Reminiscences of Joe-pete ‘56
Once again the Big match fervour is on! The next few weeks will be of great im- portance that many a cricket lover would partake in the capacity of a spectator , well wisher, Old boy or as a parent to witness the skills of their young warriors who would battle it out on the field to capture the honour in this most prestigious encounters.
The salient feature of the Royal -Thomian or Josephi- an-Peterite cricket encounters has been the high standard of discipline and sportsmanship that has prevailed during the entire series.
Come March 1 and 2; two gallant teams which consist of twenty two warriors from both St. Joseph’s and St. Peter's will battle it out for supremacy where no quarter will be asked nor given at the picturesque P. Saravanamuttu Stadium It is worthy of mention that the bonhomie amongst past players is enthralling. Further it is no more a secret that the Battle of the Saints cricket encounter has made lasting friendships amongst Joes and Petes.
Once again the Big match fervour is on! The next few weeks will be of great importance that many a cricket lover would partake in the capacity of a spectator , well wisher, Old boy or as a parent to witness the skills of their young warriors who would battle it out on the field to capture the honour in this most prestigious encounters.
The salient feature of the Royal -Thomian or Josephian-Peterite cricket encounters has been the high standard of discipline and sportsmanship that has prevailed during the entire series. Many of those who have later graced the cricket fields in the international arena ,who had incidentally worn the national cap ; have won their spurs and steeled their temperament through great achievements in the annual "Blues", "Saints" or any other cricket encounter.
Come March 1 and 2; two gallant teams which consist of twenty two warriors from both St. Joseph’s and St. Peter's will battle it out for supremacy where no quarter will be asked nor given at the picturesque P. Saravanamuttu Stadium. This year it will be the 79th edition of yet another Saints encounter, which was inaugurated in 1933 by that great rector of St. Joseph's Rev. Fr. M.J. Legoc (who was instrumental in the birth of St. Peter's) and Rev. Fr. Nicholas Perera of St. Peter's. Ironically the history unravels the fact that this encounter was introduced not only to confine to a game of cricket but also to upkeep true brotherhood and the fellowship amongst each other which would be an ideal example to the future generations to emerge from these two great institutions.
St. Joseph's has been able to produce Angelo Mathews (the newly appointed Test and One Day captain), stylish left hander Dimuth Karunaratne and "basher" Thisara Perera. Incidentally Angelo Perera , Chathura Pieris (St. Peter's) and Roshane Silva of St. Joseph's are knocking at the selector's door. Indeed, it is worthy of mention that the bonhomie amongst past players is enthralling. Further it is no more a secret that the Battle of the Saints cricket encounter has made lasting friendships amongst Joes and Petes.
Meeting Peter Asoka Ratnayake was a great privilege. He had the fortune of opening the batting for St Joseph's along with Claude Perera. "I was so fortunate to be in the big match squad since regular opener Carlyle Perera was sidelined with injury," said Rathnayake.
"We were tagged as underdogs prior to the big'un but the papers never underestimated us. I vividly remember that one leading daily English tabloid said: Never underestimate these Josephians, quipped Rathnayake who was renowned for his fielding in College.” The 21st Battle of the Saints encounter took place on March 23 and 24 in 1956 at the Colombo Oval which is the present P. Sara Stadium.
Keerthi Caldera the Josephian captain won the toss and wisely put the Petetrites to take the first lease of the wicket which was just drying up after the previous day’s showers. St Peter's had declared at 163 for five in their first innings where the top scorer was R. Saravanabhavan who made a defiant unconquered 57.
Batting a second time the Joes were in trouble by losing two wickets for just four runs but Zacky Mohammed and skipper Caldera were involved in a 62 run match winning partnership which sailed us through to a memorable five wicket victory against much fancied Petetrites. It was jubilation allround and Josephian flags fluttered from every corner." Finally the Josephians were victorious and it was virtually in the most crucial and important encounter in the calendar
. The victory was even more salient since the Josephians were tagged as ‘underdogs’. The 1956 Josephian team : Keerthi Caldera (Capt),Claude Perera, Peter Rathnayake, Zacky Mohammed, Abid Moosajee, E.Fernando, Leo John Malcolm Francke, Neville Jayawardena, Peter Liyanage and Ran- jith Malawana. At 76, Asoka Rathnayake lives quiet a healthy life in Kurunegala along with his wife Shirani and hisoneandonlysonLakmalwho too an old Joe presently a well known legal officer in the North Western Province.
Asoka’s advice to young cricketers is: “We must think positively when approaching any game against any team holding on to the belief that every team can be defeated”. See you on Friday and Saturday at the P. Sara Stadium for yet another ‘Battle of the Saints’ cricket encounter which will be played according to best of it's traditions and healthy but peaceful rivalry.