Galle Lovers battle for supremacy
Two prominent cricket-playing schools in the south, Richmond College and Mahinda College, will face off in their annual 119th Lovers’ Quarrel, on March 15 and 16 at the Galle International Stadium.
It will be a fascinating contest as the two teams will be captained by Malsha Tharupathi of Richmond and Dinura Kalupahana of Mahibnda, both of whom successfully represented the Sri Lanka Under-19 team at the recently concluded ICC U-19 World Cup in South Africa.
Tharupathi served as the vicecaptain of the Sri Lanka U-19 team, while Kalupahana was the more successful of the two at the ICC U-19 World Cup. Although they were unable to play for their school teams due to national commitment, all eyes will be on these talented players.
Besides their captains, both teams boast of gifted players. Richmond rely on their top runscorers of the season, Chehan Subasinghe and Thamindu Prafeeptha, both of whom have surpassed the 500-run mark. They are well supported by Nikil Jayaweera, Seneth Sisan, Shehan de Zoysa, Sharon Abishek, and Kaveesha Induwara, among others.
Richmond’s bowling attack centres around Sharon Abishek, their leading wicket-taker with over 60 scalps, along with Kaveesha Induwara and captain Tharupathi. They can expect support from Sihath Ramanayake and Malith de Silva. Mahinda will rely on Pramesh Madubashana and deputy skipper Tharusha Dilshan, both of whom have scored over 500 runs, as well as captain Kalupahana, Deneth Kaushalya, and Senuka Dangamuwa to strengthen their batting lineup.
Their bowling will be led by Kaveen Rukshan, who has taken more than 60 wickets, including six five-wicket hauls. He notably claimed 17 wickets in a match against St. Sylvester’s College, Kandy. They will eagerly anticipate support from Senuka Dangamuwa and Arosha Udayanga, who together have taken 60 wickets.
Mahinda has not secured an outright win in a long time, with their last victory dating back to 2008 under the leadership of Rajith Priyanjan. Richmond’s most recent win was in 2019, captained by Thaveesha Abishek, giving them a series lead of 24 wins against Mahinda’s 23.
Mahinda holds two series records -- P.H.K.H. Ranasinghe’s knock of 162 in 1972, the highest individual score, while Somasiri Abeyratne’s feat of 10 for 44 runs in 1953 is a unique bowling record. Richmond’s R.M.M. de Silva boasts the best bowling figure of 15 for 15, achieved in 1922.