Sixty nine years is a long wait for a win for Nalanda. For decades, cricket has been considered a gentleman’s game. Fine pitch, critical bouncers, twists and turns, sweeps and lofts, and running shoes all around. Cricket is a game of elite class played in exciting spirit and boasts of a billion-strong fan-base worldwide.

“Cricket and Nalanda are inseparable. “There are no fears out there. There is nothing we cannot handle. It is just how we prepare ourselves mentally and physically,” is what Nalanda old boy and former Sri Lanka national cricketer Mahela Jayawardena had to say. 

As far as my reminiscence goes to the first ‘Battle of the Maroons’ that I
witnessed was in 1967 at the Oval. Since then I have been more or less witnessing all the“big matches” thereafter. But this year’s big match gave me the joy of my life to witness the Ananda team being beaten. I don’t think that I could express my feelings in words. Sixty nine years is a long wait for a win for Nalanda.

Though the match was played with “no spectators”, Nalanda supporters trickled in on the second day with the news that our team was inching closer to a historic win in the 92nd ‘Battle of the Maroons’ at the SSC grounds by afternoon on July 11, 2022. The organizers were compelled to allow the cricket enthusiast who rushed to the SSC to watch Nalanda rewrite the records after 69 years; which they did by convincingly beating Ananda by 9 wickets.
It was a historic moment for the younger Nalandians’ that would
remain etched in their minds for a long time; something which they can cherish for a lifetime.  The school’s cricket stars will be paid tribute to for initiating this historic victory; an achievement of this caliber which many of us witnessed for the first time in our lives.

Our team did exceptionally well in all aspects. Let’s pay tribute to the
Principal, his staff and the coaches who did a splendid job in shaping the team to achieve this victory.
This GLORIOUS VICTORY ’22-FELICITATION OF NALANDA TEAM was held at the Water’s Edge Colombo on September 17, 2022, with the members of the 1953 Cricket team that had won a big match for Nalanda on the last occasion being present as the Guests of Honour.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, Nalanda College has been going on an
unbelievable, preposterous and farcical wait for a juggernaut
victory for 69 long years. That is to subjugate, vanquish and conquer
our arch rivals, the traditional adversary, our antagonists, leaving
them in a state of lackadaisical, insouciant, vanquished state of
apathy. The victory, our ascendancy to a plateau that everyone here fervently, passionately and assiduously wished bamboozling the opponent. This is another feather in cap on our alma mater.

In simple Nalanda language, well done mallila, gahamu ena avuruddeth (brothers let us win next year too) Correct Chanul Athukorale, Sajitha Vithanage?”
Upul Gamage, Captain of the 50th Battle of the Maroons added in his welcome address as the Chairman of the organizing committee.“Nalanda Cricket Legend” Roshan Mahanama delivered the Keynote address at the occasion.

Participants at the event were very appreciative of the manner in which the event had been organised upholding tradition. They expressed very
encouraging sentiments in the spirit of sportsmanship.
The event was jointly organised by the Nalanda College OBA, Junior OBA, Sports Club along, and the Past Cricketers Association.
Let us remain as proud Nalandians ! 

(Air Chief Marshal Gagan Bulathsinghala, Past Executive President Nalanda OBA and Former Commander of the Air Force)