I am now seventy seven years old and not having been a Literary giant like some of my senior compatriots, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, R. S. de Saram (later the first Ceylonese Warden), L. W. de Silva, and a host of others, the task of reminiscing on my cricketing career at St. Thomas' will be very much of a strain both mentally and physically. But as I cannot think of anybody else of my contemporaries still alive, who could cover my cricketing period from 1916 to 1920,1 shall have to imagine that I am still at school and struggling through a Literary composition which may not receive pass marks.

During this period a land-mark in my cricketing memories took place, which I should be excused for relating, as it is connected with a Royal-Thomian Cricket match. In 1914, I remember going to see my first Royal-Thomian Cricket Match. I trudged from Bambalapitiya all the way to the Tamil Union Grounds at Campbell Park and creeping through the crowd of spectators, I reached the ropes in time to see a tall, dark, lissom batsman hitting at the ball all round the field. Every time he hit a six, he waved his bat, took off his cap and did a turn round the wickets, while the crowd was roaring with glee. He made 87 and won the match for S. Thomas', much to my regret, being a pro-Royalist at the time. Later I learnt that this cricketer was S. Saravanamuttu, the last of the famous line of Sara brothers and this feat was accomplished at the age of only fourteen years. Little did I dream that in three short years I was to play under his captaincy for S. Thomas !

I started playing cricket the very first day in the Small Club as the youngster's club was then called. It was presided over by Mr. E. Navaratnam the "Mighty Atom" of the College. I remember his famous cricketing dictum, 'Rise on your toes and cut.' This would have answered for him and for us small fry but S. Sara, if ever he had been in the Small Club, would have scoffed at it even at the age of fourteen years when he scored 87 against Royal. He would have been near six feet tail even at this age. I loved every department of the game, and as nobody cared for wicket-keeping, I became the keeper of the stumps. This stood me in good stead as in the very same year of my becoming a Thomian I was drafted into the first eleven in the third term, the Club Cricket team, when I had just completed my fourteenth birthday. As wicket-keeping was not popular even in the First Eleven there was no choice but to try me out. I managed to keep my place although at the beginning my batting average was decimal something.

The following year 1917 my place in the team was confirmed. It was the last year of the giants both of cricket and of learning, for a long spell of years to come. It ushered in a period of depression with the shifting to our new home at Mt. Lavinia, having to start life all over again under trying conditions. After the cricket season all the star cricketers except the Captain Sara and F. J. T. Foenander left. That season besides Sara, the other stars were, Reggie de Saram, (Sub-Captain), Sam Elapata, B. T. Jansz, R. S. Ellawela, F. J. T. Foenander. The rest too were com­petent and we were considered on par with Trinity and St. Anthony's the top teams. Trinity had J. A. de Silva and A. H. R. Joseph as stars and St. Anthony's was a one man team, and that man was Jack Andersen who dominated the batting world that year and the next.

The year was noted for tall scoring and most of the matches were drawn. There was heavy scoring in the Big Match mostly on our side. It was also noted for the breaking of two records, one by our B. T. Jansz, scoring 103 runs and becoming the first centurion for the series. This score also broke the record of 72 for the highest individual score for Royal made in 1895 by Elmore Jayatilleke. In this match, Edgar de Kretser of Royal scored a patient 87.

A humorous incident occurred at this match. Our bowlers could not get Edgar de Kretser out, so Sara, in desperation, started bowling underarm amidst jeers and shouts from the Royal crowd. Suddenly a rubber ball came bouncing towards Sara with shouts of "Try that Sara." But Sara went on undisturbed. Ultimately he had to give up, as he made no impression. I cannot remember how de Kretser got out, if he did get out, but his slow scoring saved the match for Royal.

A reference to Edward Kelaart of Royal, one of the most promising young cricketers of the year, must be made. He failed in this match making a duck. I stand to correction in this, but his failure was a surprise to all. However, he did not fail to justify the high opinion held about his future as an all Ceylon player, as he did become one of the greatest all-rounders the country ever had.

