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Trinity–Antonian Cricket Encounter

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This article is about the school cricket encounter in Kandy. For other uses, see Battle of the Blues.
Battle of the Blues (Kandy)
Trinity College
St. Anthony's College
SportCricket
First meeting1914; 111 years ago (1914)
  • St. Anthony's won by 42 runs
Latest meeting2024
  • 105th two-day match: Drawn
  • 42nd limited overs match: Trinity won by 100 runs
Next meeting2025[1]
  • 106th three-day match: 3–5 April
  • 43rd limited overs match: 11 April
Stadiums
Trophy
  • John Halangoda Memorial Trophy
  • Sir Richard Aluwihare Memorial Trophy
Statistics
Meetings total105
All-time seriesTrinity leads, 23–11–71
Longest win streakTrinity, 11 (1918–1928)
Map
About OpenStreetMaps
Maps: terms of use
2km
1.2miles
4
3
2
1
Location Map
1
Trinity College
2
Asgiriya Stadium
3
St. Anthony's College
4
St. Anthony's College Cricket Stadium

The Trinity–Antonian Cricket Encounter, also referred to as the Battle of the Blues (Kandy) or Hill Country Battle of the Blues, stands as the sixth oldest traditional school cricket match, commonly known as a Big Match, held annually in Sri Lanka. Dating back to 1914, this encounter sees Trinity College and St. Anthony's College, engage in a three-day cricket contest.[a] The John Halangoda Memorial Trophy is bestowed upon the victor of the match, determined by either an outright win or, failing that, a first innings triumph. It is noteworthy that a first innings victory does not formally register as a win for the respective team in the records.[2]

Furthermore, following the conclusion of the three-day match[a], a limited overs encounter is typically held a week later. This series was inaugurated in 1980, and the winning team is awarded the Sir Richard Aluwihare Trophy.[3]

History

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1914 to 1999

[edit]

Both Trinity and St. Anthony's College embraced cricket as a sporting pursuit during the late 19th century, inaugurating their respective first XI programmes soon after. The initial cricket fixtures between the two institutions featured teams consisting of both staff and students. However, these early encounters are not recognised as official first XI inter-school matches and are consequently excluded from the schools' overall records.

The first official first XI cricket match between the schools was played in March 1914 at the Bogambara Stadium in Kandy with St. Anthony's emerging victorious by 42 runs. C. E. de Silva captained Trinity with C. C. Senaratne captaining St. Anthony's. Trinity won the encounter in 1915 but due to exigencies created from the ongoing World War I, the series was suspended in 1916.

It recommenced in 1917, which was won by St. Anthony's. Trinity went on to record 11 consecutive victories from 1918 to 1928. During the period following the culmination of World War I, St. Anthony's were deprived of their cricket ground and practice pitches due to the British Army occupying the land.[4]

A disagreement between the two schools, regarding the age rule resulted in the cancellation of the encounter in 1956 and 1957.[5]

2000 to present

[edit]

In 2001, the encounter was not contested as Trinity terminated their season early due to disciplinary reasons.

The centenary encounter of the series was held in 2017 with the two schools taking on each other on 10 to 11 March 2017 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele.[6][7]

The matches were postponed and eventually called off in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]

The 106th encounter is scheduled as a three-day match from 3 to 5 April 2025 at St. Anthony's College Cricket Stadium. This will be the first time in its history that the encounter is held over three days.[1]

The trophy

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In 2005, a tribute was established in memory of John Halangoda, an alumnus of Trinity College who later served as a cricket coach at St. Anthony's. This commemorative trophy, known as the John Halangoda Memorial Trophy, was introduced to honour his legacy. It is awarded to the victorious team at the conclusion of the three-day match.[a]

The victors of the limited overs cricket contest are honoured with the Sir Richard Aluwihare Memorial Trophy. This award pays tribute to the legacy of Sir Richard Aluwihare, the first Ceylonese Inspector General of Police and a veteran of World War I. Aluwihare, an alumnus of Trinity College, was a notable cricketer and served as head prefect during his time at the institution.[9]

Venue

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The three-day encounter[a] is alternatively held at Asgiriya Stadium, which is the home ground of Trinity and St. Anthony's College Cricket Stadium, which is the home ground of St. Anthony's. Bogambara Stadium and Pallekele International Cricket Stadium also had been match venues in the past.

The same principle applies to the limited overs series as well, with the visiting team at a particular year's three-day encounter assuming the role of the host for the subsequent limited overs engagement.

