Big Match fever and the significance to grassroots cricket
The traditional 138th Royal-Thomian or ‘Battle of the Blues’ at the SSC from March 8 to 10 will be the culminating high to school cricket’s Big Match fever that grips the island nation in a show of flag display of assorted cuolours. The Big Match fever that has become a part of tradition in a land where cricket is near religion to the fanatics, does take centre stage. If cricket at the grassroots has been an accelerated slogan of the country’s citadel of cricket – Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) in its vision to optimizing national cricket to winning ways, that school cricket as the cradle to that stated dream is fusion lending to the national cricketing drive. It is significant that in a modern age that the game keeps transcending to new vistas via technology, school cricket in Sri Lanka has been the upswing to sustaining the national drive. In that perspective school cricket’s Big Match fever that grips the 21 million cricket loving nation from end February to March in a feast of big matches does take pride of place. The game becoming ever competitive for the commercial high stakes depth value that has internationalized cricket hugely has with it like in other cricket playing nations drummed up Sri Lanka’s school cricket as never before. With most every parent aspiring to see their son grow up to be a giant sized cricketing idol of the nation, the enthusiasm pitched in to school cricket has frog leaped galvanizing school cricket to a big stage of starry eyed performers. Therein, the national dream of wearing the country cap and the high stakes with it has lent to schoolboy cricket assuming a type of international trapping to firing performance levels in the playing fields.
This year has already seen the back of the Isipathana-Thurstan and Ananda-Nalanda big matches, both ending in draws. Interestingly, the grassroots school cricket the length and breadth of Sri Lanka in a show of flag display riot of colour has become a part of tradition and culture judging by the importance attached to big matches. Street parading on bicycles and motoring has added to the festive air as the big match fever finds its culminating aroma from school cricket’s oldest big match the Royal-Thomian dubbed the ‘Battle of the Blues’.
In to its 138th encounter that unfolds tomorrow Wednesday at the SSC grounds, the contest is billed to assume new proportions heating up the big match passion with one of the game’s greatest coaches Dav Whatmore a central figure in the Thomian camp. That S. Thomas’ has sought the consultant services of the former coach of world cup winning fame when he coached the Sri Lankan team to the euphoria of cup glory in 1996, is indeed tempo drumming up. For, S. Thomas has apparently sought international tutelage in the quest to avenge last year’s defeat to Royal. S. Thomas’ is led by Romesh Nallapperuma, and Royalist by Helitha Vithanage.
By Srian Obeyesekere
-The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Sri Lanka Cricket-
