Royal wins 144th Battle of the Blues

Royal College won the 144th Battle of the Blues 2023 Cricket Encounter by 181 runs, and retain the shield after seven years.

The annual three-day encounter between Royal College Colombo and St. Thomas’ College Mt. Lavinia got underway on 16 March, and concluded today (18 March), with Royal College having scored a stunning 326 runs for the loss of eight wickets in the first innings, and 168 runs for the loss of four wickets in the second innings.

Both the first and second innings were declared by the winning team, while St. Thomas’ put up a meager 153 runs and 161 runs with 10 wickets lost in both the first and second innings respectively.

The Match Trophy will be presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was also an old boy of the champions of the 144th Battle of the Blues; Royal College.

St. Thomas’ College Mt. Lavinia, however, housed the shield after winning the 140th encounter in 2019, while the 143rd encounter ended in a draw last year.

In honour of their win, Monday 20 March has been declared a special holiday for Royal College Colombo.

The famed Royal - Thomian cricket encounter, better known as the Battle of the Blues, is the world’s second oldest uninterrupted cricket battle, having been around for longer than the renowned Ashes Test series between England and Australia.