CRICKET HISTORY - SACK VS ST THOMAS College
In their most recent encounter (Oct 2024), the Antonians missed a golden opportunity to end a 94-year drought against S. Thomas’ College after collapsing for 63 in pursuit of a modest 97, ultimately losing by 33 runs in the U19 Division 1 (Tier A) Two-Day Tournament 2024/25 at Mount Lavinia. Sitting comfortably at 55/3, the visitors dramatically lost their final seven wickets for just eight runs. Aaron de Silva triggered the Thomian fightback with figures of 6/27, aided by a costly run-out of Antonian skipper and top-scorer Charuka Ekanayake, who made 27. Mithila Charles’ vital knock of 46 helped S. Thomas’ recover from 80/8 to post 126 in their second innings, extending their lead to 96. For the Antonians, Charuka Ekanayake impressed with match figures of 9 wickets (4/27 and 5/65), while Abheeth Paranawidana’s 5/42 restricted the visitors in the first innings. (STC 99 & 126; SACK 129 & 63)
The Antonians have not secured a two-day victory over the Thomians since 1930, but on the other hand, S. Thomas’ have experienced recent success by winning outright in consecutive years in 2015 and 2016, and now 2025.
EARLY ENCOUNTERS
The first two-day game between St Anthony’s College, Kandy (SACK) and S Thomas College, Mount Lavinia (STC) was played on 9th and 10th March 1917 in Colombo, with the Antonians emerging as winners by 5 wickets. After conceding a 16-run first innings lead, we romped home to victory thanks to a brilliant all-round performance by Jack Anderson, scoring 24 & 66 with the bat and capturing 4/30 and 5/40 with the ball. J. Cater with 5/26 and 3/20 also bowled well in tandem with Anderson. (STC 110 & 124, SACK 94 & 142/5).
The 1918 encounter ended in a tame draw but not before skipper Jack Anderson made history with his monumental innings of 291. This was the highest individual innings in all cricket at the time, not just school games, and much has been written about this knock in previous articles.
At the end of the first day, Anderson remained undefeated on 286 runs. Legend has it that his innings might have ended at 205 if his request to declare the innings at 5:00 PM had been granted. However, the Thomian captain opposed the closure, citing the rule stipulating that a declaration must be made at least an hour and 40 minutes before the end of play. In the ensuing hour, Anderson amassed 81 additional runs as the Antonians batted through the remainder of the day. The following morning, approximately 10 minutes into play, Anderson was eventually dismissed for 291 and the Antonians' innings subsequently ended at 431. In reply, The Thomians were dismissed for 217 and following on, the home side put up a good fight with skipper S Saravanamuttu scoring an unbeaten 121 in 38 minutes which included 11 sixes and 10 fours. (SACK 431, STC 217 & 177/1)
In 1920, on the Joes grounds at Darely Road, the two teams played out an enthralling draw. The Thomians, who dominated much of the game, set the visitors a ‘sporting’ target of 171 runs and when stumps were drawn, the game was tantalisingly poised with the Antonians requiring a further 31 runs with only three wickets in hand. Whilst an injured LV Jayaweera (44n.o and 17n.o) and George Herman (59) propped up the Antonian batting, Seneviratne took the limelight with a 10-wicket bag (7/58 & 3/46) for the hosts. (STC 226 & 89/5; SACK 145 & 140/7). The Thomians had their maiden success in 1921 at Bogambara, and in 1922, the game ended in a draw at Darley Road with the Antonians comfortably placed at 30 without loss chasing 93 runs to win. Opener P Amerasinghe (82) top scored for the Kandy boys and CH Udalagama (81) was the top scorer for the Thomians. V Cumarasamy (3/34 and 3/40) bowled best for the Antonians. (STC 203 & 90; SACK 200 & 30/0)
The Thomians tasted their second success in 1927 at Bogambara when the games re-commenced after a lapse of four years. Brilliant bowling by Austin, O Herman and Selvadurai helped skittle the home side for 66 and 84 in the two innings. (STC 139 & 12/0; SACK 66 & 84). The Mount Lavinia boys went on to win the overall schools’ championship thus earning the status as the best team in school cricket in 1927.
