Connect with us

Sports

Joes, Petes, DS and Royal qualify for semis

Published

4 years ago

on

Marlon Fernando of St. Anne’s College, Kurunegala played an outstanding game but couldn’t help his team to the semis as DS Senanayake, College won the quarter-final of the All Island Under-20 basketball tournament worked off at Sugathadasa Stadium yesterday.

All Island Under-20 Schools basketball tournament

by Rex Clementine

For more than two years, school children had suffered as there had been little basketball due to the pandemic. But when all restrictions were lifted and the sport resumed, the teams put up a grand show. The knockout stages of the game was shifted to Sugathadasa Indoor stadium to give schoolboys and girls a flavour of international basketball and there were some tight games that were witnessed yesterday with some of them keeping you in the edge of your seat.

The day didn’t start well though with Gateway College, Kandy failing to turn up for their quarter-final against St. Peter’s. Gateway argued that they are unable to get their players for competitions due to exams but the question was asked whether had their withdrawal been notified earlier, the team that finished third in the group could have got a game. St. Peter’s, hence received a walk-over.

The second quarter-final between St. Joseph’s and Ananda was a closely contested affair. After a tight first half, where Joes led by one point (28-27), there was some excellent basketball dished out by both teams trying seizing the initiative. Joes, probably the better team in the competition, at times looked set for a comfortable win having secured a double digit lead, but Ananda kept coming back equaling the scores.

In the end, Joes’ superior bench strength and the presence of Shehan Fernando, their captain, who has come close to featuring for the national team, proved to be too good as they won by five points. The final score was 62-57.

Gateway, Colombo are playing a young team in the competition and they failed to match the skills of Royal College, but the experience would do a world of good for them. Several Gateway players are eligible to continue for the next couple of seasons and that augurs well for a team that always punches above its weight. There was certainly no shame in losing to Royal by ten points (72-62).

The best game of the day was between St. Anne’s Kurunegala and D.S. Senanayake College. The Annites with some brilliant shooters had the game in the bag but some blunders towards the crucial stages of the game cost them dearly. They did well to send the game to extra time but DS prevailed in that period winning by just one point (63-62) to break the hearts of a large crowd that had turned up for the game from Kurunegala.

In a game where the pendulum swung frequently, the coaching staff of both teams had to be on their toes coming up with smart strategies and counter moves.

Marlon Fernando of St. Anne’s despite ending on the losing side put up a superb performance and we could be seeing a star in the making. If only the Annites had passed the ball more often to their key performer, this  could have been a different story.

St. Peter’s will meet Royal College in the first semi-final today at 7am followed by the second semi between DS and Joes.

In the girls’ semis, meanwhile, Holy Family Convent and Mahamaya Vidyalaya, Kandy emerged winners and will meet in the finals on Tuesday.

HFC beat St. Joseph’s Girls School, Nugegoda comprehensively 85-31 while the semi between Good Shepherd Convent and Mahamaya went to overtime and the Kandy girls won by four points. The scores were leveled at 39-39 at the end of the full time and Mahamaya edged out Good Shepherd 45-41 in the extra-time.


Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Two Sri Lanka U-19 cricketers arrested for allegedly filming women in a hotel

Published

3 hours ago

on

2026/05/2

By

Two Sri Lanka Under-19 men’s cricketers have been arrested over allegations of filming people bathing in the hotel the players were staying at, in Narahenpita, Colombo. Both players have since been released on a personal bail of LKR 500,000 (approx $1,564).

The cricketers had been arrested earlier this week after women staying at the hotel had complained that they were being filmed using mobile phones, while in their bathrooms. Sri Lanka police told ESPNcricinfo that Narahenpita police are currently investigating if any of these videos have been shared online.

Having been produced at the Aluthkade Magistrate’s Court for their initial hearing, the players are next due back in court on May 25.

SLC has not announced any disciplinary measures of its own. However, the board has been in flux over the past 48 hours, with the ousting of the previous office bearers, and the appointment of the Transformation Committee.

[Cricinfo]

Continue Reading

Latest News

Holder, Rashid and Arshad give Gujarat Titans NRR-boosting win

Published

1 day ago

on

2026/05/1

By

Bhuvneshwar Kumar finished with 3 for 28 [Cricinfo]

Jason Holder was so omnipresent that his involvement in five dismissals enabled the Gujarat Titans (GT) to bowl Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) out for 155 in Ahmedabad. Such a middling chase was right up the alley of Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudarshan, but once GT lost both their openers in the powerplay, their soft underbelly was exposed once again. They needed cameos from Holder (12 off 10 balls) and their Impact Player RahulTewatia (27* off 17 balls) to get over the line, handing defending champions RCB their third defeat in IPL 2026.

Virat Kohli flew out of the blocks for RCB, hitting Kagiso Rabada for four successive fours in the second over after they were asked to bat first by GT. Even Rabada’s traditional hard length was pumped over mid-off. In the next over, Kohli charged at Mohammed Siraj and deposited him over mid-on for four more. However, when Kohli tried to charge at Rabada in the fourth over, the South Africa quick hit the deck harder and drew a top edge to midwicket. Rabada had the last laugh and gave the departing Kohli (28 off 13 balls) a death stare.

Siraj had earlier dismissed Jacob Bethell, who got another game in place of the injured Phil Salt, for a run-a-ball 5. Rabada and Siraj bowled right through the powerplay and kept RCB to 59 for 2.

