Sports
Bashan, Kaveen take day’s top honours
Under 17 Division I Cricket
by Reemus Fernando
St. Aloysius’ College, Galle skipper Bashan de Silva, Maris Stella College batsman Kaveen Fernando and Sri Devananda College, Ambalangoda spinner Lahiru Kavinda produced notable performances as their teams recorded impressive victories in the Inter School Under 17 Division I tournament matches played on Monday.
Bashana produced the day’s best all-round performance taking five wickets with his off spin to (9-1-33-5) contain Mahinda to 205 runs. Later he anchored the batting line up with an unbeaten 67 runs (in 93 balls, 6x4s) to pull off a nerve tingling one wicket win at Galle International Stadium.
At Godigamuwa, Kaveen Fernando top scored with 108 runs in 95 balls (14x4s, 3x6s) for Maris Stella to post 326 runs, the highest team score of the day. In reply Suban Sanuka also scored a century but lack of support from the rest of the batsmen saw Galahitiyawa Central losing by 73 runs.
Spinner Lahiru Kavinda returned impressive figures 5.5-1-18-5 to set the stage for Sri Devananda to record 72 runs win over Devapathiraja.
Quick fire half centuries by Viduneth Wilson (59 in 42 balls, 10 fours and a six) and Kojitha Himsara (79 in 47 balls, seven fours and five sixes) powered St. Benedict’s to a crushing nine wicket win over Henegama Central as the home team cruised to 161 runs in 17 overs.
While Royal had Bulan Weeratunga coming up with all-round performances to beat Isipatana at BRC ground, S. Thomas’ romped to massive 173 runs victory over St. John’s, Panadura.
Meanwhile Sahan Divyanjana scored an unbeaten century for Taxila to set the stage for a 143 run victory over Dharmapala.
Results
Maris Stella beat Galahitiyawa Central by 73 runs at Godigamuwa
Scores:
Maris Stella
326 for 7 in 49 overs (Sadew Rathnayake 47, Shane Wijesinghe 58, Kaveen Fernando 108, Rahumath Deen 49; Suban Sanuka 3/71, Pamoth Laksen 2/47)
Galahitiyawa Central
253 all out in 47.4 overs (Pramoth Laksen 31, Suban Sanuka 109, Eshan Sayuranga 30; Mineth Fernando 3/30, Navindu Wijesuriya 3/60)
St. Aloysius’ beat Mahinda
by one wicket at Galle
Scores:
Mahinda
205 for 9 in 50 overs (Dhanuja Induwara 25, Dinura Kalupahana 45, Pramesh Madubashana 43; Bashana de Silva 5/33, Vishwa Indunil 2/38)
St. Aloysius’
206 for 9 in 49.2 overs (Dilshan Kavinda 28, Maneth Yeran 21, Bashana de Silva 67n.o., Dineth Nimsara 31; Kaveen Rukshan 2/36, Tharusha Dilshan 2/31)
Royal beat Isipatana by 44 runs at BRC
Scores:
Royal
211 for 9 in 50 overs (Sineth Jayawardana 26, Hiruna Ranawaka 28, Venusha Akash 60, Bulan Weeratunga 29, Sandesh Ramanayake 24; Kevin Samuel 2/40, Buddhika Rathnayake 3/36)
Isipatana
167 all out in 43.1 overs (Tharusha Silva 30, Naveen Kanishka 28, Yasith Kalupahana 25, Yuneth Vindiya 38; Bulan Weeratunga 3/41, Ovina Ambanpola 3/17)
S. Thomas’ beat St. John’s by 173 runs at Panadura
Scores:
S. Thomas’
241 for 9 in 50 overs (Senadhi Bulankulame 56, Thisen Ehaliyagoda54, Mahith Perera 29, Yumal Bollegala 34, Ashen Perera 26n.o.; Nimesh Ariyatunga 3/55, Ravindu Karunarathne 3/46)
St. John’s
68 all out in 23.3 overs (Akash Fernando 3/30, Nathan Caldera 5/19, Rajindu Tilakaratne 2/05)
St. Benedict’s beat Henegama Central by nine wickets at Kotahena
Scores:
Henegama
157 all out in 46.2 overs (Mandeepa Nimsara 51, Mithila Vishwajith 31; Hasanga Nanayakkara 2/29, Shenel Samarathunga 2/37, Naviru Adithya 3/26)
St. Benedict’s
161 for 1 in 16.4 overs (Viduneth Wilson 59, Kojitha Himsara 79n.o.)
