Royal Dominate Day One as Opener Rehan Peiris Cracks a Brilliant Ton (158 runs)

146th Battle of the Blues (Day 1)

By Marlon Dale Ferreira

(Colombo) – The 146th Battle of the Blues began with a dominant display from Royal College at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) grounds in Colombo, as they took firm control on the opening day, declaring at 319 for 7. Their charge was led by opener Rehan Peiris, who played a blistering knock of 158 runs, peppering the field with 21 boundaries and launching four massive sixes beyond the ropes. The Thomians, despite early breakthroughs, failed to capitalize, allowing Royal to take full control. By the end of the day’s play, Thomian openers Jaden Amaraweera and Avinash Fernando safely guided their team to 32 for no loss, setting up an intriguing second day.

Winning the toss, Thomian skipper Kavindu Dias opted to bowl first, hoping to exploit the six milimeters of grass left on the wicket and make early inroads with the new ball. His strategy initially paid off, as he led from the front, dismissing Royalist opener Hirun Liyanarachchi clean bowled for 4 and later wrapping Isula Geenanage on his pads to dismiss him LBW for 9, reducing Royal to 29 for 2.

However, that was as good as it got for the Thomians. The rest of the bowling was wayward failing to support their captain, allowing Peiris to take full advantage of a batting-friendly surface.

The Royal opener Peiris dismantled the opposition bowling hitting 21 fours and 4 sixes, batting for nearly three full sessions and occupying the crease for 220 deliveries. He built key partnerships with Vimath Dinsara who scored 25 and later with Thevindu Wewalwala who missed out on a well deserved half century (48), ensuring Royal recovered and then continued to flourish.

Despite being dropped and then dismissed off a no-ball, Peiris punished the Thomian bowlers relentlessly, playing one of the finest innings in the Battle of the Blues’ recent history. His 158 runs now stand as the sixth-highest score by a Royalist in this historic encounter. His innings finally ended when fifteen-year-old Thomian fresher Reshon Solomons took a brilliant boundary catch under the sun-drenched Colombo sky.

The Thomians’ missed opportunities and sloppy fielding proved costly, allowing Royal to dictate terms on the first day. However, by surviving the final ten overs unscathed, the Thomians will take some confidence into day two, hoping to stage a fightback.

While Royal Celebrated, Their Most Famous Old Boy Was Having a Nightmare

While Royal College reveled in the brilliance of Rehan Peiris’ innings, one of their most prominent old boys, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, was conspicuously absent from the historic encounter. Known for making it a point to attend this annual event, Wickremesinghe was instead engaged in a far tougher battle—not on the cricket field, but on television screens, where he faced a relentless grilling from Al Jazeera’s journalist Mehdi Hasan.

As Sri Lankans tuned in, Wickremesinghe found himself completely outplayed, struggling to answer hard-hitting questions thrown at him, much like the Thomian bowlers failing to respond to Peiris’ onslaught. Unlike Peiris, who had all the right shots, the former president had no answers to counter the relentless media attack, fumbling under pressure and exposing his shortcomings on the global stage.

If Peiris had not lit up the SSC with his spectacular innings, Royalists would have had little to cheer about, as their most elite alumnus was left humiliated in front of an international audience.

For Royal College, Peiris’ century ensured they had a hero to celebrate, while Wickremesinghe’s misstep on Al Jazeera left the school’s pompous old boys wishing they had something else to talk about. Luckily for them, Peiris delivered.

Now, the focus shifts to day two, where the Thomians must find their footing before Royal runs away with both the game and the bragging rights.

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Photo Credits :- PULSE