Barney and Riahn Pieris
Source:Thomiana – S. Thomas’ College Old Boys Association Australia OBA Melbourne – Newsletter – May 2021
Hey Jerry, Great to hear from you. What’s going on?
(I have toured Queensland, Sri Lanka, England and stayed with Jerome in Perth, having shared the greatest laughs
and memories with this lad from Newport.)
“Barn, I have a friend at the Club, Dumi, a good off spinner, who happens to be a Thomian. When he heard that
we were friends, he wanted to have a chat with you.” Dumi wanted to ascertain whether I would be available
to make the trip over to Perth for their Royal Thomian. When I said that that could be a distinct possibility if
Victoria got the ’all clear’ on the Covid front, he was enthusiastic. According to Dumi, an official invitation from
the President Sohan Senaratne would follow.
What an honour!
I woke up one night, as most gentlemen of my vintage are prone to do. I switched on my transistor when I did
not fall asleep straightaway and heard the news that Victoria was now exempt from the need to quarantine in
Perth. I immediately got on to the internet and booked my passage to Perth. A day or two later while on the phone arranging my trip, Dumi passed the phone on to the Captain of the STC OBA Perth Team, who mentioned that I coached him as an under 13 player at College. I was wracking my brain to work out who this lad was, when he mentioned the name Pieris. The bolt hit me straightway. “The Leg
Spinner?”
I paid special attention to him, because he was the son of Thomian Coloursman Ranil, as well as the Grandson of
my hero, P.I. Pieris who singlehandedly won the Royal Thomian in 1953, the year I entered College as a member
of Form 1B. It took another 11 years for the next Thomian victory when I had the good fortune to be a part of
that winning Team.
You may call this special attention, ‘Faveration’ (as we used to refer to it when at College), but the coach of the Under 13’s was from an outstation school and had not given Riahn a single opportunity that season. I made sure that Riahn was given a game, but by then it was too close to the conclusion of the season to have had any significant effect.
To me, the coach should be mindful of Thomian cricket history. Had this not been the situation in my case, where Mr Orville Abeynaike picked me in the 2nd X1 Team after what was to be my one and only cricket practice, I may never have played cricket again, mainly due to my lack of interest in the game. (My attendance at practice was only to have my activity Chart signed.) His thinking may have been that if this fellow’s brothers Claud, Ronnie and Buddy had played for College, perhaps he may be worth a try.
Another coincidence relating to the Perth Match – Singapore Airport 2009, where I was a transit passenger, on
my way for an interview with Warden Puddyfoot for the position of College Cricket Coach, my eyes caught sight
of what I thought was a College Rugby Jersey.
It was!
Randika Pieris who got his Rugby Colours a couple of years earlier with one of the Rajapakse boys, was a player
at this Perth Royal Thomian. When presenting him with his medal, I quipped, “did you imagine going back to
that chance meeting twelve years ago, that I would one day be hanging a medal around your neck?” My Table Tennis mate of practically 7 decades, Carlyle, as all good golfers do, came to the ‘fore’ with his uncompromising hospitality, even to the extent of providing me with a College tie, to get me off the hook, as I, in my haste to catch my early morning flight, had forgotten to pack.
The Ascot Cricket Club precinct, the venue for the Perth Royal Thomian Match was a sight to behold. Several
marquees decorated with streamers and blue black and gold balloons lined the cricket field. The food and drink
at the VIP Tent rivalled any smorgasbord on a cruise ship. Then there was a tent supplying Spanish Paella cooked
in a genuine 5-foot Thaachchia. The caravan moved on to authentic Sri Lankan fare. In order to build up Royal Thomian comradery both Teams met at a restaurant for Dinner the week prior to the encounter. I thought that that was a good touch.
The Match Souvenir was produced in professional style. The architect was Dilshan de Mel, following in the true
Royal Thomian tradition. Team photographs, individual action shots and messages from both Captains were
included. There was a schedule for the start time for each section of the Program. Unlike any other OBA Royal
Thomian I have attended, this one proceeded like clockwork.
The teams were decked out in in their smart ‘One Day’ Cricket outfit. It looked as though a First-Class Match was in progress.
Scores: STC batted first and scored 106/9, which felt like less than Par, but some early Royal wickets raised hope.
However, several missed opportunities allowed Royal a match winning total of 107/5.
I attempted to contact as many Old Boys as I could, to drum up support to attend the Match. Coloursmen like Maurice Fairweather, Mohan Jayasekara, Max Keytt and the most Senior of them all, Walter Maye could make
valuable contributions by being mentors to this fledgeling Association.
Congratulations to Sohan Senaratne STCOBA President and Indika Gunathilaka Royal OBA President for a tightly
organized event. This match had many unique features with representatives from both schools in the organising committee, production of a Match Souvenir, one-day match outfits, several food outlets and marquees etc.
Perhaps it was the case of “New Broom” with potential for improvements in the future. The West clearly won
on this occasion!!
Barney Reid (STCML 1956 – 1966)
