The 91st edition of the grand old clash between Sri Lanka’s two premier Catholic institutions – St. Joseph’s College and St. Peter’s College – is set to bring the house down, with excitement hitting fever pitch. This year’s Battle of the Saints is no ordinary affair – it’s a three-day spectacle, stretching from the 3rd to the 5th of April, mirroring the format of the game’s longer version and promising to be anything but a tame draw.

Thanks to the proactive backing of Sri Lanka Cricket, this season’s big matches have all gone the distance – three days apiece – in a bid to add some real bite to the contests. No more settling for boring dead rubbers. In fact, the numbers don’t lie – of the 90 previous encounters, a whopping 67 have ended in draws. But this year, with an extra day in the bank, the chances of a result are looking as bright as a sunny day at the SSC.

Both St. Joseph’s and St. Peter’s were established by the French Oblate Missionaries, and they now lock horns annually for the much-coveted Rev. Fr. Maurice J. Le Goc Trophy – a symbol of glory and tradition passed down through generations.

Who Was Fr. Le Goc?

Rev. Fr. Maurice J. Le Goc, a man of letters and a true renaissance soul, was Rector of St. Joseph’s and a giant in the field of education. He wore many hats – scientist, botanist, astronomer, architect – a genuine all-rounder in every sense of the word. After a successful innings at St. Joseph’s, he was handed the task of planting a Josephian branch south of Colombo. That seed blossomed into what we now know as St. Peter’s College.

But the action doesn’t end with the longer format. Once the whites are packed away, the two schools will square off in the limited-over game – a white-ball thriller for the Rev. Fr. Peter A. Pillai Trophy – named after yet another educational heavyweight.

This year, Kenath Liyanage dons the skipper’s cap for the Josephians, while Oween Salgado leads the charge for the Peterites. Both captains will be looking to etch their names into history with bat and ball.

When it comes to bragging rights, St. Joseph’s have their noses in front with 12 wins to St. Peter’s ten. The Joes last tasted victory in 2008 under the astute leadership of Ruwantha Fernandopulle, while the Peterites had their moment in the sun in 2016, thanks to the calm and composed Vinu Mohotty.

Both schools have served as fertile nurseries for cricketing excellence. The Josephians have rolled out stars such as Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews, Chaminda Vaas, Dunith Wellalage, Shevon Daniel, Thisara Perera, Ashley de Silva, Roshen Silva and Sadeera Samarawickrama – all of whom have worn the lion crest with pride.

Meanwhile, the Peterite dressing room has seen legends like Roy Dias, Rumesh Ratnayake, Vinodhan John, Amal Silva, Russel Arnold, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Malinda Warnapura, Angelo Perera, Janith Liyanage and Dushan Hemantha rise through its ranks. These two schools have not just produced players – they’ve produced match-winners.

Fans can catch all the action ball by ball via ThePapare TV on Dialog Television Channel 126, or stream it live on ThePapare.com and Dialog ViU app – perfect for those who prefer to follow the match from the comfort of their crease.

ThePapare’s stellar live coverage will shine a spotlight on over 40 school games across the island this season, bringing every six, wicket, and near-miss right to your fingertips.

Under 19 Cricket

Sri Lanka Under 19 batsman Sharujan Shanmuganathan hammered an unbeaten double century- his best batting performance in the school circuit- to propel St. Benedict’s to their highest total of the season in the Under 19 traditional cricket encounter at Kotahena on Tuesday.

The Bens’ skipper cracked 17 fours and eight sixes in his unbeaten knock which powered the home team to 410 for seven wickets declared against St. Peter’s. His 202 runs came in 183 balls. He reached his century in 107 balls and consumed 156 balls to pass the 150 mark. The last 50 runs of his double century needed only 27 balls.

The Bens have been struggling the whole season and had to play the relegation league before retaining their place in the top tier of the Under 19 Division I tournament.

On such a backdrop their performance yesterday was a huge turnaround as they earned first innings honours against Petes.

At Darley Road Trinity restricted St. Joseph’s to 164 runs to take first innings honours, while St. Anthony’s Katugastota and Mahanama took first innings lead in their matches ended yesterday.

Match Details

Bens amass 410 runs at Kotahena

Scores

St. Peter’s

378 all out in 81 overs (Oween Salgado 70, Dilana Damsara 54, Jason Fernando 64, Enosh Peterson 65, Thareen Sanketh 34, Lashmika Perera 28, Virul Amarapala 23; Hashen Olagama 2/55, Mewan Dissanayake 5/57) and 22 for 2 in 5.4 overs

St. Benedict’s

20 for 1 overnight 410 for 7 decl. in 83.2 overs (Didula Edirisuriya 32, Janindu Nandasena 115, Sharujan Shanmuganathan 202n.o., Mewan Dissanayake 20, Trishen Silva 27; Lashmika Perera 2/83)

Trinity on first innings at Darley Road

Scores

Trinity

264 all out in 84.3 overs (Dimantha Mahavithana 38, Rajindu Thilakarathne 33, Vathila Udara 51, Oshana Lokuge 39, Mahendra Abeysinghe 43; Yenula Dewthusa 4/66, Demion de Silva 2/52, Nushan Perera 2/53)

St. Joseph’s

5 for 2 overnight 164 all out in 61 overs (Yenula Dewthusa 20, Rishma Amarasinghe 38, Pamod Dalpadado 22, Nushan Perera 28, Senesh Solangarachchi 28; Ranul Gunarathna 3/37, Vathila Udara 2/25, Sweath Anurajeewa 3/71)

St. Anthony’s on first innings

at Katugastota

Scores

St. Anthony’s

207 all out in 79.5 overs (Januka Rathnayake 83, Kevan Fernando 29, Tharusha Dasun 35n.o.; Sadaneth Yahampath 2/32, Sachithra Tanuka 4/28, Nishitha Fernando 2/39) and 21 for 3 in 9.5 overs

Moratu Vidyalaya

53 for 3 overnight 188 all out in 64.2 overs (Isuru Nidharshana 30, Sanjana Senavirathne 67, Sithum Silva 26n.o.; Tharusha Dasun 4/47, Kevan Fernando 3/30)

Mahanama win on first innings

at Thurstan ground

Scores

Mahanama

218 for 7 overnight 291 all out in 95.5 overs (Anuka Wijewardana 37, Sithum Vihanga 32, Dulnith Sigera 80, Eshan Withanage 27, Chamika Heenatigala 23, Gimantha Dissanayake 22; Binupa Thathmira 3/40, Sanvidu Dissanayake 2/33, Thanuga Palihawadana 3/95, Sethru Fernando 2/39) and 33 for 2 in 8 overs (Sethru Fernando 2/22)

Thurstan

207 all out in 51.5 overs (Thanuja Rajapaksha 53, Sethru Fernando 29, Sanvidu Dissanayake 22n.o., Dinal Induwara 21; Anuka Wijewardana 4/54, Chamika Heenatigala 4/58)

by Reemus Fernando