Locations and key abbreviations

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As of 23 March 2024
Venue First match Abbreviated as Location
Bogambara Stadium 1914 Bogambara 7°17′20″N 80°38′08″E / 7.28889°N 80.63546°E / 7.28889; 80.63546
Asgiriya Stadium 1915 Asgiriya 7°18′00″N 80°38′03″E / 7.29998°N 80.63406°E / 7.29998; 80.63406
St. Anthony's College Cricket Stadium 1938 Katugastota 7°19′22″N 80°37′41″E / 7.32291°N 80.62805°E / 7.32291; 80.62805
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium 2017 Pallekele 7°16′51″N 80°43′21″E / 7.28082°N 80.72249°E / 7.28082; 80.72249

Statistics and results

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Statistics

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As of 23 March 2024

Results of the last encounter

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  • 105th two-day encounter was drawn.[10][11]
  • 42nd limited overs encounter was won by Trinity by a margin of 100-runs.[12][13]
As of 23 March 2024

List of fixtures and results

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  • Result denotes which side won the encounter outright, or if it was drawn.
  Won by Trinity
  Won by St. Anthony's
  Match drawn / tied / no result

Two-day series (1914–1979)

[edit]
As of 23 March 2024
Two-day encounter
Year Series Venue Captains Result
Trinity St. Anthony's
1914 1 Bogambara C. E. De Silva C. C. Senaratne St. Anthony's
1915 2 Asgiriya R. Ondatje R. A. D. Joseph Trinity
1916 Not played
1917 3 Bogambara A. Aluwihare J. M. Ferguson St. Anthony's (2)
1918 4 Asgiriya A. H. R. Joseph J. Anderson Trinity (2)
1919 5 Bogambara J. Bandaranayake R. Wright Trinity (3)
1920 6 Asgiriya P. Maralande L. Joseph Trinity (4)
1921 7 Bogambara P. Maralande L. V. Jayaweera Trinity (5)
1922 8 Asgiriya P. Maralande G. Macky Trinity (6)
1923 9 Bogambara V. C. Shockman C. Bolling Trinity (7)
1924 10 Asgiriya V. C. Shockman C. Coomaraswamy Trinity (8)
1925 11 Bogambara H. Delwita R. Tennant Trinity (9)
1926 12 Asgiriya H. Delwita G. R. S. Baie Trinity (10)
1927 13 Bogambara H. Shockman J. Anandappa Trinity (11)
1928 14 Asgiriya J. W. Aiyadurai A. H. K. Omar Trinity (12)
1929 15 Bogambara J. W. Aiyadurai R. Ratwatte St. Anthony's (3)
1930 16 Asgiriya S. Odayar D. H. Weerasinghe Trinity (13)
1931 17 Bogambara S. B. De Saram W. K. P. Fernando Trinity (14)
1932 18 Asgiriya E. W. A. Buultjens W. K. P. Fernando Draw
1933 19 Bogambara E. W. A. Buultjens T. De Silva Trinity(15)
1934 20 Asgiriya B. A. Wijewardena L. V. Berenger Draw (2)
