The peninsula of Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka is held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and has been the centre of a bloody civil war for many years. I was therefore surprised to hear that the annual Big Match between the two most prominent colleges is still held in Jaffna in the usual Sri Lankan tradition. I was unable to find out the exact date of the match before I started my journey because of the security risk that publicising the fixture would have presented. I decided however to take a chance and travel to Jaffna around the approximate time it was rumoured to be taking place.