The highlight of the drawn game in 1928 was the hattrick taken by Antonian all-rounder V Henley, who dismissed Nicol, Silva and Sivasambo in three consecutive balls. The Antonians were saved by the rain when the Thomians visited Bogambara in 1929. Following on, after being shot out for 45 with Gauder (5/18) doing most of the damage, the hosts were 3/13 when the heavens opened up.
The Antonians under DH Weerasinghe travelled down to Mount Lavinia during the third-term of the 1929/1930 season to pull off an impressive 5-wicket win which remains as the last win by the Antonians in this series. A fine partnership between Harry Jayasundera (63) and Theodore de Silva (68 n.o) helped the visitors total 196, and the same pair turned their attention to bowling, with 4/24 and 3/13 respectively, to run through the Thomian batting for 81. Following on, the hosts did slightly better to avert an innings defeat. Peter Fernando (5/38) did the damage this time around. (SACK 196 & 41/5, STC 81 & 155).
In the subsequent year (1931), despite a dominant display by the Antonians, 'time' ultimately determined the outcome when the Thomians found themselves struggling at 32/6, attempting to chase down 137 in just 60 minutes. The collective effort of J Mack, Harry Jayasundera, and captain Peter Fernando in their all-round bowling performance was pivotal in securing their team's dominance. (SACK 139 & 112/8d, STC 114 & 32/6).
BARREN PERIOD
Between 1931 and 2007, the two sides faced each other only five times, with games occurring sporadically in 1944, 1954, 1957, 1970, and 1971.
In 1944, the Thomians were too good for the Antonians, triumphing by an innings and 79 runs at Katugastota, thanks to an unbeaten century by R.Scanlon (110 n.o) and an 8-wicket haul (4/35 & 4/22) by Samaraweera. (STC 308/7d, SACK 115 & 113)
The 1954 encounter at Mount Lavinia was played in the third term of 1953, and despite the absence of Tom Deen, the Antonians dominated the game to take the honours. Berenger and Abdeen, with three wickets a-piece restricted the Thomains to 140. A half-century from skipper ACM Lafir (50) led the strong batting performance and helped the visitors take an 86-run lead. A five-wicket haul by Guy Fernando (5/44) couldn’t stop the Thomians batting out to draw the game. (STC 140 & 196/8, SACK 226)
In 1957, the Antonians suffered a 10-wicket defeat in Mount Lavinia, which was their only loss for the season. Without the services of skipper Ranjith Dorenagama, the Antonian batting failed miserably in the second innings to be bundled out for 48, handing an easy win for the Thomians. Ronald Reid, bagged 7 for 9 in 9 overs with only SW Seneviratne entering double figures. Michael Tissera scored a sound half-century and Abeysekera a breezy 67 for the home side in their first innings total of 174. The Antonians were further hampered when Ranjith Samarasekera had to leave the field due to illness soon after taking two quick wickets to have the Thomians at 31/4 before they managed to recover through the efforts of Tissera and Abeysekera. (SACK 131 & 48, STC 174 & 6/0)
The Thomian encounter was reinstated in 1970 after a 13-year break, with plans to inaugurate the newly laid turf strip at Katugastota. However, inclement weather allowed for just one over of play, much to the disappointment of all. Gamini Debahapuwa bowled this solitary over to Ravi Sathasivam. As the Antonian skipper Meri Guneratne later recalled, "The newly laid turf wicket was very susceptible to rain as the clay hadn’t stabilized adequately at the start of the year."
The following year, in 1971, the two teams faced off in a thrilling draw at Mount Lavinia. This match was notable as the only two-day game between the sides for nearly four decades, until 2007. In response to the Thomian total of 202/9 declared, the visitors were struggling at 69/6 before rallying to total of 171, helped by a last-wicket stand of 37 by Bernard Ranasinghe (39 n.o) and Sunil Fernando. After a second declaration by the home side with Ravi Sathasivam (81) and Duleep Mendis (36) making quick runs, the Antonians were left with a target of 200 runs in 160 minutes. Although there was a promising 56-run opening stand between Mahesh Gunathileka (30) and Merryl Dunuwille (29), the Antonians found themselves losing wickets at regular intervals. Consequently, it became a test of survival, with the tail-enders having to hold on to secure a draw. Left-arm spinner Ranil Abeynaike (4/72 and 4/28) bowled best for the Thomains and Pat Taylor (6/64) and Jayantha Monnekulame (5/42) were the best for the visitors in the two innings. (STC 202/9d & 168/9d; SACK 171 & 110/9)
Since 1971, the absence of fixtures between the two teams has been linked by some to an incident during the quarter-finals of the inaugural school’s 50-over tournament (Milo Trophy) at the NCC grounds in 1973. Controversial umpiring decisions against the Antonians prompted their Prefect of Games, Fr. Aelred Samarakoon, to step in, suspend play, and ultimately forfeit the match.