1935 21 Bogambara W. Winter B. Wettawa Draw (3)
1936 22 Asgiriya R. Breckenridge B. Wettawa Draw (4)
1937 23 Asgiriya O. L. Izadeen B. Wettawa Draw (5)
1938 24 Katugastota T. B. Marambe N. Nugawela Trinity (16)
1939 25 Asgiriya G. P. Schoorman D. Roberts Trinity (17)
1940 26 Katugastota R. P. De Alwis R. Harris Draw (6)
1941 27 Asgiriya H. E. W. Solomons V. Joseph Draw (7)
1942 28 Katugastota S. B. Dissanayke T. K. Hannan Draw (8)
1943 29 Asgiriya T. B. Werapitiya B. Kurera Draw (9)
1944 30 Katugastota T. B. Werapitiya G. Alston Trinity (18)
1945 31 Asgiriya A. P. Fernando M. Zarook Trinity (19)
1946 32 Katugastota C. N. Shockman H. G. Fernando Draw (10)
1947 33 Asgiriya C. N. Shockman L. C. Fernando Trinity (20)
1948 34 Katugastota L. V. Wadsworth L. Pamunuwa St. Anthony's (4)
1949 35 Asgiriya L. V. Wadsworth S. V. A. Samaradasa Draw (11)
1950 36 Katugastota L. Kadirgamar S. Jayasinghe Draw (12)
1951 37 Asgiriya E. Rulach B. Weerakoon Trinity (21)
1952 38 Katugastota G. Tennekoon B. Weerakoon Draw (13)
1953 39 Asgiriya A. H. Bandaranayake H. E. Cooray Draw (14)
1954 40 Katugastota A. Hulangamuwa A. C. M. Lafir St. Anthony's (5)
1955 41 Asgiriya H. F. Ratwatte A. C. M. Lafir Draw (15)
1956 Not played
1957 Not played
1958 42 Katugastota A. N. Maralande S. W. Seneviratne Draw (16)
1959 43 Asgiriya A. N. Maralande C. Joseph Draw (17)
1960 44 Katugastota J. S. Ratwatte C. Joseph Draw (18)
1961 45 Asgiriya S. A. Silva H. M. Muthalib Draw (19)
1962 46 Katugastota V. I. Kodituwakku N. Dunuwille St. Anthony's (6)
1963 47 Asgiriya S. M. Perera M. Joseph Draw (20)
1964 48 Katugastota M. T. M. Zaruk M. Macky Draw (21)
1965 49 Asgiriya M. T. M. Zaruk J. Uddukumbura Draw (22)
1966 50 Katugastota H. Dunuwille N. Nagendra Draw (23)
1967 51 Asgiriya H. S. Ranaweera C. Sims Draw (24)
1968 52 Katugastota C. M. Amunugama R. Sims St. Anthony's (7)
1969 53 Asgiriya C. N. Dissanayake R. Sims Draw (25)
1970 54 Katugastota N. R. Marambe M. Guneratne Draw (26)
1971 55 Asgiriya J. L. Weerasinghe M. Goonathilake Draw (27)
1972 56 Katugastota A. E. Unantenne J. Monnekulama St. Anthony's (8)
1973 57 Asgiriya R. S. Dissanayke P. De Silva Draw (28)
1974 58 Katugastota A. R. Perera S. Goonathilake Draw (29)
1975 59 Asgiriya A. R. Perera H. Jayasundara Draw (30)
1976 60 Katugastota J. D. D. Weerasinghe B. Perera Draw (31)
1977 61 Asgiriya F. R. R. Arthur T. Mohamed Draw (32)
1978 62 Katugastota A. R. Tissera R. De La Motte Draw (33)
1979 63 Asgiriya P. S. Dinesh M. Ratnakumar Draw (34)

