Dialog powers 140th Royal-Thomian ‘Battle of the Blues’
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From left: Kavindu Madarasinghe (Captain, Royal College), S. Rajmohan (Co-Chairman Royal-Thomian Match Committee), Rev. Marc Billimoria (Warden, S. Thomas’ College), Amali Nanayakkara (Group Chief Marketing Officer, Dialog Axiata PLC), B.A. Abeyrathna (Principal Royal College), Shayam Majeed (Group Chief Corporate Officer, Dialog Axiata PLC), Roshan Adams (Co-Secretary Royal-Thomian Match Committee) and Sithara Hapuhinna (Captain, S. Thomas’ College)
Big match fever hits Colombo once again, as Sri Lanka’s premier connectivity provider, Dialog Axiata PLC, extends sponsorship for the fifth consecutive year ofSri Lanka’s blue-ribbon cricket encounter, the ‘Battle of the Blues’ between Royal College, Colombo, and S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia, for the prestigious D.S. Senanayake Memorial Shield.
The 2019 edition of ‘Battle of the Blues’, as per contemporary tradition will be played at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) grounds in Colombo, from March 7 to 9. The boys from Mt. Lavinia will be led by wicketkeeper/batsman, Sithara Hapuhinna, whilst the lads from Reid Avenue will be under the captaincy of stumper/batsman, Kavindu Madarasinghe.
The ‘Battle of the Blues’ is one of the most celebrated school-level sports encounters in Sri Lanka and has a rich and colourful history spanning 139years. It is also distinguished for holding the honour of being the second longest uninterrupted cricket series played in the world, second only to the annual encounter played between St. Peters College, Adelaide and Prince Alfred College, Adelaide, Australia, which began just a year earlier. In 1880, the first match in which only the boys took part, was played on the Galle Face Green, at the present location of the Taj Samudra Hotel. This was the commencementof the centenary series.