Sri Lanka Schools Preview (13 Mar 1998)

Friday 13, March 1998

Sri Lanka Schools Preview

Daily News

92nd Battle of the Maroons

Pubudu, Nisitha the men to watch

By S. M. Jiffrey Abdeen, Kandy south group correspondent

It will be Pubudu Senaviratne against Nisitha Rupasinghe when Dharmaraja College clash with Kingswood College in the '92nd Battle of the maroons' which is the oldest Big match in the hill capital at the Asgiriya Stadium this Friday and Saturday march 13 and 14. Play commence at 9.45 a.m. on the first day and at 9.30 a.m. on the second day.

Aggressive Pubudu Senaviratne is one of the finest batsmen produced by Dharmaraja College, though he played his junior cricket for Kegalu Vidyalaya before coming over to Kandy where he really blossomed. He has upto the last Tuesday in course of his knock of 140 against Dharmapala has scored 993 runs with 3 centuries and also has taken over 30 wickets.

Nisitha Rupasinghe the Kingswood captain is a top rated left-arm spinner who toured South Africa with the Sri Lanka Youth team for the Youth World Cup this year. He has scored over 400 runs and taken 50 wickets in the seven games he has played for the school which is creditable indeed. It will be left to Rupasinghe to stop the free scoring Pubudu Seneviratne.

A look into the past reveals that of the 91st matches which has been played Rajans have won 31 and the Kingswoodians 19 while 41 matches have been left drawn. The last time a decision was reached in this match was in 1980 when Janaka Mendis led the Rajans to victory. But it has been a very long time since the Kingswoodians which was way back in 1958 when Maurice Fernando who later became the "Daily News Cricketer of the Year' led them to success.

The Rajans will be led by fifth year coloursman Waruna Herath who is an attractive right hand bat and a right-arm medium pacer who will spearhead the attack.

Kingswood will be led by Nisitha Rupasinghe who is a fine left-arm spinner and a much improved batsman with a match saving top score of 105 against St. Sylvesters.

Dharmaraja College (from): Waruna Herath (captain), Chaminda Werake Bandara (vice captain), Pubudu Seneviratne, Asanka Marapana, Nuwan Ekanayake, Yasas Jayasundera, Chathura Wickremanayake, Chamila Kaduruwewa, Lakmal Wijesekera, Lakmal Jayasundera, Damith Ariyadasa, Priyantha Udunuwara, Sunil Ranasinghe, Dinusha Bandara, Sagara Bandara, Nadeep Nagahapitiya, Buddhika Dissanayake, Chanaka Gamathige, Coach Ananda Wijesekera, POG Sarath Mathararachchi, Cricket co-ordinator Haroon Doole, Principal W. M. Bandaranayake.

Kingswood College (from): Nisitha Rupasinghe (captain), Roshan Perera (vice captain), Omila Weerasuriya, Charmara Seneviratne, Thushara Madanayake, Chanaka Amunupura, Sanjeewa Gamage, Jaliya Weerasinghe, Lasitha Ekanayake, Malith Mallawarachchi, V. Seneviratne, Namal Pushpakumara, M. D. Wattegedera, E. K. D. Premachandra, S. N. D. Kiridena, M. R. Mousoor, L. C. Gunaratne, P. H. S. Karunaratne, Coach Gamini Debahapuwa, MIC Kamal Weerasinghe POG R. M. D. Ratnayake, Principal B. A. Abeyratne.

Peterites out to extend their run of victories

By Chris Dhambarage

St. Peter's College with seven victories to their credit will be hoping to extend their dominance in the current season when they meet their traditional rivals St.Joseph's College in the 64th annual 'Battle of the Saints' cricket encounter on March 13 and 14 at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium.

The Peterites are currently enjoying a superb season having won their first three matches quite convincingly. They defeated President's College by six wickets, De Mazenod College by an innings and Kalutara MV by ten wickets.

They also trounced Zahira College by an innings and 79 runs and Wesley College by an innings and four runs. They also recorded a nine-wicket win over the Nalandians and followed it up with a five wicket victory over Prince of Wales College Moratuwa. Their only setback during the season was the shock defeat they suffered at the hands of Trinity College.

