A PANDEMIC OBSERVED THROUGH THE LENS OF A ROYAL-THOMIAN BIG MATCH-by Darren White
Source:Thomiana – S.Thomas’ College Old Boys Association Australia Branch Newsletter
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The 137th Battle of the Blues in 2016 was undoubtedly one of the most memorable and unexpected Royal-Thomian encounters in the past decade. For those of you familiar with the result, in calling this game memorable, you might begin to question if my allegiance is to the School by the Sea or to that institution down Reid Avenue. To answer that, my roots are firmly planted in Mount Lavinia! But coming back to the match, it’s difficult to deny the fact that for those of us who were at the SSC, in the stands or on the field, or those following the game from home, the events that transpired over those three days are hard to erase from memory. For us Thomians, that game was memorable. Memorable for the wrong reasons!
Before I continue any further, I wish to state that I do not in any way mean to put down anyone involved in that game and that this is a personal reflection of what happened over those three days and the lesson I learnt from it. I had the honour and privilege of being a member of the tent committee at this game and it is from that perspective that I write.
The Thomians had a phenomenal season going in to the match, having been undefeated in the inter- schools league with 7 outright wins and 11 first innings victories. The sniff of a victory at the all-important match was in the air and it hadn’t been this strong since 2007. School morale couldn’t have been higher; the ‘Big Match Fever’ was burning hot, any doubts of a win easily singed. We felt invincible going into that game. Boy, were we wrong!
The first day got off to a blinding start with the Thomians scoring quickly and declaring at 350 runs for the loss of 5 wickets with the Royalists occupying the crease at the end of the day’s play. A win felt certain. The Royalists hung on and batted throughout the second day, dragging the game and slowly inching towards our total of 350. The hope of a win was beginning to grow dim at the close of day two with the match seemingly heading towards a dull draw. Hopes were reignited when Royal declared at 328 runs around noon on the third day, trailing by 22 runs, and the Thomians came into bat again. It was during this innings that the entire game turned upside down! Our batting order which performed so well during the first innings collapsed like a pack of cards, scampering to only 127 runs before being bowled out. Panic! How could this happen? This wasn’t part of the plan. This couldn’t be happening. The improbable was becoming probable.
Though the Thomians fought hard claiming 6 wickets, at the close of play on the third day, the improbable did indeed become the probable. The gravity of what had just happened slowly sank in as the sun sank below the horizon, and as the shadows slowly lifted over the SCC, so did a sense of despair, numbness, shock and disappointment. After all the hard work, cheering, shouting, running around and three adrenaline charged days, it was difficult to process what we had just witnessed. Royal had done
the impossible and stolen what we had been so passionately longing for. This glory should have been ours, we should have been celebrating, but instead, we were paralysed and downcast.
Personally, the events that unfolded that evening on the third day and the aftermath have been one of the most humbling experiences I have experienced in life. I’m not a sportsman so I can’t relate to what the players would have gone through, but without a shadow of doubt what I felt paled in comparison to what they would have been feeling. But being a member of the tent committee or a steward at the Royal-Thomian is akin to playing the game, as many who have had the opportunity to do so would agree. It is the epitome of your career as a prefect and being on the field behind the boundary rope, you feel as if you are a part of the game. With all the work that goes on behind the scenes, starting all the way back in November the previous year, being responsible for building up the morale of the student body, culminating with the 3 days at the ground, in a sense you share the result of the game. In our case, we tasted defeat, especially because of the high riding expectation with which we went in to the game.
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When looking back at this game and the current situation that the world is facing with the COVID-19 pandemic, I find that many parallels can be drawn. Similar to that defeat, this pandemic has humbled all of us. When we thought we were in control, invincible and nothing could get in our way, this microscopic particle unexpectedly appeared and brought us to a grinding halt. Our grand plans for our lives and future have been torn up, forcing us to draw up new ones, albeit uncertain ones. The improbable became the probable, although in this case inconceivable is more apt. Some of us have played the first innings well only to be bowled out cheaply in the second. Some have been run out without even facing a ball. Some have been forced to retire hurt. Our whole batting order seems to have collapsed and we were helpless to stop it. We feel defeated, not knowing how to stand up again.
However, do not be discouraged. This will not last forever. As the Thomians fought back in the last innings in the midst of looming defeat, as they won the Mustang’s Trophy the next weekend and as they lifted the D.S. Senanayake Shield three years later in 2019, I firmly believe we will come out of this situation eventually. Many of you would agree that the lessons we learnt at STC, not so much the ones from books, but the ones you learned by being a part of her life, the extras that she has to offer, have indeed been life lessons for all of us and enabled us to enter the world with some preparation. So now, take a lesson from STC. Look back at the defeats and trials you may have faced, at STC or in life. I hope you find that you were indeed able to get back up, possibly a little stronger. Of course, it would never have been easy or pleasant. Neither would it have taken place immediately. What we are facing today is not easy or pleasant for most of us, and it surely isn’t going away immediately! I believe this situation calls for patience, perseverance and a little bit of Thomian grit as we accept what has happened, look back at where we stumbled, go back to the drawing board, retrain ourselves and prepare to come back stronger than before.
