Hunting Petes on the prowl
View(s):By Naushad Amit
Dushan Hemantha (Capt.)
heir posture this season may look a bit tentative this season but St. Peter’s College Colombo has all the right to put themselves among the top school cricket sides of Sri Lanka.
As always the Peterites have been one of the top teams in school cricket and despite of the absence of bigger names this season they are never a side to be underestimated.
Keerthi Gunaratne the coach of St. Peter’s, who has been continuing his service for over three seasons, is adamant that his boys can produce the goods as the season resumed for the first term a couple of weeks back. This year the team is captained by allrounder Dushan Hemantha who has the support of other top performers like Julian de Zilwa, Lahiru Milantha, Shasheen Fernando, Jason Buultjens, Ranitha Liyanarachchi, Kavinda de Tissera and Janith Liyanage. All these players are well experienced and are key components in the St. Peter’s outfit.
Out from the seniors’ lot Liyanarachchi has had the honour of representing the Sri Lanka Under-19 side and is
Julian de Zilwa
shaping up to be the next generation allrounder for the national side. Skipper Hemantha who is a playing in his fourth year with the first XI side, is a player who is used to win regularly.
As coach Gunaratne said, St. Peter’s has all the possibilities of turning fate and fortune in their favour. Gunaratne is a contended man with the strong batting line up the Peterites possess and steady yet tough bowling attack. Batsmen who posses a threat to any top school cricket side are Shashen Fernando, Jason Buultjens, wicketkeeper Lahiru Milantha, Kavinda de Tissera and skipper Hemantha who form the top order. All these names are not second to each other when it comes to batting. Yet bowlers like Liyanarachchi, Janith Liyanage and Julian de Zilwa
Kavinda de Tissera
also can make worthy contributions with the bat when needed.
Though fast bowlers Liyanarachchi, Liyanage, Chemila Obeysekera and part timer Sudil Dissanayake has all the abilities to curtail any opponent under any given condition, the strike bowler of St. Peter’s is none other than left-arm leg-spinner de Zilwa. De Zilwa has been a great contributor for the St. Peter’s team with his effective spin bowling over the years.
To assist him are skipper Hemantha, a right-arm leg-spinner, de Tissera an off-spinner and other spinners who can come handy for St. Peter’s, namely, Shasheen Fernando and Chrishan Fernando.
Surprisingly over ten players will make their exit from the first XI side end of the season and coach 
Gunaratne was optimistic that the players will go ahead to explore the whole wide cricketing world when they go out of school and reach greater heights.
According to the coach one of the aims St. Peter’s have set this season is to play positive cricket, the ideal platform for wins. If they are lucky and good enough, according to Gunaratne, this will be one of the best seasons St. Peter’s will ever go through in recent times.
Wins have been a regular aspect during the recent times and this season too they have made a positive start for a fruitful season.
St. Peter’s cricket squad- 2013
| Player | Batting style | Bowling style |
| Dushan Hemantha (Capt) | Right hand | Right-arm leg-spin |
| Julian de Zilwa (VC) | Right hand | Left-arm leg-spin |
| Lahiru Milantha | Right hand | Wicketkeeper |
| Shasheen Fernando | Right hand | Right-arm off-spin |
| Jason Buultjens | Left hand | Right-arm medium pace |
| Ranitha Liyanarachchi | Left hand | Right-arm fast |
| Kavinda de Tissera | Right hand | Right-arm off-spin |
| Janith Liyanage | Right hand | Right-arm fast |
| Chemila Obeysekara | Right hand | Right-arm fast |
| Christian Fernando | Right hand | Left-arm chinaman |
| Oshan Karunaratne | Right hand | Wicketkeeper |
| Haritha Dias | Left hand | Wicketkeeper |
| Kalana Rodrigo | Right hand | Right-arm off-spin |
| Sahan Nanayakkara | Left hand | Left-arm leg-spin |
| Dinith Hewathanthri | Left hand | Right-arm off-spin |
| Sudil Dissanayake | Left hand | Left-arm fast |
| Nimantha Peiris | Right hand | Right-arm leg-spin |
| Anshuman Weerasinghe | Left hand | Right-arm leg-spin |
| Methusha Wijetilake | Right hand | Right-arm off-spin |
| Officials: Keerthi Gunaratne (Head Coach), Kitto Fetnandopulle (Asst. Coach), Piyal Salgado (Asst. Coach), Shanaka Fernando (Asst. Coach). | ||
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