Taxila beat Dharmapala by 143 runs
Scores:
Taxila
265 for7 in 50 overs (Sahan Divyanjana 122n.o, Charith Harshana 22, Chirantha Dewruwan 36n.o.; Sithum Chamalka 2/30)
Dharmapala
122 all out in 40.5 overs (Praveen Kumarapperuma 35, Sahan Lithmina 34; Tharuka Senitha 4/19, Chirantha Dewruwan 3/15)
Sri Devananda beat Devapathiraja by 72 runs at Ratgama
Scores:
Sri Devananda
183 all out in 47.4 overs (Mayura Malshan 51, Rasindu Kumara 30, Mithila Achinthaka 37; Irushka Thimira 4/25)
Devapathiraja
111 all out in 31.5 overs (Sandaru Theekshana 48; Wanith de Silva 2/17, Lahiru Kavinda 5/18)
St. Mary’s beat Vidyartha by
one wicket at Kegalle
Scores:
Vidyartha
112 all out in 28.4 overs (Bashitha Keshan 33; Lakmal Wimalarathna 2/24, Madushan K Arachchi 3/06, Sampath Madushanka 2/27, Themiya Nilakshan 2/05)
St. Mary’s
115 for 9 in 40.2 overs (Madushan K Arachchi 33; Anishka Gunaratne 5/23, Gihan Bandara 2/20)
The final week of the year is like a Roman feast for the Test cricket fan, and Boxing Day this year promises mouth-watering contests in Melbourne and Centurion but look this way too, will you? Bulawayo is set to host Zimbabwe’s first Boxing Day Test 8n 28 years too, and with unpredictable Afghanistan on the other side, a real tussle is expected between the two teams, who despite their recent underwhelming performances, would feel like they’re favourites. After all, the last time either side won a Test was against each other.
But that was way back 8n 2021. Since then, they have not found a way to win. And one look at the Zimbabwe and Afghanistan squads for this two-Test series suggests that they’re both looking to change that by taking a different direction for 2025 and beyond. A splattering of Test debutants are expected – theoretically, there could be as many 15 debuts across the two XIs – and this series could very well be the one that births a new generation.
Under 19 Cricket
by Reemus Fernando
Mahinda College, Galle took firm control of their two-day Under 19 Division I Tier ‘B’ cricket encounter as they reached 213 for nine wickets at stumps after restricting Moratu Vidyalaya to 96 runs at Galle on Wednesday.
After Arosha Udayanga grabbed five wickets to trouble the visitors, the home team topped 200 runs thanks to a century by open batsman Dulsith Darshana and a half century by Senuka Dangamuwa.
While Darshana scored 13 fours and a six in his 106 which came in 143 balls, Dangamuwa hammered nine fours and a six in his 50 which came in 51 balls.
Mahinda are in search of their first outright victory in the tournament proper after having earned first innings points in two out of the three matches in their group.
Moratu Vidyalaya too have completed three matches and have scored first innings points on one occasion.
Scores
Moratu Vidyalaya
96 all out in 45.2 overs (Sanjana Senavirathna 31, Shehara Fernando 20; Arosha Udayanga 5/35)
Mahinda
213 for 9 in 52 overs (Dulsith Darshana 106, Senuka Dangamuwa 50; Isuru Nidharshana 2/64, Nishitha Fernando 5/45)
by Reemus Fernando
Sri Lanka Athletics has suspended track and field official S. W. Nimalsiri for four years after a three member committee appointed by the sports governing body found him guilty of manhandling leading athletic official G.L.S. Perera within the Sri Lanka Athletics premises in Torrington.
“The executive committee of Sri Lanka Athletics decided to hand Nimalsiri a four year suspension after the three member committee concluded that he was guilty of manhandling the respected official,” Saman Kumara Gunawardhana, the secretary of Sri Lanka Athletics told The Island.
At the time of the suspension Nimalairi was a committee member of Sri Lanka Athletics and is the president of the Ace Athletics Club and secretary of the Colombo District Athletics Association.
The three member committee that inquired the incident involving Nimalairi and Perera was headed by retired district court judge Upali Samaraweera. Others in the committee were former director of sports Padma Siriwardana and disciplinary committee chairman of Sri Lanka Athletics Chandana Ekanayake.
Nimalsiri has also been suspended from officiating in track and field competitions.
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