Two-day and limited overs series (1980–2024)

[edit]
As of 23 March 2024
Two-day encounter Limited overs encounter
Year Series Venue Captains Result Series Venue Result
Trinity St. Anthony's
1980 64 Katugastota J. R. Ratnayake A. Leanage Draw (35) 1 Asgiriya St. Anthony's
1981 65 Asgiriya S. T. B. Ellepola F. Majeed St. Anthony's (9) 2 Katugastota St. Anthony's (2)
1982 66 Katugastota A. D. P. Yainne A. Dunuwille Draw (36) 3 Asgiriya Trinity
1983 67 Asgiriya J. S. Mutthumani M. Von Hagt Draw (37) 4 Katugastota St. Anthony's (3)
1984 68 Katugastota H. C. D. D' Silva M. Von Hagt Draw (38) 5 Asgiriya St. Anthony's (4)
1985 69 Asgiriya A. U. Aturaliye A. Wickramasooriya Draw (39) 6 Katugastota St. Anthony's (5)
1986 70 Katugastota T. P. Weerasooriya R. Perera Trinity (22) 7 Asgiriya Trinity (2)
1987 71 Asgiriya D. R. Madena D. Nadaraja Draw (40) 8 Katugastota St. Anthony's (6)
1988 72 Katugastota C. I. Fernando R. Kalpage Draw (44) 9 Asgiriya St. Anthony's (7)
1989 73 Asgiriya D. K. Ratwatte R. Kalpage Draw (42) 10 Katugastota St. Anthony's (8)
1990 74 Katugastota S. Jayasinghe S. De Alwis St. Anthony's (10) 11 Asgiriya St. Anthony's (9)
1991 75 Asgiriya Y. S. Goonatilleke N. Kalpage Draw (43) 12 Katugastota Trinity (3)
1992 76 Katugastota K. C. Edirisinghe U. De Alwis St. Anthony's (11) 13 Asgiriya Trinity (4)
1993 77 Asgiriya H. M. Goonetileke M. A. Shafeek Draw (44) 14 Katugastota No result
1994 78 Katugastota T. H. de Silva I. Galagoda Draw (45) 15 Asgiriya St. Anthony's (10)
1995 79 Asgiriya S. N. Fernando N. Sirisena Draw (46) 16 Katugastota Trinity (5)
1996 80 Katugastota J. L. B. Seneviratne S. Mansoor Draw (47) 17 Asgiriya Trinity (6)
1997 81 Asgiriya C. K. Sangakkara T. Gunaratne Draw (48) 18 Katugastota Trinity (7)
1998 82 Katugastota S. P. Fernando M. Palihakkara Draw (49) 19 Asgiriya Trinity (8)
1999 83 Asgiriya U. K. Weeraratne S. Pinnaduwa Draw (50) 20 Katugastota St. Anthony's (11)
2000 84 Katugastota U. K. Weeraratne N. M. Nizam Draw (51) 21 Asgiriya Trinity (9)
2001 Not played
2002 85 Asgiriya K. L. R. Gamage P. Ranawaka Draw (52) 22 Katugastota St. Anthony's (12)
2003 86 Katugastota C. M. Fernando N. Rathnayake Draw (53) 23 Asgiriya No result (2)
2004 87 Asgiriya C. M. Fernando M. Rizlan Draw (54) 24 Katugastota St. Anthony's (13)
2005 88 Katugastota R. M. Munaweera P. Fernando Draw (55) 25 Asgiriya St. Anthony's (14)
2006 89 Asgiriya C. S. Dumbarage S. Munas Draw (56) 26 Katugastota St. Anthony's (15)
2007 90 Katugastota S. S. Pathirana S. Jaimon Draw (57) 27 Asgiriya Trinity (10)
2008 91 Asgiriya D. C. Gangoda G. Dissanayake Draw (58) 28 Katugastota No result (3)
2009 92 Katugastota M. R. Jaleel S. Palihakkara Draw (59) 29 Asgiriya Trinity (11)
2010 93 Asgiriya M. H. M. Sajid D. Kumarasinghe Draw (60) 30 Katugastota St. Anthony's (16)
2011 94 Katugastota A. Jayasundara H. Wickramasekara Draw (61) 31 Asgiriya Trinity (12)
2012 95 Asgiriya D. P. N. Dickwella K. Ranaraja Trinity (23) 32 Katugastota St. Anthony's (17)
2013 96 Katugastota D. M. Wickramanayake S. Bulathsinghala Draw (62) 33 Asgiriya Trinity (13)
2014 97 Asgiriya K. R. Chandraguptha N. Gunasinghe Draw (63) 34 Katugastota Tied
2015 98 Katugastota R. S. Sayer B. Wijethunga Draw (64) 35 Asgiriya Trinity (14)
2016 99 Pallekele R. S. Sayer K. Uggalpaya Draw (65) 36 Katugastota Trinity (15)
2017 100 Pallekele S. Shanmuganathan M. Alfar Draw (66) 37 Asgiriya Trinity (16)
2018 101 Asgiriya E. M. H. R. B. Boyagoda J. Himsara Draw (67) 38 Katugastota Trinity (17)
2019 102 Katugastota G. G. P. Bandara T. Gunasinghe Draw (68) 39 Asgiriya Trinity (18)
2020 Not played due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Not played due to COVID-19 pandemic
2022 103 Asgiriya A. Muthalib C. Wickremasinghe Draw (69) 40 Asgiriya Trinity (19)
2023 104 Katugastota R. Amarasinghe L. Abeysinghe Draw (70) 41 Asgiriya No result (4)
2024 105 Asgiriya M. Kularathne T. Ekanayake Draw (71) 42 Katugastota Trinity (20)

Three-day and limited overs series (2025–present)

[edit]
As of 4 March 2025
Three-day encounter Limited overs encounter
Year Series Venue Captains Result Series Venue Result
Trinity St. Anthony's
2025 106 Katugastota M. Rathnayake C. Ekanayake TBD (TBD) 43 Asgiriya TBD (TBD)

