The two Colleges, Royal and S. Thomas' hove met on the cricket field for ninety-nine years, continuing what came to be a tradition with the passing of years. When the first two teams representing the Colleges stepped on the playing fields, way back in 1880, little did they dream that they were starting a tradition that would be continued in unbroken succ­ession for a hundred years. What started as a friendly match between two Colleges, soon bur­geoned out into one, in which to represent the College as a member of the First XI Team, was the highest aspiration of every school boy, and an event which became the rallying point where old loyalties were renewed, and new ones made under the old school banner. With this year's match, the 100th cricket encounter will be chalked up, and reflecting on this series, one cannot help observing that the first elected President of the land represented Royal and no less than four Prime Ministers have played on one side or the other. What was said of  Wellington that the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton, is a veritable truth and of particular relevance to the Prime Ministers of our country, in that the discipline and sportsmanship of the playing field have played no small part in equipping them to manage the affairs of the country when they were at the helm, and perhaps in the next 100 years there may be the likelihood of the future Presidents, Prime Ministers and leaders of the land, rising out of the ranks of those who have represented the College at this game.

A hundred annual cricket encounters between two Colleges is a unique achieve­ment, having perhaps no parallel in any school, here or even abroad. I would like to com­mend the Committee for their efforts in getting up a document which is a comprehensive history of the match and one that will doubtless be preserved in the archives of the Colleges and one that any College or private library can be proud of. The greatness of a school lies in its bequeathing intact the traditions it has inherited to future generations, and in this respect Royal is the proud inheritor of a tradition of moulding young men, who ore instilled with the high ideas of sportsmanship, fairplay and justice. Our values have been developed by the strict adherance to rigid principles that govern all aspects of the life of the school. They govern the requirements for admission, the limits of periods allotted for particular courses and our code of conduct and thus only students who have conformed to these require­ments and who are eligible to be in school are considered for selection to represent the College at co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. We believe it imperative that students be taught to obey the low both in the letter and in the spirit and we set the example both by practice and by precept. We of Royal, as have our predecessors before us, have borne this uppermost in our minds and we endeavour to turn out young men who will truly be a credit to their school and country. I am proud and privileged to hold office in this centenary match year and commend that the spirit of true sportsmanship and friendship which has characterised the ninety-nine encounters between the two Colleges, be maintained in this centenary year and in the years to come.

L. D. H. Peiris

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