Bloomfield stormed to the pinnacle of Sri Lanka’s First-Class cricket, clinching their first title in 15 years with a commanding victory over the star-studded NCC in the final last week. With a half-dozen Sri Lanka internationals in their ranks, NCC entered the contest as outright favourites, but one man turned the game on its head with a marathon innings that will be talked about for years to come.

Left-handed opener Ron Kashyapa Chandraguptha batted for two full days under the sweltering Colombo sun, crafting a career-best 237 – his maiden First-Class double hundred. His monumental knock propelled Bloomfield to a mammoth 508 all out in the first innings, virtually shutting the door on NCC. While time ran out for an outright win, Bloomfield only needed the crucial first-innings lead, and they wrapped it up in style, bundling out NCC for 312.

“It was my maiden double hundred, and to score it in a final was extra special. They had a top-class attack, probably the best pace unit in domestic cricket, so getting a big knock against them felt really satisfying,” Chandraguptha told Telecom Asia Sport.

NCC, at least on paper, had all the firepower, but cricket is played on turf, not team sheets. Chandraguptha knew that to take the wind out of their sails, he had to bat long and anchor the innings.

“They were the favourites coming into the final, but I was determined to take responsibility. If I could weather the storm against their quicks, I knew partnerships would flow. Our plan was simple – pile on a big first-innings score and make life difficult for them,” he explained.

The final was played at the R. Premadasa Stadium, where Colombo’s relentless heat tests even the fittest cricketers. But Chandraguptha, a man on a mission, batted through six grueling sessions without breaking down.

“It was brutally hot out there, but I had worked hard on my fitness. Thankfully, I never cramped up, and credit goes to our trainer for keeping me hydrated throughout the innings,” he added.

Unlike some of their more glamorous rivals, Bloomfield had no big names in their lineup. However, their biggest advantage was consistency – no players missing due to international or franchise commitments, allowing them to gel as a unit. Chandraguptha himself had moved to Bloomfield this season after stints with Tamil Union and Colombo Cricket Club, and he made an immediate impact.

His opening partner, Hasitha Boyagoda, a schoolmate from Trinity College, Kandy, provided the perfect foil. The duo laid the foundation with a 119-run opening stand, before Chandraguptha stitched together a match-defining 200-run partnership for the second wicket with Asitha Wanninayake.

“Boyagoda is one of the finest openers we have. He’s had his share of injury setbacks, but he was solid in the final, handling extra pace brilliantly. As for Wanninayake, I just told him to enjoy the occasion. You don’t get to face such quality attacks in a final too often, and he made the most of it,” Chandraguptha said.

Wanninayake, a product of St. Anthony’s College, Kandy, fell agonizingly short of a century in the first innings, run out for 96. However, he made amends in the second innings, crafting an unbeaten 104 to drive the final nail in NCC’s coffin.

With such a commanding performance in a title clash, will Chandraguptha’s knock force the selectors to sit up and take notice? He remains unfazed, keeping his feet firmly on the ground.

“The NSL tournament is coming up, and all I want to do is keep performing there. That’s my focus right now,” he said.

For now, Bloomfield are basking in the glory of their long-awaited triumph, and at the heart of it is a gritty left-hander who stood tall when it mattered most. If Chandraguptha continues to pile on the runs, it won’t be long before a national call-up beckons.

(Telecom Asia Sport)

Under the theme ‘Brotherhood Beyond Boundaries’ the Richmond College Union, Richmond College Cricket Club together with Mahinda Club and Mahinda College Cricket Foundation, organised and conducted two cricket encounters between the old boys of the two schools as a prelude to the 120th ‘Lovers Quarrel’ at the Galle International Stadium. Both encounters were played at Bloomfield Grounds, Colombo 7. The Veterans (50+) T20 encounter was played for the Douglas Jayasinha Challenge Trophy. This year the encounter was won by Mahinda under the captaincy of Geethanga de Silva. The services rendered to country’s cricket as a player and an administrator by legendary D.D. Jayasinha was hailed at the vintage cricket encounters. Douglas Dias Wickramanayake Jayasinha (well known as DD), was an old boy of Mahinda, and the first southerner to bring honour and glory to Galle in the field of cricket. DD captained Mahinda from 1934 – 1936. He was an all-rounder. A left-hand batter and an intelligent right arm bowler, he scored six centuries and a dozen fifties and also captured nearly 80 wickets. In addition, he was also a good slip fielder. He also represented the Mahinda college soccer team and was the head prefect of the school. After leaving school DD played for Galle CC, Sinhalese Sports Club and Moratuwa Sports Club – perhaps the first non-Moratuwa player to captain the Club. He was a National selector from 1961 to 1973. He received his first break as a schoolboy in 1935, when he was selected to play for the Combined Colleges XI against the touring Indian Universities Occasionals. Playing Club cricket, DD first represented Galle CC, where he notched up four consecutive centuries in the Premier ‘Daily News Trophy’ matches culminating in his selection to play for All Ceylon under the late S. Saravanamuttu against New Zealand in October 1937. He won the All Ceylon cap in 1945 and played against India. Joining the Education Department, DD continued with his career representing and captaining the Education Department. D.D.Jayasinha also had the distinction of serving as the chief selector of All-Ceylon cricket.

The Masters (35-45 years) encounter for the Lasantha Kaggodarachchi Challenge Trophy was won by Richmond this year under the captaincy of Samantha Lorenzuhewa. Lasantha was the first Richmondite to represent the Ceylon Cricket team in 1964. He was a brilliant wicket keeper cum stylish batter. Apart from DD and Lasantha, the other cricketers from the two schools who went on to represent the National team are D.L.S. de Silva (1978), Champaka Ramanayake (1993), Upul Chandana (1996 – World Cup squad) and Chamila Gamage. There was a time when the National team was mainly represented by cricketers from Colombo Schools, and due to this trend one of the finest fast bowlers produced by Richmond, Omesh Wijesiriwardena, was unfortunate to miss out on selection to the National team. With dedication and proper training, it’s not difficult to become a cricketer, but the difficult part is to bloom into a good cricketer cum gentleman. Old Boy’s Associations are pumping in considerable funds to produce cricketers, and these cricketers build prospective futures thanks to their Alma Mater, but unfortunately, easily forget the lesson of gratitude and look only for recognition to increase their fame. Its pertinent to note that the motto of the new generation seems to be ‘win at all costs’, and when one team is on the verge of defeat the supporters of that team resort to invading the ground to disrupt the game. This has to be addressed seriously by relevant authorities concerned and appropriate measures taken to eliminate this newly emerged bad culture to ensure fairness for all stakeholders. The organising committee hopes to organise this event annually, and the main idea behind this concept is to give a message to the new generation that the past cricketers of both schools maintain the spirit of the game and play in a friendly manner.