Match and series records for the three-day encounter

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Best performances

[edit]
As of 23 March 2024
Best performances (1914–present)
Largest margin of victory by runs Trinity Won by an innings and 120 runs (1939)
St. Anthony's Won by an innings and 90 runs (1962)
Largest margin of victory by wickets Trinity Won by 9 wickets (1927 and 1951)
St. Anthony's Won by 9 wickets (1992)
Smallest margin of victory by runs Trinity Won by 41 runs (1925)
St. Anthony's Won by 42 runs (1914)
Smallest margin of victory by wickets Trinity Won by 4 wickets (1931)
St. Anthony's Won by 6 wickets (1917 and 1981)
Highest innings total Trinity 406/8d (1942)
St. Anthony's 399/8d (1954)
Lowest innings total Trinity 54 (1990)
St. Anthony's 27 (1928)
Most runs in an innings Trinity 148 by K. Weeraratne (1999)
St. Anthony's 176 by A. C. M. Lafir (1954)
Best bowling figures in an innings Trinity 10/38 by S. Fernando (1997) [b]
St. Anthony's 7/26 by P. Wijetunge (1990)
Best bowling figures in a match Trinity 12/48 by C. Dharmalingam (1939) – 6/17 and 6/13[c]
St. Anthony's 12/81 by S. Fernando (1992) – 6/39 and 6/52

Batting and bowling records

[edit]
As of 23 March 2024

Records for the limited overs series

[edit]

Best performances

[edit]
As of 23 March 2024
Best performances (1980–present)
Largest margin of victory by runs Trinity Won by 149 runs (2018)
St. Anthony's Won by 160 runs (1983)
Largest margin of victory by wickets Trinity Won by 9 wickets (2016)
St. Anthony's Won by 9 wickets (1990)
Smallest margin of victory by runs Trinity Won by 2 runs (2011)
St. Anthony's Won by 10 runs (2012)
Smallest margin of victory by wickets Trinity Won by 1 wicket (1991)
St. Anthony's Won by 1 wicket (1989)
Highest innings total Trinity 305/7 in 50 overs (2000)
St. Anthony's 276/5 in 45 overs (1993) and 276/8 in 50 overs (1980)
Lowest innings total Trinity 71 in 25.5 overs (1983)
St. Anthony's 89 in 31 overs (2016)
Most runs in an innings Trinity 109 by H. Boyagoda (2018)
St. Anthony's 139 by M. Von Hagt (1983)
Best bowling figures in an innings Trinity 6/23 by A. Anandakumar (2019)
St. Anthony's 5/24 by K. Ekanayake (2007)

Batting and bowling records

[edit]
As of 23 March 2024

Notable people who have played

[edit]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d A two-day encounter from 1914 to 2024, extending to three days from 2025 onwards.
  2. ^ Achieved a Ten-wicket haul in St. Anthony's second innings
  3. ^ Achieved a hat-trick in each innings

References

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  1. ^ a b Abeykoon, Gayan (19 January 2025). "Trinity – Antonian big match in April". DailyNews. Archived from the original on 19 January 2025. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  2. ^ Laphir, Afzal (20 April 2023). "Trinity–Antonian Encounters – A Statistical Analysis". Quadrangle. Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  3. ^ Laphir, Afzal (28 April 2023). "The Trinity–Antonian Limited Overs Series In Numbers". Quadrangle. Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  4. ^ Alahakoon, Victor (13 March 1997). "A peep into the past of the Trinity - Antonian series". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  5. ^ Wijesena, Wickrema (3 March 2009). "Trinity-Antonian 'Big Match' 50 years ago". The Island. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  6. ^ Jaleel, Shamseer (10 March 2017). "Trinity-St. Antony's centenary big match could be anyone's game". Daily FT. Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  7. ^ Caffoor, Inshaf (8 March 2017). "Kandy Battle of the Blues Celebrates a century". ThePapare. Archived from the original on 16 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  8. ^ Jaleel, Shamseer (4 May 2021). "Up Country Battle of the Blues 103rd Trinity, Antonian battle postponed". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  9. ^ Rajapakse, Lalanthi (29 April 2023). "The coveted Sir Richard Aluvihare Trophy – A walk down memory lane". Trinity College. Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  10. ^ Pathiraja, Nimuthu; Senhas, Chaniru; Ananda Kumar, Rehan (27 April 2023). "In Retrospect of the Hill Country Battle of the Blues Trophy". Trinity College. Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  11. ^ Marikar, Hafiz (17 March 2024). "Drab draw at Trinity-Anthonian". Sunday Observer. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  12. ^ "Trinity secure comfortable 100-run victory". The Sunday Times. 24 March 2024. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  13. ^ Dhananjan, Kevin (24 March 2024). "Trinity's Triumph: Grasping the Richard Aluvihare Trophy for the 20th time". ThePapare. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
[edit]
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