Dialog powers historic Royal-Thomian for 19th time 

Dialog Axiata Group Chief Marketing Officer Lasantha Thevarapperuma handing over the sponsorship to S.Thomas’ College Warden Rev. Marc Billimoria and Royal College Principal Thilak Waththuhewa. Also pictured (L) Royal Thomian Match Organising Committee Co-Chairman from RC Rehan Gunasekera and (R) Royal Thomian Match Organising Committee Co-Chairman from STC Arjuna Waidyasekera 

Dialog Axiata PLC, Sri Lanka’s premier connectivity provider, has extended corporate backing for the 19th year as official sponsor of the country’s blue ribbon cricket encounter, the 2024 ‘Battle of the Blues’ between Royal College, Colombo, and S.Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia—played for the prestigious Rt. Hon. D.S. Senanayake Memorial Shield on 7, 8 and 9 March at the SSC Grounds, Colombo. The limited-over ‘Mustang’s Trophy’ match will be on 16 March, also at the same venue.

The 145th cricket encounter will air live on Dialog Television - ThePapare TV HD (Channel Number 126), live-streamed on ThePapare.com and the Dialog ViU App.

Further, Dialog initiated the ‘Play for a Cause’ charity initiative with a mission to uplift school cricket across Sri Lanka. Through a generous pledge of Rs. 1,000 for every run scored and Rs. 10,000 for every wicket taken, last year’s encounter raised a substantial donation of Rs. 1,128,000. The proceedings were distributed in consultation with the Principal of Royal College and the Warden of S.Thomas’ College. This commendable effort helped support and empower four deserving schools in the country.

In this year’s encounter, the boys from Mt. Lavinia will be led by Mahith Perera, while the lads from Reid Avenue will play under the Captaincy of Sineth Jayawardena, the Under-19 Sri Lanka skipper. The ‘Royal-Thomian’ series spans an impressive 144 years, making it the second longest uninterrupted cricket series in the world, behind the annual encounter between St. Peters College, Adelaide, and Prince Alfred College, Adelaide, Australia, which began just a year earlier. This esteemed tradition kicked off in 1880 with a match at Galle Face, where the Taj Samudra Hotel is presently located. Both teams are said to have rowed boats over the Beira Lake to compete in the match. This storied rivalry predates even the renowned Ashes Series between Australia and England, underscoring its significance in the world of cricket.

The historic rivalry has been a testament to the enduring spirit of sportsmanship and camaraderie. The annual cricket match has been a symbol of excellence and mutual respect between the two institutions for over a century. The playing fields of the ‘Roy-Tho’ have the distinction of birthing cricketers who later became eminent heads of state, with S. Thomas’ producing the father of the nation, the late Rt. Hon. D.S. Senanayake MP whom the Shield is named after—and his son, the late Hon. Dudley Senanayake MP. Both were Prime Ministers of post-independent Ceylon. Meanwhile, Royal College produced the late Rt. Hon. (General) Sir John Kotelawala MP, also Prime Minister, and Sri Lanka’s first Executive President, the late J.R. Jayewardene.

The current tally between the two schools has Royal leading with 36 wins to S.Thomas’ 35, with the highly-debated match in 1885— where Royal College was all out for nine runs and refused to play on the second day—considered a win by S.Thomas’ and a draw by Royal (as described in the respective souvenir books of the two schools). In the 144th Battle of the Blues, under Dasis Manchanayake, Royal recorded a comprehensive 181-run win to register their first victory since 2016. The shield is presently displayed like a crown jewel amidst the silverware in the Royal College trophy cabinet, after they won in a superb performance in the 144th edition.

Played in the highest tradition of excellence, the two schools have formed a bond of mutual respect, camaraderie, sportsmanship, and friendly adversaries on and off the field, which has stood for almost one-and-a-half centuries. As remarked by a yesteryear Principal of Royal College: “There is no Royal without S.Thomas’ and no S.Thomas’ without Royal.”

Dialog Axiata is the proud sponsor of the National Cricket, Volleyball, Netball and Esports teams. Dialog is also the primary sponsor of Sri Lanka Golf Open and Paralympic sports by powering the National Para Games, and the Sri Lankan contingent to the World Paralympic Games. Further, in line with its commitment towards empowering the champions of tomorrow, the company continues to power the President’s Gold Cup Volleyball, National Junior and Senior Netball tourneys, and Schools Rugby.