Devdutt Padikkal and Rajat Padidar forged a 44-run partnership for the third wicket before Holder caught the RCB captain at deep square leg in the eighth over. Doubts, however, emerged around the legality of the catch when slow-mo replays suggested that Holder may have grassed it more than once, including while sliding. The TV umpire, Abhijit Bhattacharya, perhaps deemed that Holder was in control of his movements and ultimately ruled Patidar out.

Some of RCB’s players and staff disagreed with the TV umpire’s decision, gesturing that Holder had grassed it. Kohli was seemingly remonstrating with reserve umpire Parashar Joshi after which RCB coach Andy Flower was also spotted having an intense chat with Joshi. Having waited near the boundary, Patidar dragged himself off the field.

Holder was involved in four other dismissals. He had Jitesh Sharma nicking off in the ninth before taking the catches of both Tim David (9) and Krunal Pandya (4) at midwicket. Holder claimed his second wicket when he had his West Indian compatriot Romario Shepherd holing out.

Despite wickets falling around him, Padikkal kept up RCB’s high intent and manufactured scoring opportunities by making swinging room. He top-scored for RCB with 40 off 24 balls before Rashid Khan had him chopping on with a slider.

At 126 for 7, RCB pressed the emergency switch and brought in Venkatesh Iyer as their Impact Player at a cost of a specialist bowler in Rasikh Dar. Venkatesh struggled for fluency and also copped a blow on his unprotected elbow. His 29-run stand for the ninth wicket with Bhuvneshwar Kumar helped drag RCB to 155 before they were dismissed with four balls unused in their innings.

Gill kickstarted GT’s chase by whacking Josh Hazlewood for three fours and two sixes in a 24-run over. Hazlewood had not conceded more runs in an IPL over ever. Gill pressed on to score 43 off 18 balls – the most he has scored in an IPL powerplay – before he slapped Bhuvneshwar to cover, where Kohli grabbed the fast-travelling ball with both hands.

Buttler then took over from Gill and attacked both Hazlewood’s pace and Suyash Sharma’s wristspin. Buttler cracked 39 off 19 balls before he exposed his leg stump, only for Bhuvneshwar to knock it out in the eighth over. Bhuvneshwar also removed Sai Sudharsan during his four consecutive overs. While Hazlewood leaked 56 runs in his four overs for no wickets, Bhuvneshwar ended up giving away only half as many while picking up those three wickets.

Shepherd had to step in as their fourth bowler after they had sacrificed a specialist bowler in Rasikh Dar for Venkatesh’s batting. He responded by taking out both Shahrukh Khan and Washington in one over, the 11th of the chase. Holder then diffused the tension that Shepherd had built up by hooking his first ball for six. When Holder fell in the 14th over, GT needed 15 off 37 balls. Tewatia and Rashid got the job done with 25 balls to spare.

Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 158 for 6 in 15.5 overs  (Shubman Gill 43, Jos  Buttler 39, Washington Sundar 12, Rahul Tewtia 27*, Jason Holder 12;  Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3-28, Suyash Sharma 1-44, Romario Shepherd 2-30) beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru 155 in 19.2 overs (Devdutt Padikkal 40, Virat Kohli 28, Rajat Patidar 19, Romario Shepherd 17, Venkatesh Ayer 12, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar 15*; Mohammed Siraj 1-38, Kagiso Rabada 1-44, Arshad Khan  3-22, Rashid 2-19, Jason Holder 2-29) by four wickets

[Cricinfo]

Continue Reading

Sports

Akash stars as Josephians spin their way to title

Published

1 day ago

on

2026/05/1

By

St. Joseph's College clinched the Under 19 Division I cricket title with a first innings win over Royal College.

A superb display of spin bowling led by Sri Lanka Under-19 spinner Vigneswaran Akash powered St. Joseph’s College to a first innings victory over Royal College in the Under-19 Division I Tier ‘A’ cricket final concluded at the P. Sara Oval on Thursday.

‎Defending a formidable first innings total of 443, the Josephians relied on their spinners to dismantle a strong Royal batting line-up, eventually bowling them out for 378 to secure the title on first innings.

‎The spin trio of Akash, Vishwa Peiris and Nushan Perera shared all ten wickets between them, maintaining tight control throughout Royal’s reply. Leading the charge was Akash, the Jaffna-spinner, who delivered a match-winning performance with five wickets for 136 runs in a marathon spell of 44.2 overs.

‎Akash’s key breakthrough came when he removed his Sri Lanka Under-19 captain Vimath Dinsara, who top-scored with a valiant 95. Dinsara, along with Ramiru Perera (90), kept Royal in contention with a strong fourth-wicket stand after early setbacks.

‎Royal showed resilience through several useful contributions. Rehan Peiris made 43, while Dushen Udawela added 45. However, the Josephian spinners struck at crucial intervals to halt any momentum, with Peiris claiming three wickets and Perera chipping in with two.

‎Earlier, St. Joseph’s built the foundation for victory with an imposing 443 in their first innings. Senuja Wakunegoda led the batting effort with a magnificent 123, supported by Rishma Amarasinghe (73), Chethina Kavinda (78), Dilpa Maduranga (56) and Nushan Perera (54). For Royal, Mahiru Kodithuwakku and Himaru Deshan claimed three wickets apiece.

‎Despite a spirited batting effort, Royal ultimately fell short against a disciplined and relentless spin attack, as St. Joseph’s celebrated a well-deserved championship triumph.

(RF)

Continue Reading

Trending