Courageous Pubudu departs and chaos takes over

Trinity skipper Pubudu Bandara came in at number ten because of a shoulder strain on the first day. At 132 for 9 with sturdy assistance firstly from last man Ruvin Pieris, Bandara advanced the total to 173, contributing a brave battling 60 off 99 balls. He had eight fours and two sixes in his knock of 60.

The drama started when he and Pieris were on their way back to the pavilion. The jostling crowd that rallied around the players may have knocked on his shoulder and aggravated the injury. The other side says that there was absolutely no question of the player being targeted.

The upshot of it all was that play was called off around 3 p. m. When the Trinity openers came to the center and almost immediately went back. The match restarted with 32 overs were left to be bowled.

Before the drama, the Trinitians who continued from the overnight 20 for one, were rocked by a blistering spell of pace bowling by lanky Sasith Hirudika who had the amazing figures of 11-7-8-3.

Nimnaka Jayatilleke then took over and killed the others softly. He ended with an analysis of 28-8-58-5.

Chanuka Kumarasinghe withstood the pace and spin in a fine innings of 32. Lokuketiya and Raizan resisted b r i e f l y. Kav i s h k a Senadheera, seeing the writing on the wall, struck two powerful boundaries in his innings of 12.

St. Anthony’s 298 for 8 dec (Chamindu Wickremasinghe 128, Asitha Wanninayake 54, Theeksha Gunasinghe 25, Lasith Werellagama 21, Tamashana Abeykoon 21, Kavishka Senadheera 4 for 98, Abishek Anandakumar 2 for 77)

Trinity 173 in 71 overs ( P u budu Bandara 60, Chanuka Kumarasinghe 32, Ashan Lokuketiya 17, Omer Raizan 1 9 , K av i s h k a Senadheera 12; Sasith Hirudika 3 for 8, Nimnaka Jayatilleke 5 for 57)