Sachitha guides S. Thomas’ to clinch title after 14 years

Right-handed batsman Sachitha Jayatileke cracked a match winning knock of 71 to guide S. Thomas’ to record a thrilling two-wicket win over St Sebastian’s in the final played at P. Sara Stadium, to clinch the Under 17 Division One cricket title.

The win also saw the Thomians winning the title after a lapse of 14 years, when they were incidentally coached by their present coach Dinesh Kumarasinghe.

It’s the third time that Dinesh, as the coach, has steered the side to emerge champions with the first being in the year 1995 followed in 1999 and then this year.

Sachitha’s knock which came off 83 balls included four boundaries and half a dozen sixes. Sachitha came to the rescue of his team when they were struggling on 79 for 5 in the 20th over in pursuit of a target of 204 runs.

Sachitha was associated in two fruitful partnerships, the first of 47 runs for the sixth wicket with Dulanja Silva and then followed it up with what turned out to be the match winning partnership with skipper Ravindu Tilekeratne, that of 72 runs for the eighth-wicket. The partnership helped the Thomians reach the target in the 46th over.

Earlier in the day St Sebastian’s, whose skipper Visal Senanayake won the toss and elected to take first lease of the wicket, underwent fluctuated fortunes. They lost two quick wickets with the game just six overs old and the score on 16. Kusal Lakthilina and Muditha Fernando put on a 56 runs stand for the fourth wicket but the pair was dismissed within a space of two runs as the Sebs fell into deep trouble with the score on 104 for 5 in the 34th over.

The late order batting rescued the side as they were able to chalk up a further 99 runs in the next 16 overs to end their innings on a respectable score of 203 which in the end proved to be insufficient. The Sebs innings was helped by extras, which had 22 wides.

St Sebastian’s 203 for 7 in 50 overs (Muditha Fernando 31, Kusal Lakthilina 30, Sandaruwan Fernando 22, Nimesh Bandara 19, Sachintha Silva 41 n,o,: Dulanja Silva 2 for 15, Tharindu Ratnayake 2 for 27, Sachitha Jayatileke 2 for 47)

S. Thomas’ 205 for 8 in 45.5 overs (Sachitha Jayatileke 71, Dulanja Silva 47, Tharindu Ratnayake 25: Pramesh Fernando 4 for 40, Avishka Fernando 2 for 37)