Prince Alfred-St Peter’s and Royal-Thomian cricket rivalries meet for first time in Adelaide tournament

Their rivalries outdate the Ashes, have survived two World Wars and are separated by a single year. Last week the combatants in the world’s two oldest continually running cricket matches collided for the first time.

Students and staff from Prince Alfred College, St Peter’s College (Adelaide), St Thomas’ College (Sri Lanka), Anglican Church Grammar School (Brisbane) Newington College (Sydney) and Scotch College (Melbourne) at PAC for the Chappell Brothers Challenge Trophy. Picture: AAP/Roy Vandervegt

• The foreign legion taking on SA cricket
• PAC defeats St Peter’s in annual intercol carnival
• Greatest ever school footy teams: PAC and St Peter’s

Their rivalries outdate the Ashes, have survived two World Wars and are separated by a single year.

Last week the combatants in the world’s two oldest continually running cricket matches collided at Prince Alfred College.

As part of PAC’s 2019 150-year celebrations, it hosted five colleges for the Chappell Brothers Challenge Trophy cricket tournament.

It featured five of Australia’s top cricketing schools and one Sri Lankan college, St Thomas’.

PAC and local rival St Peter’s hold the record for the longest unbroken annual cricket match, dating back to 1878.

Captains Will Montgomery (St. Peter’s), Cooper Luke (PAC) and Dellon Peiris (St. Thomas) at PAC last week. The schools, along with Royal College, are part of the two oldest unbroken cricket matches. Picture: AAP/Roy Vandervegt

The title of the second-longest is held by St Thomas’ and its Colombo rival Royal College, known as the “battle of the blues”, and around since 1879.

Last week was the first time the schools with the two longest-running matches have met on the field.

The Royal-Thomian clash dwarfs the intercollegiate game in size, however.

Princes’ co-curricular activities director Troy McKinnon said the college invited both Sri Lankan schools over, with Royal only declining so as not to “show its hand” to St Thomas’.

“We didn’t realise how big their game was,” McKinnon says. “It’s an event that stops the city, they get 25,000 to the matches. It’s packed to the rafters, full TV coverage – it’s incredible.

“Hopefully this is the beginning of a relationship between the games and the schools.”

Cricketers from the six schools in strips made for the week-long tournament. Picture: AAP/Roy Vandervegt

PAC, St Peter’s and St Thomas’ were joined by Anglican Church Grammar School (Brisbane) Newington College (Sydney) and Scotch College (Melbourne) for the five-day tournament.

It included 50-over, Twenty20 and “declaration” matches – where teams are given a set amount of overs between them and the side batting first can choose when to declare.

St Thomas’ was the winner, comfortably beating Saints in a rain-affected 10-over game on Friday. PAC had lost to its local rivals by two runs the day before.

“It’s been a lesson of just how much you can love cricket because these Sri Lankan boys absolutely adore the game,” McKinnon says.

“After their first game, which they won, they were immediately out in the nets afterwards working on things.

“Both schools being so traditional and proud … there was a lot of mutual respect and just a love and respect for the game.”

PAC first XI captain Cooper Luke is proud and honoured to be the first Princes team to play St Thomas’, given the significance of the school’s historic connection. “All six schools have very proud cricket traditions and put their best foot forward throughout the week,” Luke says.

Former Australian Test captain Greg Chappell was on hand to present the trophy.

[e-mail]

Follow @patkeam