Sports
Inaugural Bens-Wesley Golf Encounter
St. Benedict’s old boys clinch Shelton Wirasinha-Bro. Alban Patrick Trophy Old boys of St. Benedict’s College, Kotahena and Wesley College competed for the prestigious Shelton Wirasinha-Bro. Alban Patrick Trophy played at the Royal Colombo Golf Club last month.
The tournament was the brainchild of Capt. Navin de Silva, President of the Old Boys Union of Wesley College Colombo.
Thirty-six players from both schools teed off for the historic event, displaying exceptional talent and sportsmanship. The main trophy was fiercely contested, with 11 players from each team engaging in match play. Old boys of St. Benedict’s College set the pace with Ruwan Silva clinching victory in the opening game, while Wesley College’s Roger Norton countered with an impressive performance. Diresh Palihena and Michael Sathasivam propelled the Benedictines forward with commanding 3/2 wins. However, Wesley staged a formidable comeback led by the indomitable Rohan Wickramaratne and Kamal Bombugalage, who secured closely, fought victories.
Finally, the old boys of St. Benedict’s College emerged victorious in a series which was characterized by a display of sportsmanship and camaraderie between the two schools, claiming six games to Wesley’s three, with one game tied. The standout player for Wesley, T. Ravi Kumar, earned the esteemed Prof. Maharoof Ismail Trophy with 41 stableford points. Meanwhile, Sunimal Salgadoe displayed his prowess for St. Benedict’s, earning the McLarens Trophy, presented by prominent old boy Rohan de Silva.
Wesley College, who are celebrating their sesquicentennial celebrations this year, also seized honors in additional competitions, with Kamal Bombugalage winning the Nearest to the Pin and Manjula Jayasinghe claiming the Longest Drive. Nishantha Perera’s exceptional performance on hidden holes secured further recognition for St. Benedict’s.
The principals of both schools presented the overall trophy to the victorious Benedictine team, marking the culmination of an unforgettable tournament. Captains Ivor Maharoof of Wesley and his counterpart Michael Sathasivam from St. Benedict’s expressed gratitude to all participants and pledged to elevate next year’s tournament with even more excitement and fanfare.
The inaugural Bens-Wesley Golf Encounter displayed the finest traditions of sportsmanship and camaraderie between the two schools with a combined history of over 300 years, setting a promising precedent for future editions of this exciting golf event.
The Rose Bowl, which has been awarded to the winner of ODI series between the women’s teams of Australia and New Zealand since 1985, has now been expanded to include T20Is as well.
New Zealand’s three match T20I tour of Australia, which begins on Sunday at the North Sydney Oval, will be the first T20I edition of the Rose Bowl. The teams will get to face off again for the trophy in March 2027 when they meet again for three ODIs, also in Australia.
For Rose Bowl series that include matches in both white-ball formats, the trophy will go to the team with the most wins overall. In case of a drawn series, the current holder will retain the trophy.
“The Rose Bowl is a prestigious trophy that holds a lot of meaning to current and past players, and it’s a series we’ve always taken a lot of pride in competing in,”Catherine Campbell, NZC’s chief cricket operations officer and a former New Zealand player, said. “With so much T20I cricket now being played, this is a brilliant opportunity to keep the Rose Bowl relevant and to build on the history between us and our Australian rivals.”
New Zealand captain Melie Kerr was excited by the broadening of opportunities to compete for the Rose Bowl.
“We’re all aware of what the Rose Bowl represents and the importance it holds in the White Ferns whakapapa [genealogy],” said Kerr. “Great players and teams have fought for it over the years and we’d love the opportunity to claim our own piece of that history.”
Australia have held the Rose Bowl continuously since wresting it back from New Zealand in 2000. Since that 3-0 win, Australia have won 18 times with one series – in 2008-09 – shared 2-2. Overall, Australia have won 26 of the 31 ODI series played for the Rose Bowl, with New Zealand winning three times and three series drawn.
North Sydney will host all three T20Is of the upcoming Rose Bowl series, on October 18, 20 and 22.
[Cricinfo]
The inaugural Sastralian Premier League (SPL), a T10 cricket tournament aimed at strengthening the cricketing fortunes of Ananda Shasthralaya National School, Matugama, will get underway next month, bringing together eight teams.
Organised by the Old Sastralians Cricket Association in collaboration with the school, the tournament is designed to provide a platform for emerging talent while generating much needed financial support for the school’s cricket development programme.
Each franchise will be required to assemble a squad of 16 players, excluding the captain, with the competition featuring a unique set of regulations aimed at encouraging participation across different age groups.
Cricketers from other schools in the Matugama area will also have an opportunity to showcase their skills under the ‘Guest Players’ category. Each team can recruit up to six guest players, with four required to feature in the playing XI.
In a move designed to nurture the next generation, every team must include two current school cricketers in its squad, with at least one guaranteed a place in the playing XI.
The tournament will also accommodate experienced campaigners, with teams permitted to select five players over the age of 20 and three over 40. The provision to use an ‘Impact Player’ is another feature of the competition.
The eight teams have been divided into two groups. Group A comprises JSD Challengers, Jagath Express, Liveka Power Lions and Rexhill Warriors, while JPI Royals, Five Star Heroes, Marine Titans and Finnk Falcons make up Group B.
A total of 16 matches will be played across November 7, 8 and 15, with November 16 set aside as a reserve day.
Beyond the action on the field, organisers hope the tournament will provide a financial boost to school cricket while forging stronger ties between past and present cricketers.
Squad for the first three ODIs: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer [VC], KL Rahul [WK], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna*, Kuldeep Yadav
Squad for fourth and fifth ODIs: Shreyas Iyer [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan [WK, VC], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav
[Cricbuzz]
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