Altogether the Peterites have dominated the current season and are also strong contenders for the Coca Cola Division one inter school League championship. The key to their success is undoubtedly their excellent team work, backed up by some real hard work by the senior players. In fact skipper Malinda Warnapura has led the way and has emerged a fine all rounder for the side.

Left hander Warnapura has collected a total of 657 runs during the season inclusive of two half centuries. He is also their leading wicket taker with a tally of 53 wickets. Mahesh Perera and Jerome Fernando too have been quite consistent and have crossed the five hundred run mark during the season.

The Peterite bowling attack too have been quite penetrative with left arm spinner Chrishantha Peiris and off spinner Dilshan Rupasinghe both capturing 41 wickets each. They will be supported by Asitha de Silva, Danushka Hettihewa and Sri Lanka under 19 player Ranga Dias.

Kandy's Battle of the Blues

Both teams evenly balanced

By S. M. Jiffrey Abdeen, Kandy south group correspondent

Top fare is in store when Trinity College take on St. Anthony's College in the 82nd 'Battle of the Blues' of the hill capital which will be played at Katugastota this Friday and Saturday (March 13, 14). Play commences on the first day at 9.45 a.m. and at 9.30 a.m. on the second day.

It will be difficult to predict the result of this match as both teams are evenly balanced and a draw looks a safe bet. Performance-wise the Lions appear to have stolen a march over the Eagles as they have scored two wins and that too against two of the strongest sides in schools this season St. Peter's and Royal but lost to Prince of Wales whom the Antonians nearly beat with time stalling their victory bid.

On the other hand the Antonians have gone through this season without a win, loosing to the Anandians mainly due to a strange second innings collapse.

The Antonian coach H. M. Muthalib said that they will strive hard to achieve victory to celebrate Antonians 70 years at Katugastota. Trinity's coach the famous Antonian Bernard Perera said that they will play positive cricket with a result in mind. In fact their positive approach brought victories against St. Peter's and Royal whom they beat after 53 years, and many would remember this match as snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.

A peep into the records show that 81 battles have been fought out and Trinity are ahead with 22 wins while the Antonians who have dominated the post-war era have 11 wins to their credit, and 48 matches have been left drawn. The last time a result was reached in this match was in 1992 when Umesh de Alwis led the Antonians to victory at Katugastota. Trinity's last victory was in 1986 under Thushara Weerasuriya which broke a 35-year-old drought.

Trinity will be led by fourth year player Sudanga Fernando who is an effective right-arm off spinner and good middle order bat.

St. Anthony's College will be led by fourth year coloursman and that brilliant allrounder Mahesh Pallihakkara who has had a highly successful season, having won the coveted Eagle in 1997.

With the weather in the hill capital keep bright two days of entertaining cricket is in store for the cricket fans.

This match will be officiated by umpires from the Association of Cricket Umpires of Sri Lanka.

Trinity College (from): Sudanga Fernando (captain), Rodney de Raffayal (vice captain), Dasun Weeraratne, Kaushalya Weeraratne, Suranga Gamage, Suranga Moratota, Nuwan Jayasena, Chaminda Aluthge, Chaturanga Munaweera, Nuwan Jayasena, Chintaka Molligoda, Shameer Samath, Nazoormi Azar, Chithranga Vanderkoon, Janaka Weeraratne, Migara Welianga, Amila Wijesekera, Pasan Weeraratne, Coach Bernard Perera, Master-in-Charge D. B. Gunaratne, Prefect of Games S. Ariasingham.

St. Anthony's College (from): Mahes Pallihakkara (captain), Amila Pinnaduwa (vice captain), Manjula Chithrasena, Ravindra Wickremapala, Nafeez Nizam, Neil Ferdinands, Samson Burke, Nirosh Liyanage, Ricardo Gunaratne, Lahiru Fonseka, Prasanna Jayalath, Priyantha Agalakotuwa, Daminda Randawaka, Kasun Jayaratne, S. Muthukuda, Sanjaya Herath, Raj Wickremapala, Mahes Tennakoon, Danushka Chandraratne, Prasad Jayawardena, Jude Arnolda, Coach Mr. H. M. Muthalib, Master-in-Charge S. Udugama. Prefect of Games Nimal Willemuna.

