BOTH TEAMS EVENLY BALANCED, KEEN TUSSLE EXPECTED
Two leading cricket playing schools in the western province D.S. Senanayake College (DSS) and Mahanama College Colombo will battle for supremacy when they meet in their annual Battle of the Golds big match scheduled to be played on March 29th and 30th at the SSC grounds.
This is the 18th in the series and from the 17 matches that played so far only one outright win has been recorded with DSS achieving it in the year 2014 led by Binura Fernando who today is a member of the Sri Lanka national side.
The two teams are evenly balanced and have recorded four outright wins this season from the matches that they have played with DSS led by Gaviru Senhas recording wins against Wesley, St. Servatius’ Matara, St. Anthony’s Kandy and Maliyadeva Kurunegala while Mahanama led by Duvindu Ranatunga recording wins against St. Benedict’s, St. Thomas’ Matara, St. Anne’s Kurunegala and Maris Stella Negombo.
Added to that both the teams had a successful stint in the ongoing Under 19 inter-schools two day cricket tournament as they qualified to the quarter finals and Mahanama had the honour of advancing to the semi finals when they recorded a thrilling five wicket win over St. Anthony’s Katugastota. So a keenly contested tussle could be expected with the two teams evenly balanced.
Looking at the individual performances of the players of both the teams it seems DSS possess a strong batting line up as they have two centurions in the side in Malith Perera who is their top scorer with over 550 runs and Dehem Nirmal who made an unbeaten 204 to make over 400 runs and apart from the pair the others from whom much will be expected are skipper Senhas who has over 500 runs, Chenul Pinsra over 450 runs, Pesandu Weerasinghe, Randisha Bandaranayake and Chanula Athale
The DSS bowling will revolve around their top bowler Randisha Bandaranayake and support will be looked forward from Akmal Fazly, Chenuka Peiris, skipper Gaviru and Shanal Binushka.
Mahanama on the other hand though not possessing the quality as their opponents they are known as fighters who would not give up which they showed in the quarter final match against St. Anthony’s and they will bank on Inuka Karannagoda, Dulnith Sigera, Gimantha Dissanayake, Rashmika Perera, Eshan Withanage, Koojana Perera and Kavindu Amameth to bolster the scoreboard while the bowling will be in the hands of allrounder Inuka Karannagoda Chamika Heenitigala, skipper Duvindu Ranatunga, Gimantha Dissanayake and Anuka Wijewardena.
The two day match will be followed by the limited over encounter which is played for the Aravinda de Silva Challenge Trophy and scheduled to be played on April 21 at the same venue.