The tall scorers were Sara the Captain, noted for his big hitting, Sam Elapata, a beautiful batsman to watch, and the steady B. T. Jansz who had a style of his own. The star bowlers were, Reggie de Saram, the accurate off-spinner and R. S. Ellawela, the fast swing bowler. He was so steady that keeping for him was easy, even though I was always close to the stumps.

As the season progressed, to my misfortune, both Sara. and Elapata took on the role of fast bowlers and the result was water in the knee for me as I, had to use my pads to stop the wild leg balls, being always close to the stumps.

In those days there was really not much coaching, and none at all for wicket-keeping. All keepers modelled their style on that of the great Trinity and All-Ceylon wicket-keeper, Alfred Aluvihare. He always crouched close to the stumps with his gloves resting on the ground and never fell back to a fast bowler. He was therefore able to make many a stumping, which would not have been possible had he fallen back like modern keepers. He had no difficulty in taking the wildest leg or off balls.

I must not fail to relate an incident which displayed the heady bowling strategy of Reggie de Saram. We were playing against St. Anthony's and Jack Anderson was on the rampage with the willow. He had scored his usual 50 runs, when Reggie was given his real bowling spell. He came to me and said "This chap Anderson cuts everything on the off, with the help of his powerful forearm and wonderful eye. I shall keep on bowling on the off, trying to make the ball lift now and then. He is bound to make a mistake at some stage, and give you a snick behind the stumps or dolly up the ball to cover!" He carried out this plan persistently and before long Anderson skied a catch to cover, and It was gratefully accepted. By then Anderson had scored over 60 runs.

Being the youngest member of the team 1 was called Baby Bulan and was a sort of fag, ordered to do odd jobs such as carrying the materials. Although my batting average was decimal some­thing during the season, I had shown signs of improvement, and to my surprise when the Club match season arrived at the third term, the Captain ordered me to open with F. J. T. Foenander. I remember the Tamil Union match. I opened with Foenander and carried out my bat scoring only 49. Most other batsmen would have scored a century and Sara at least 300.

1918 saw us in our new home at Mt. Lavinia, starting life all over again suffering the usual handicaps of re-settlement. The matting cricket pitch was uneven and the out-field all sand. Of the stars only the Captain Sara and 'Froggy' Foenander were left.

In spite of the hardships we were under, we should have won the 'Big Match,' had the Sinha­lese Sports Club cadjan-pavilion not caught fire. We lost valuable playing time in the confusion and the little time left was not enough to polish off the Royal tail. This was my best year. I made the highest score in the first innings - a modest 35. I think Sara scored 19 in the second innings-not a Sara innings at all. Although my score of 35 was nothing to write about, it was however the highest family score in a Royal-Thomian match. My elder brother who had captained Royal made 34, and my son Parakrama made only 33, when he partnered Ronnie Reid who went on to smash the record for the highest individual score in a Big Match by scoring over a century and a half. These two, my brother and my son, used to score centuries in matches, but like many other stars they were com­parative failures in the most important match. I was never able to make big scores, but my batting average that year was second only to that of Sara, round about a modest 30, whereas Sara's would have been considerably more.

