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Sri Lanka beat India in Veterans Triangular
Sri Lanka’s senior cricketers beat their Indian counterparts in the Triangular Senior Cricketers Tournament also involving India being played in India.The Sri Lankans, led by Duleep Mendis scored a comfortable four-wicket victory with three overs to spare.
Spin twins Ranjith Madurasinghe (4/25) and Don Anurasiri (3/32) dismissed India for 196 while Ashley de Silva led the way with a superb knock of 55 during Sri Lanka’s run chase.
West Indies meet India on February 9 while Sri Lanka take on West Indies on February 11 with the finals taking place two days later.
• SCORES
India 196 all out in 40 overs (Roger Binny 32, Salil Ankola 36, Sandeep Patil 30, Ashok Malhotra 27, Ranjith Madurasinghe 4-25, Don Anurasiri, 3-32, J. C. Gamage 2-30).Sri Lanka 200 for 6 wkts in 37 overs (Brendon Kuruppu 27, Ashley de Silva 55, Duleep Mendis 20, Asoka de Silva 15, Don Anurasiri 15 n.o., Salil Ankola 2-20, Soro Naik 2/26, Sandeep Patil 1/27).
KDCA AGM on Sunday
From Vijitha Senaratne our Kurunegala Sports Corr.The 14th annual general meeting of the Kurunegala District Cricket Association will be held on Sunday February 7 at the Welagedera Stadium Board Room, Kurunegala, commencing at 10.00 a.m.
Subodha guides Annites to victory
(From Vijitha Senaratne, our Kurunegala Sports Corr.)St. Anne’s College, Kurunegala scored an impressive innings and 11-run victory over Richmond College, Galle in their inter-school cricket encounter concluded at Galle over the weekend.
Annites after their resounding victory over St. Sebastians’, Moratuwa a fortnight ago, came up with yet another good performance to defeat Richmond by an innings this time, at their home grounds.
Annites off-spinner Subodha Jayawardena was instrumental for this victory by claiming a match bag of 8 for 31, including 4 for 8 in the second innings.
Omesh Wijesiriwardene took 5 for 35 for the losers in this low scoring game.
Scores:
RICHMOND 74 all out in 47.5 overs. (Avantha Redeegammanagedera 17, Tharindu Wickramasuriya 19, Sherantha Mendis 2/21, Subodha Jayawardena 4/23, G. Tissera 2/10, Sudath Rohana 2/8) and 88 all out in 53.2 overs.(Dilan Babar 18, Oshad Sumathipala 23, Sherantha Mendis 4/32, Subodha Jayawardena 4/8, Sudath Rohana 2/15)
ST. ANNE’S 173 all out in 57.1 overs. (C. Tissera 30, Sherantha Mendis 27, R. Perera 30 n.o., C. Abeyratne 13, A. Isurendra 35, O. Wijesiriwardena 5/35, O. Sumathipala 2/48).
Women’s soccer the novelty in Kandy
(by Hafiz Marikar, Our Kandy Sports Corr.)The novelty of women’s soccer over here in Kandy was a big attraction at the 35th year celebrations of the Kennedy Sports Club this week. It was football with a difference as skirts were flew about in the wend.
It was a well contested game with Kandy Municipal Playgrounds team holding the strong Thunders Sports Club, Colombo to a nil-all draw.
Excelling for the home team were Geetha Perera, Skipper Niluka Shamali and Jayalakmi Kaluarachchi.
For the Colombo team, Shan Jaffer, Melani, Swarna, Shamalik, Chandrika and Jayala were outstanding.
In the men’s game, the strong Saunders Sports Club drubbed Kennedy Sports Club 3-0. At lemons, Saunders led 2-0. Outstanding for the winners were Isuru Perera, Sarath Dharmapriya and Sajith Dharmapala who netted the goals.
The chief guests were Chairman, Maurice Travels and Singapore Trading Company, Maurice Perera and his wife.
Maurice is a former Sri Lanka prop forward who excelled in the 1950’s
AT THE SCHOOL NETS
Isipatanians hungry for success
by Jatila KarawitaIsipatana College, Colombo which has been in the forefront and a force to be reckoned with in the local inter-school cricket arena, field a competent outfit in the 1998-99 season. The school from Thimbirigasyaya which went on to produce many an outstanding cricketer who have done proud both to the game and the country at international level is led this season by fourth year coloursman and all-rounder Krishantha Jayawardene.
During the last three seasons that he has played for his alma-mater Jayawardene has turned out to be a quite an exceptional all-rounder and the on-going season is no exception. Skipper Jayawardene who opens batting for ‘Patana’ has aggregated over 450 runs todate, and with his crafty right arm leg breaks has scalped 15 wickets so far. Lending the captain able support is his deputy Kanchana Rodrigo who too like his skipper has emerged as an all-rounder.
Rodrigo who is in his third year at College First XI has thumped close to 500 runs with a top score of 111 against Dharmapala, Pannipitiya being his best thus far. He is a top order left hand batsman and when in full flight is indeed a delight to watch. He possess the ability to produce strokes on both sides of the wicket. As a bowler he sends down right arm off-cutters and has snared upto 20 wickets in the on-going season. Another top notch player in the ‘Patana’ XI, besides these two is their last season’s skipper and wicket-keeper of the side, Muditha P. Fernando. Fernando who is also a fourth year coloursman like his skipper Jayawardene, is his side’s leading rungetter for the season with over 525 runs to his credit.
