Delivered by Rev. Fr. Araliya Jayasundara OSB, Principal
Fr. Chaplain, the Vice Principals, members of the College Management Team, eminent members of the Staff, Senior Prefect, Prefects, School Officers, and above all, my dear students — the very heart and soul of this great institution — and to the wider Trinity community, wherever you may be: I greet you all with deep affection and joy. Today, we stand together in the warmth of a moment that will be written with golden letters into the annals of Trinity College Kandy. On the hallowed grounds of the Asgiriya Cricket Stadium, between the 12th and 14th of March 2026, our 1st XI Cricket Team, under the captaincy of Master Dimantha Mahavithana, rose to meet St. Anthony’s College, Kandy, in the 107th Battle of the Blues — and they did not merely win. They won with grace, with courage, and with honour. After fourteen long years — since our last triumph in 2012 — the Sir John Halangoda Trophy has returned home to Trinity. To Dimantha and every member of that team: from the depths of my heart, on behalf of this entire College community, I say — well done. Well done, indeed.
Before I speak further, I wish to record with great pleasure my sincere gratitude to all those who made this moment possible. To Mr. Naveen Ekanayake and the Coaching Staff, who poured their experience, their patience and their passion into preparing these young men — thank you. To our Director of Sports, Mr. Gihan Samarasekara, Department Heads, to the Trinity Sports Administration, who created the structures, the systems, and the opportunities — thank you. To the Trinity College Cricket Foundation, to every member of Staff, to our School Officers who rallied around, and to each student in this hall whose voice, whose loyalty, and whose support carried our team forward — thank you. Victory is never the product of one hand alone. It is woven together from a thousand threads of sacrifice, discipline, and collective will. Today, the glory belongs to all of Trinity.
We live, my dear friends, in a world that is changing faster than the human spirit can sometimes absorb. In this day and age, I have come to believe a sobering truth: we easily unlearn far more than we learn. We unlearn patience — because everything is instant. We unlearn courtesy — because screens have come between us and one another. We unlearn perseverance — because we are told that if something is hard, simply find an easier path. And most dangerously, we unlearn the fundamental truth that character is not built in moments of comfort but forged in moments of trial.
And yet — what transpired at Asgiriya over three days last week gave us something extraordinary to learn from, or perhaps, to re-learn. It reminded us, in the most vivid and living terms, what it means to be value-driven. It reminded us that sportsmanship is not a relic of a gentler era, but a living, breathing commitment that is made every single time you walk onto a field. It reminded us that decency and respect for your opponent, for the game, for the tradition in which you stand, is not weakness — it is the mark of a truly great competitor and a truly great human being. It reminded us of the need to preserve and promote institutional integrity.
Allow me to call upon the voice of a poet who knew the spirit of this game, and who knew the spirit of this school. Sir Henry Newbolt’s [interestingly it was his poem The Best School of All, which Trinity adopted as her own School Song] Vitai Lampada:
There’s a breathless hush in the Close to-night —
Ten to make and the match to win —
A bumping pitch and a blinding light,
An hour to play and the last man in.
And it’s not for the sake of a ribboned coat,
Or the selfish hope of a season’s fame,
But his Captain’s hand on his shoulder smote
“Play up! play up! and play the game!”
This is the word that year by year
While in her place the School is set
Every one of her sons must hear,
And none that hears it dare forget.
This they all with a joyful mind
Bear through life like a torch in flame,
And falling fling to the host behind –
“Play up! play up! and play the game!”
The above reminds us that a lifelong commitment to values should never be bartered away for any prize, any trophy, or any applause. These are the themes that pulse through every stanza of the poem. And we are reminded in our own School Song —
“We will honour till the last bell calls”. At Trinity, it will not ring while we hold the torch high. Hence, play up — and play the game!
I must speak now with the directness that my duty as your Principal demands of me. In this age in which we live, every action leaves a mark. Every word spoken in anger, every act of indecency, every breach of sportsmanship — no longer disappears into the air as it once did. Today, it leaves a digital footprint. It is photographed, recorded, shared, and amplified across platforms that stretch to every corner of the world. And that footprint will follow you — not for a day, not for a season, but potentially for the rest of your life, shaping the way you are perceived, the opportunities that come your way, and the reputation you carry into adulthood. Be extremely cautious with the choices you make in life!
What happened during the weekend — where certain behaviours fell far beneath the dignity that this great fixture demands — is not merely a breach of conduct. It is a death knell to hallowed traditions. It is a wound to the reputation of schools and communities that have been built over generations of honour and sacrifice. But more than that, it is a grave indictment of the systems — the structures, the institutions, the individuals — that are entrusted and called to form and guide school children in their most formative years. When children fail in conduct, it is not only the child who must examine himself. It is every teacher, every coach, every administrator, every parent — all of us who bear the sacred responsibility of formation. We must all do better. And we must hold each other to a higher standard — always.
Let me say this clearly — let it echo in every heart in this hall and let it travel beyond these walls to the wider Trinity family around the world: Trinity College Kandy will never — ever — compromise on goodness, truth, unity, and beauty. These are not aspirations. They are the sacred pillars upon which this institution was founded and upon which it shall stand. No achievement, however brilliant; no individual, however gifted; no trophy, however coveted — is greater than Trinity College. The institution is greater than any one of us. The values are greater than any one victory.
As your Principal, the responsibility entrusted to me — above all administrative duties, above all academic and sporting imperatives — is to safeguard the higher and nobler character of Trinity. That is the office I hold. That is the trust I shall never betray. And I call upon every Trinitian — student, teacher, old boy, parent, supporter — to be the guardians of that character in your own sphere of influence.
There is one further voice I wish to invoke today — that of Rudyard Kipling, whose poem “If” remains one of the most powerful meditations on character ever composed in the English language. Hear the first verse:
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
And the immortal closing lines:
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And — which is more — you’ll be a Man, my son!
You’ll be a Man — or a Woman — of the fullest and finest kind. A human being of integrity. And that, my dear students, is the ultimate trophy – the formation of Trinitian with integrity and resilience incessantly pursuing service and excellence. Victory and success can never — ever — compromise moral responsibility, accountability, and the values we hold sacred. Let that be inscribed on every Trinitian heart. Many of you will recall the words of our distinguished Old Boy and statesman, Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, who said in 2003 that Trinity in defeat is greater than Trinity in victory. Those were words spoken to forge resilience in us — to remind us that character shines most brilliantly in adversity. But today I say this: Trinity in victory is sublime — when that victory is worn with grace, with humility, and with honour. And that, precisely, is the message our 1st XI Cricket Team delivered to us. They showed us, in the most eloquent way possible, how victory should be received. Not with arrogance. Not with contempt. But with the quiet dignity of those who know that they were entrusted with something greater than themselves: Trinity College.
Trinity College will stand forever in the incessant and unyielding pursuit of integrity, service, excellence, and resilience. We will never give up. We will honour till the last bell calls. We will pass the torch to those who come after us, burning as brightly as we received it. To this community — to every student in this hall, to every old Trinitian wherever you may be, to every parent, teacher, and friend of this school, I remind you of the immortal words of the iconic Principal of Trinity College of most revered memory, Late. Rev. Alexander G. Fraser (1904-1924), ‘Thou Knowest I did not seek to come here, and Thou knowest how ignorant I am. But we want this place to be thine, and please make my pound weight a ton’ – we play our role at Trinity to the best we can and we move on. Trinity will remain!
Respice Finem
Rev. Fr. Araliya Jayasundara OSB
Principal
Trinity College, Kandy
College Assembly, 16th March 2026