I must not fail to mention the memorable record-breaking match against St. Anthony's. Jack Anderson broke the record for the highest individual score probably for all time, by scoring 295, and our Sara countered by scoring the quickest century, also perhaps for all times. He scored 121 runs in not more than 30 minutes although the records say it was a little more than 30 minutes. The century itself would have taken only 25 minutes. My estimation that my figures are correct is based on the following facts: I clearly remember that we had only 45 minutes of playing time left when H. F. Goonewardena and I went in to open the batting. H. F. made an elegant 18 hitting a beautiful six and got out. When Sara came in to partner me, the time left could not have been more than 30 minutes. From the very first ball he started hitting, scoring in sixes, fours and twos, despising the singles except when we had to cross to give him the strike. Nearly all the time I was at the other end enjoying the fun. In desperation Anderson himself took over the bowling in order to cut down the spate of runs by negative bowling. Like the famous boxer, Jack Johnson of old and the present day Champion Muhammed Ali making fun of their opponents in the ring, Sara started taunting Anderson. He says, "Come on Anderson toss us a bit" Ancerson bowls wide on the off, but Sara stretches out his long right leg and swings the ball over the trees in the mid-on boundary. The Anthonian Captain soon gave up bowling. Sara's sixes were majestic, soaring high over the trees. I remember one landing on the road in front of the Welikada jail and another crashing into St. Mary's church. Andersen's sixes only just cleared the ropes. If I remember right, Sara hit 13 sixes.

Of course both batsmen gave chances galore. Sara missed Anderson's first catch at 40 and I can clearly remember F. L. Wickrsmasinghe, with his spectacles shining in the sun, waiting at mid-wicket for the skies to drop into his hands, but instead the ball going through to drop on to the grass, and my mind's eye can still see Brereton at the mid-on missing catch after catch.

Disaster befell me soon after 1 became cricket captain. I contracted Enteric along with many others and nearly died.

I went back to cricket the next year 1919, before 1 had fully recovered. My eye-sight was weakened, mentally less alert, and there v/as a feeling of weakness. Instead of watching the ball as I used to do, 1 started swinging my bat at the ball. The result was that I just managed double figures with an occasional six which feat I was never able to do before.

In my first year as captain, we started with winning against Ananda and St. Benedict's but after that, every match was lost. The Big Match especially being a debacle. Had we experience of turf wickets and had I as captain experience of world and club cricket like the Royalists who were day scholars, 1 would never have selected to bat on a terribly sticky wicket after winning the toss. Those days it was the case of "Win the toss and go in to bat." This is what we did, and never knew what was happening to the ball. It was coming at various speeds and various angles. I remembered my old watchful style and scarcely lifting my bat and first keeping the ball away from the stumps managed to score 17, the top score. The whole side collapsed for 46. The Royalists too did not score much, only 150, if 1 remember right, in spite of their experienced star cricketers like the Van Geyzel brothers and others. But this score was enough to beat us by an innings, after I had foolishly given them half an hour extra in which to polish us off in one day. Had I known that the Royalists would crow over this match as the "One Day Match"  I would never have consented to give them extra time to finish the match in one day and half an hour. Of course if I insisted on playing the next day, the Warden would definitely not have allowed us to make another day, but would have sent us to classes. The match would then have been on a parallel with the notorious "Nine Runs Match" when the Royalists after being bundled out for only 9 runs in the first innings, disappeared and never turned to finish the match and face ignominious defeat.

The next year 1920 was my last, and I left after the cricket season to join the Medical College. This year was no different from the last but we did not lose the Big Match in one day, or rather one day and half an hour. I played as a bowler this year and took many wickets with my 'Donkey drops'.

I must mention one incident that took place in this year's Big Match. E. C. Rose of Royal had scored 78 runs and without doubt had high hopes of breaking the record for the highest individual score held by our B. T. Jansz, when I decided to take over bowling and make use of his weak over-head shot which hitherto had escaped the fielder stationed there. I bowled my straight 'Donkey drop' and rushed up the wicket just in position to take a low catch which he had to give while checking his over-head shot on account of the change in speed and length of my delivery. The ball was taken too low that my finger touched the grass. Rose did not leave thinking he was not out and only a shout from the famous Umpire, Mr. Frank Ondatjie made him wend his way to the pavilion a very sad and disappointed man. After years, whenever he met me. he used to abuse me in a friendly way 'Hora-Out' which prevented him from breaking the record. This effort of mine is probably my last direct connection with S. Thomas' College. But to carry on the family tradition I have three small grand-sons at College, and all three show promise of becoming cricketers. I hope that they will do better than their grand-fathers.

P. B. Bulankulame

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