A very correct batsman with a sound technique Muditha Fernando has displayed his prowess as a dynamic stumper as well behind the sticks, accounting 30 dismissals in the current season.
Nilantha Atapattu, a third year coloursman, is one of Isipatana’s trump-cards in the spin department grabbing 25 wickets with his right arm off-breaks with a best return of 5 for 36 against Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa. Manoj Fernando, a second year player is another batsman who has gone great guns with the willow this season. All Isipatana fans must be looking forward to witness even more greater deeds from this budding batsman in the years to come.
Right handed Manoj Fernando, who bats at No. 3 has exceeded the 600-run mark with his best effort of 101 being recorded against Lumbini M.V. Opening the attack with his fast right arm medium pacers, he has captured over 20 wickets with the best figures of 5 for 51 against Wesley College. Mohammed Hareez is also a vital member in their spin department, having taken 15 wickets with his off spinners. Left handed bat Sahan Wijesinghe partners his captain Krishantha Jayawardene as the other opener of the ‘Patana’ side and has hitherto enjoyed a good run with the bat collecting over 450 runs, once being unfortunate to miss a ton against D. S. Senanayake M.V. by two runs.
Isipatana, who unlike in the previous years have laid more emphasis and accent on spin, have two more quality left arm leg break bowlers in Milinda Wickramasinghe and Malinda Abeyrathne to throttle the opposing teams in the current season. Wickramasinghe has so far picked up only 15 wickets while the latter has made a good impact with the cherry accounting for 20 scalps with his finest return of 6 for 41 against St. Sebastian’s College.
Besides all these players, they have two more second year players in Nuwan Chamara Sampath and Thejakith Rodrigo, who are also expected to figure prominently in the first XI in the years to come. The former excels as a left-hand batsman scoring 250 runs, while the latter is their reserve wicket-keeper of the side, having had a hand in 15 dismissals behind the sticks.
Meanwhile the school from Colombo 5 could also boast of no fewer than six freshers in the 98-99 cricket pool, among whom some of the most talented batsmen and bowlers one could find anywhere in the inter-school arena can be sighted.
Isipatana College have played in 11 matches in the current season and are yet to taste the sweet smell of success, drawing each of those games. But their opponents most notably the arch-rivals Thurstan College would do well not to write-off this fighting Isipatana team as they would be reserving their best, ‘a giant killing’ performance to be produced at their annual ‘Big Match’ in the first week of March at the Colombo Oval.
Pen sketches of the Isipatana squad:
Krishantha Jayawardene (Captain): Fourth year coloursman and all rounder. Right handed opener and right arm leg-spin bowler. Has aggregated over 425 runs and has picked over 20 wickets. An aggressive batsman who likes to get on with the game. Has skippered the side well though he is yet to end up being on the winning side.
Kanchana Rodrigo (Vice Captain): Third year coloursman and another fine all rounder. A top order left hand batsman has collected over 500 runs and grabbed 15 wickets with his fastish right arm off cutters. Has rendered good support to his skipper as the vice captain of the team. A fine fielder in any position.
Nilantha Atapattu: Third year coloursman and right hand middle order bat. Right arm off-break bowler with 25 wickets to his name while he is yet to deliver the goods with the bat.
Muditha Fernando: Fourth year coloursman and last season’s skipper. Right hand batsman with the knack for accumulating runs. Has rattled up over 450 runs while proving his prowess as a excellent wicket keeper with over 30 dismissals to his credit. The most experienced cricketer in the side apart from his captain Jayawardene.
Manoj Fernando: Second year player and the leading run-scorer for the season with over 620 runs todate. A right hand bat and right arm fast medium bowler who opens the attack has already shown much promise in turning out to be an all-rounder of note and is expected to produce the goods at this year’s ‘Big Match’ against Thurstan College. Local school cricket fans should hear more about this lads heroic deeds in the coming years.
Mohammed Hareez: Third year coloursman and right arm off-spinner. Right hand bat. Has a tally of 15 wickets for the season so far.
Sahan Wijesinghe: Third year coloursman and left hand opening batsman. A hard hitting batsman with an aggregate of around 450 runs. Forms a good opening combination with skipper Jayawardene.
Milinda Wickramasinghe: Third year coloursman and left arm ‘leggie’. A right hand batsman. Has taken 15 wickets but is capable of adding few more to his tally, being one of the specialist spinners in the side.
Malinda Abeyratne: Second year player and another left arm orthodox leg spinner with the ‘arm bowl’ being his weapon. Bats left hand in the lower order.
Nuwan Chamara Sampath: Second year player and left hand front line batsman. Has done well with nearly 250 runs to his credit. Should turn out to be a batsman of repute in the future.
Samantha Wijesekere: Fresher and right hand late order bat. Bowls left arm leg spin.
Malinda Priyankara: Fresher and right arm fast medium bowler. Right hand bat.
Thejakith Rodrigo: Right hand bat and reserve wicket keeper of the side. Has had a hand in 20 dismissals in the season. Shows promise of becoming a talented wicket-keeper batsman.
Kelum Cooray: Fresher and left arm leg spinner. Has captured 20 wickets with 5 for 38 against P.O.W. being his best. A right hand middle order bat.
Mohammed Fahdy: Fresher and left arm speedster. Left hand batsman.
Hiran Perera: Fresher and left arm paceman. Left hand batsman is expected to feature prominently in the coming seasons.
Master-in-Charge: Y. A. Rathnayake.
Coaches: Chetaka Perera and Lalith Jayasundera.
