THE WAY WE WERE… S. Skandakumar The year was 1965. At the conclusion of our traditional big match versus St Thomas’, the Royal team was summoned by the Principal and told that reciprocal matches had been initiated with schools in Jaffna and as a first step, the school’s cricket team was to proceed over the weekend, for an encounter with St. John’s College. So a team of 14 players, comprising of a Muslim captain, ten Sinhalese, two Tamils and one Burgher bundled into the Yal Devi the following Thursday, and arrived at the Jaffna railway station to a truly warm reception. Over the next two days we played some fascinating cricket before an unprecedented and enthusiastic crowd. A challenging declaration by our captain, on the second day, in the true spirit of the game, left the Johnians around 140 runs to make from 20 overs. Their talented players rose to ...
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