THE RESURGENCE
After a 36-year hiatus, the two-day cricket match was reintroduced in October 2006 (2007 season). Since then, ten such matches have been played up until the recent game in October 2024. In addition to these, there was also a three-day practice match and a few one-day matches during the same period.
The Antonians had the better of the exchanges in the ‘re-launch’ game in 2007, which ended in a draw at Mount Lavinia.
The 2009 encounter at Katugastota ended in a draw, but the Antonians managed to get a comfortable first innings lead. Half-centuries from Hiran Wickremasekera (51) and Adil Reyal (50) laid the foundation for the home side’s first innings total. Despite a solid innings of 51 by H.A.J Fernando, the Antonians earned a 66-run first innings lead through spinners Reyal (4/58) and K Ekanayake (4/35). (SACK 259/9d & 116/7, STC 193)
In 2011, at Mount Lavinia, inclement weather disrupted play for more than three hours, ultimately denying the Antonian team what seemed to be a certain victory. Aravinda Premaratne (7/42) helped his side to gain a 138-run first innings lead and when the Thomians followed-on, it was KB Ranaraja’s (5/38) bowling spell that took the Antonians almost home. Skipper Hiran Wickremasekera (65) top scored for the visitors. (SACK 261/9d, STC 123 & 157/6).
A century by Nimesha Gunasinghe (106) and a 5-wicket haul by Kavinda Muduranga (5/17) in the second innings were the highlights for the Antonians in the drawn game in 2013 at Mount Lavinia, played in the third-term of 2012. Madushan Ravichandrakumar (5/92) bowled well for the hosts.
A fighting unbeaten 83-run partnership for the sixth wicket between KP Yapa Bandara and Dilan Bandara ensured a draw for the Antonians in 2014 at Katugastota. TMSA Baduge (89) was the top scorer for the Thomians.
The Thomians registered successive wins in the 2015 and 2016 seasons. The win in 2015 at Mount Lavinia was made possible by two fine bowling performances by T Ratnayake (5/40) in the first innings and Sajana Sathsara (5/50) in the second, and an innings of 80 from C Wickremasinghe. (SACK 169 & 116, STC 207/7d & 79/3)
In 2019, the two teams played a 3-day practice game at the SSC grounds in Colombo at the invitation of the Thomians, in preparation for their traditional big match against Royal College. This game went the distance before the Antonians succumbed to a 61-run defeat. At one stage, shortly after tea on the third and final day, the Kandy boys were sitting pretty at 158 for 4 chasing 247 to win before national cap Kalana Perera snapped up three quick wickets to trigger a collapse that saw the last six wickets fall for just 17 runs. For the Antonians, Nimnaka Jayathilake captured 8 wickets for the match. (STC 231 & 187; SACK 172 & 185)
In recent years, the only successes for the Antonians against S Thomas have come in the form of one-day games, when Chamidu Wickremasinghe played dominant roles in each of the two wins. At Mount Lavinia in 2022, Chamidu took 4/14 and then scored an unbeaten 69 in 43 balls to crush the host by 7 wickets with 32 overs to spare. A year earlier at Katugastota, Chamidu smashed 112 in 61 balls to help his side reach the target of 203 in the 27th over. He also captured 2/33 with the ball.
The 2024 encounter at Katugastota, part of the U19 Division 1 two-day tournament, ended in a draw. The standout performance came from Antonian left-arm spinner Kaveesha Piyumal, who claimed a remarkable match haul of 14 wickets (5/40 and 9/63). His captain, Thisara Ekanayake, contributed significantly with both ball and bat, taking 5/45 and scoring an unbeaten 35. For the visiting team, Abheeth Paranawidana impressed in the first innings with figures of 5/27. (STC 131 & 163; SACK 124 & 73/4)
