140th Battle of the Blues ‘Play for a Cause’ supports four deserving schools

Royal-Thomian Cricket Joint Match Organising Committee with recipients. Standing from left: S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia Captain Sithara Hapuinna, Navin Perera, Chandima Athukorala, Zulki Hamid, R. Kanendran, representing the Royal-Thomian Cricket Joint Match Organising Committee and Royal College, Colombo Captain Kavindu Madarasinghe. Seated from left: S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia Sub Warden Asanka Perera, Royal-Thomian Cricket Joint Match Organising Committee Co-Chair Mahesh Nanayakkara, S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia Warden Rev. Marc Billimoria, Royal College, Colombo Assistant Principal/Senior Games Master M.A.M. Riyaz, Royal-Thomian Cricket Joint Match Organising Committee Co-Chair Raj Mohan, and Dialog Television Senior General Manager Chirantha De Zoysa   

The 140th ‘Battle of the Blues’ annual cricket encounter between Royal College, Colombo, and S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia, this year saw four schools benefit from ‘Play for a Cause’, the annual sustainability project of this traditional encounter.

Karandeniya Central College, Attanakawala Maha Vidyalaya Irahandaketuwewa Maha Vidyalaya, Polonnaruwa, and K/ Aluthgama Maha Vidyalaya were selected as the worthy beneficiaries by the Royal-Thomian Cricket Joint Match Organising Committee headed by the Principal of Royal College, Colombo B. A. Abeyrathna and Warden of S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia, Rev. Marc Billimoria.

In 2015, on the 136th edition of the Royal-Thomian, Sri Lanka’s premier connectivity provider, Dialog Axiata PLC rekindled a long and successful partnership with Sri Lanka’s Blue Ribbon Big Match, The Battle of the Blues and made a pledge to contribute Rs. 1,000 rupees for every run scored and Rs. 10,000 rupees for every wicket that fell. This year’s exciting encounter contributed Rs. 1,166,000 rupees to the ‘Play for a Cause’ pledge. Since the inception of the ‘Play for a Cause’ pledge, inclusive of the 140th Battle of the Blues, Rs. 5,143,000 rupees worth of cricket gear was donated to eighteen deserving schools.