12th Battle of the Oldies Cricket Encounter for the Mayor’s Cup

Nuwara Eliya’s Battle of the Oldies Cricket Encounter will take place on April 8, 2023, at the Race Course Grounds. 

The event features an intense competition between the old boys of St. Xavier’s College and Gamini National School for the Mayor’s Cup. 
This annual event, which began 13 years ago with a few dedicated old boys, has grown significantly and holds the distinction of being the longest continuous cricket match in the hills of Nuwara Eliya. 

While cricket has been played in Nuwara Eliya since 1856 and school cricket at St. Xavier’s College since 1925, this endeavour, initiated in 2010, has provided a platform for promoting sports and a common ground for discussing matters relating to the revival of education. 

The Battle of the Oldies Cricket Encounter has been a trendsetter in promoting inter-school cricket matches and school-level junior cricket in Nuwara Eliya, popularising the game among youth who spend quality time practising and organising hardball cricket matches. By providing opportunities to reshape the lives of young people, the event’s primary objective is to strengthen the existing bonds among old boys while building goodwill and fellowship among past pupils of different eras. 

The encounter has also helped revive the standard of education, prompted the concept of Past Pupil’s Associations and encouraged inter-school cricket encounters. 
The event serves as a reminder of the essential role that sports and education play in building a better tomorrow for Nuwara Eliya. 

The Organizing Committee comprises members of both Gamini PPA and St. Xavier’s OBA - Kapila Senaratne, Benjamin Jeganathan, Nilan de Zoysa, RM Nawaz, Suren Ekanayake, Vadivel Balendra, Chaminda Emmanuel, Nadika Jayasinghe, Rukmal Fernando, John Christopher, Ujitha Samarawickrama, Mohomed Faleel, Mohomed Zaky, Dilan Dominic, Sunanda Ratnasiri, Lakmal Eranga and Sanjeewa Weerasinghe. 

Old Xaverians XI: Sanjeewa Weerasinghe (skipper), Gerald Anthony, Mohomed Irfan, V. Sujeewan, Pradeepan, Tony Peter Paul, Wanapushpa Peter Paul, K. Murali, Ravi Chandran, John Christopher, Sudaharan Awaday, H. De Silva, Columbus C. Gokul Kumar 

Old Gaminians XI: Lakmal Eranga (skipper), Sameera Lakmal, Chinthaka, Asanka Dissanayake, Asanka Silva, Buddhika Tharanga, Pubudu Priyadarshana, Kasun Dhananjaya, Yasitha Gunasena, Ruwan Thilina, Sumith Ranasinghe, Chamalka Muthumal, Chandimal Wimalarathne, IG Rangana, Ovin Benedict