lavinia when I was summoned to bowl at the First Eleven, preparing for a match against St. Benedict's. I must have bowled well for I was in the team that week-end. Ironically it was my bowling that gave me my first big break.
To play in the Royal match is the dream of every Thomian cricketer and fortunately 1 did enough in the matches leading up to the big one, to keep my place.
Royal were favourites having had a better record. Nirmalingam was Captain and they had Ubhaya de Silva, Ranjit de Silva, Kreitszheim and Crozier from previous years. Among the freshers were the talented Perimpanayagam, Michael Wille and Jothilingam - brother of the skipper.
Bar Weerasinghe led us. Tyrrel Gauder was our batting mainstay and we also had two of the previous year's heroes, Dan Piachaud and Geoff Wijesinghe. Tony Witham injured himself at practice and unfortunately could not play. Sri Lanka's present motor racing champion, David Pieris opened bowling. Incidentally David's son, Johann leads S. Thomas' this year and Geoff Wijesinghe's son, S. P. Wijesinghe is likely to play. This set of Fathers and Sons will have played in Jubilee games.
We won the toss and batted. Royal's Captain, Nirmalingam opened bowling amidst great excitement. Gauder flashed at the first ball of the match and there was a roar of appeal. "Not out" s id the umpire. Later he confessed he hadn't realised the match had started! Skipper Weerasinghe opened batting for us and was the mainstay in a disappointing performance by our batsmen. We collected 131.
When Nirmalingam opened batting for Royal the two skippers equalled a 28 year old record by opening their respective innings. The previous occasion was by D. W. L. Lieversz (Snr.) (Royal) and R. Jayatilleke (S. T. C.) in 1926. Nirmalingam was in fine form until he ran himself out for 69. Rabindran, Ranjit de Silva and Jothilingam made useful contributions and Royal ended the first day in a strong position at 230 for 7-99 runs ahead. Most predictions were of an easy Royal victory.
On the second day Royal continued to 290, a lead of 159 runs and we were up against it. Our openers gave us a fine start by putting on 74 with Gauder showing the way. He was out for 61 and two more wickets fell early. I joined Geoff Wijesinghe and shared a partnership of 73 which took us out of danger. When bad light stopped play 45 minutes early we were 191 for 4 with Wijesinghe not out 42. An honourable draw.
In a difficult situation my 48 runs gave me immense satisfaction and was perhaps the best innings 1 played against the old foe. I still treasure a book on cricket given to me by Royal's present coach Gamini Salgado, after that performance, with the inscription "For a great innings played, for a greater innings to be played yet, in life! May you play that as well as you did in your first big match"-from a Royalist.
The big match was a tremendous experience and I doubt that any other cricket occasion provides the same atmosphere, serious cricket in carnival surroundings.
I was fortunate to play in four more big matches and captain two of them in 1957 and 1958. Unfortunately all games were drawn but some fine batting performances featured the years 1956-1958.
In 1956 Jothilingam, who had a miserable season leading up to the big game, clobbered a fine 121 when Royal were struggling at 103 for 6. Ronald Reid for S. Thomas' replied with a superb 158 not out to break Norman Siebel's 20 year old record of 151 not out. Royal claim that Reid was out at 37 caught behind, but then they also claim that Siebel too, was out.
In 1957 Michael Wille leading Royal and opening the innings scored a fine 121. A fitting adieu to his cricket in Ceylon, for he left soon after to make Australia his home. For us Ronald Reid again produced two fine innings of 65, once not out. With that he achieved the highest aggregate in the series - 325 runs beating Neil Joseph's (Royal) record of 317 runs.
In 1958 Royal had two outstanding batsmen In Lalith Senanayake and Michael Dias. Both played good innings. We had a famous last wicket stand between J. K. C. Gunasekera and Dennis Ferdinands, both using the long handle to advantage. Great stuff of which we see little today.
Over the period 1954 to 1958 Royal produced three cricketers who played for Ceylon. Fritz Crozier a flighty left-arm spinner, full of guts and a great team man. Nihal Kodituwakku, the pint sized opener who looked a midget next to some international fast bowlers he played against. They didn't need to bounce at him. Finally, Daya Sahabandu a fine left-arm spinner who still takes wickets regularly for his Club in Sara cricket. S. Thomas' contributed five. Dan Piachaud played against the MCC. Earlier he played with distinction for Oxford and the MCC. R. J. Reid a good opener, Neil Chanmugam who had fine big match temperament and T. C. T. Edwards who opened and also played for the Daily Mirror Eleven facing West Indians - Hall and Watson with little bother. He still reminds me that he would have got a ton if I hadn't run him out. The other was myself. Besides us, Idroos toured India but didn't play in the Test while Dennis Ferdinands represented the Ceylon Cricket Association in the Gopalan Trophy. Nihal Gurusinghe was a trialist. Other than for Piachaud all played in the Thomian team in 1958. Royal produced some fine cricketers who didn't play seriously after leaving school - a pity. Lorensz Pereira, Michael Dias and Lalith Senanayake had immense talent and could have played representative cricket had they tried.
Many players of the 1954-1958 era, from both schools are now living abroad. During a recent visit to Melbourne I was fortunate to meet Tony Witham, Dennis Ferdinands and two Royal Captains, Fritz Crozier and Lorensz Pereira. It was great reminiscing on old times. The Centenary match in March 1979 will no doubt give us a further opportunity to live in the past.