64th Battle of the Saints

Josephians - a formidable side this season

By Chris Dhambarage

St. Joseph's College with five coloursmen and a number of senior players in their ranks are confident of putting up a good performance when they meet their traditional rivals St.Peter's College in the 64th annual 'Battle of the Saints' cricket encounter on March 13 and 14 at the P.Saravanamuttu Stadium.

The Josephians have really proved themselves and have turned out to be a formidable outfit having notched up three impressive victories during the current season. They began their campaign for the Coca Cola Division one inter school league title in great style by outplaying Dharmaraja College Kandy by ten wickets. They followed this up by defeating Joseph Vaz College Wennapuwa by ten wickets and also recorded a memorable win over S.Thomas' College Mount Lavinia.

The side is captained by fourth year coloursman Monto Perera who is one of their top all rounders having made some significant contributions throughout the season. He has emerged as a genuine match winner and has captured a total of 37 wickets and scored over 460 runs.

Vice captain Amindha de Mel is another fine all rounder who is capable of rising to the occasion. He missed a couple of matches due to an injury but has recovered and is determined to put up a good performance in this important encounter. Right arm off spinner Shinal Warnakula is their key player having captured a total of 52 wickets in the current season. He holds the record for claiming the most number of wickets in a Joe-Pete encounter.

Medium paceman Roshan de Silva has also captured over 50 wickets in the current season and has spearheaded their attack quite successfully. The Josephian batting line-up is topped by Ian Daniel who has collected over 800 runs during the season. The opener has been consistent throughout the season and has struck form in almost every outing. His opening partner Johannes Jayasuriya too has stuck to his task, has compiled over 800 runs in the current season.

Two newcomers Dinraj Fernando and Dilan Ramanayake have also made some fine contributions and have really forced themselves into the side. The former played a dominant role in their innings victory over the Thomians with a deadly spell of bowling in the first innings. Ramanayake too has lived upto expectations and has accumulated over 400 runs during the season.

64th Battle of the Saints

Both teams equally balanced

By Chris Dhambarage

Two equally good teams, St.Joseph's and St.Peter's, will battle it out for supremacy in the 64th annual 'Battle of the Saints' cricket encounter which begins at the P.Saravanamuttu Stadium today.

Both teams are packed with some talented players and they are determined to prove themselves in this important encounter. For the record the Peterites have registered seven victories while the Josephians have three wins to their credit in the current season.

But the number of victories alone does not give a clear indication of the teams' capabilities as St.Joseph's certainly do have more senior players in their ranks. Unlike the Peterites, they have been up against some tough opponents and have really worked hard for success. In fact the Josephians have a well balanced side and are capable of performing under any conditions.

The Peterites suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Trinity College mid way in the season. But that did not really demoralise the side and they produced an even a better performance in the remaining fixtures. Their success over Nalanda and Prince of Wales lifted their morale and they are now prepared to face any challenge from their opponents.

The Peterites will be hoping that their batting line-up will click as the conditions will be ideal for stroke-making. In Malinda Warnapura, Mahesh Fernando and Jerome Fernando the Peterites do have a good batting line up capable of making a big score.

The Joes will be depending on their senior players who expected to play a dominant role in this encounter. Their key player is undoubtedly the off spinner Shinal Warnakula who had a memorable outing last year too. He could be a major threat to the opposition and is capable of running through the opposition in a short period.

The teams:

St.Joseph's (from): Monto Perera (captain), Shinal Warnakula, Ian Daniel, Sharanga Fernando, Johannes Jayasuriya, Amindha de Mel, Roshan de Silva, Gavin Vansanden, Prasaj Pathirana, Ishan Hettiarachchi, Dinraj Fernando, Dilan Ramanayake, Surein Perera, Dilanka Perera and Dhanuka Pathirana.

St.Peter's (from): Malinda Warnapura (captain), Birendra Pattikunarajh, Angelo Fonseka, Ranga Dias, Nirmal de Silva, Danushka Hettihewa, Chrishantha Peiris, Dilshan Rupasinghe, Sean Gunasekera, Suranga Pinto, Mahesh Perera, Gavin Ludewyke, Asith de Silva, Shenal Fernando, Jerome Fernando and Ishara Fonseka.

Source :: Daily News (https://www.lanka.net)