99th Big Match at Asgiriya : Trinity and St. Anthony’s are different as chalk and cheese
Raveen Sayer (Trinity Capt)
To some followers of the game, there is a certain inevitability surrounding the 99th Big Match between Trinity and St. Anthony’s on March 11 and 12 at the Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy.
Quite apart from the fact that one team is in Division One and the other is in Division Two, Statistically, the teams are as different as chalk and cheese.
Trinity can lay claim to being the strongest team in schools, with a batting line-up that extends up to number ten. They have covered all the bases as for as their bowling goes. The upshot of it all is that they won ten games, inclusive of three against big shots Royal, Ananda and DSS.
Dilan Jayalath (with well over a thousand) and Nushan Weerasinghe (with a near one thousand) are the leading lights in the batting. Jayalath’s best innings have been against DS (97), 62 and 57 (Bens), 84 (Royal), 77 (Issipathana). A good striker, with aggressive intent, he’s a potential danger to the Anthonians.
Left hander Sanugeeth Shanmuganathan has scored centuries against St.Aloysius and St. Joseph’s. Last week he featured in an opening stand of 190 with Nushan Weerasinghe against Royal.
At this moment, Weerasinghe, who has made three hundreds, is in red-hot form. Getting rid of these three will not solve their opponent’s problems. Hasitha Boyagoda’s 91 against the Thomians were full of elegance.
Shavindu Amerasinghe has come up with four half-centuries, while hard-hitting Sa chira Gaminda has made two. Last, but not least, comes skipper Raveen Sayer who has two sixties, a fifty and two forties.
Trinity (from): Nushan Weerasinghe, Sanugeeth Shanmuganathan, Hasitha Boyagoda, Shavindu Amerasinghe, Duvindu Tillekeratne, Dilan Jayalath, Rashmika Dilshan, Lahiru Kumara, Thasila Dodanwela, Sachira Gaminda, Yasaran Pitawela, Hasintha Jayasuriya, Tanka Chandraratne, Thiyagaraja Bhanugoban. Kavinda Jayasuriya (Coach), M.A.M. Dissanaike (MIC)
Trinity’s bowling has been dominated by the spin combination of Tillekeratne and Sayer. It is not like the ditty of the 1970′s which said “if Lillilee doesn’t get you, Thommo must”. These two bowlers have struck together as in best week’s win over Royal. Sayer has a 7-19 against Dharmapala and Tillekeratne 7-58 against St. Josephs. Both spinners count around 90 wickets each.
Left arm seamer Rashmika Dilshan has those five wickets
Kanishka Ukgalpaya, who leads the Anthonians, has a highest of 166 not out. A big contribution is expected from him to counter Trinity’s all round attack.
A 73 against Wesley last week confirmed that he is in good nick.
Mohamed Alfer is another top-order player whose wicket the opposition will be striving for. A neat player he has made five half centuries.
After also performs the keeping duties, so it’s going to be a long time in pods for him.
Young left hander Theeksha Gunasinghe struck the first century for his school this season and the captain followed in the very next game.
Kanishka Ukgalpaya (Antonian Capt)
Gunasinghe had a fair double (51 and 40) against Royal, a match they lost. His 71 not out against Devananda propelled the Anthonians to victory.
Lakjeeva Wijebandara has been quite a success since his elevation to the senior team. Kavindu Yapa Bandara, possibly the best all rounder, and Dion Stouter are two others who will have to blunt the effectiveness of the Trinity attack.
Left arm pace cum spin specialist, Sandaruwan Dharmaratne has sevens, sixes and fives in his bag of wickets. In actual fact, he is about 60 per cent of the attack. If the Trinity batsmen get on top of him, the Anthonians will struggle as they lack another bowler who is similarly effective.
Yapa Bandara has a seven for, and Stouter has some four fors. Off spinner Romesh Premaratne (best of 4-18) shows some promise.
The Anthonians beat Devananda, S de S Jayasinghe, St. Xaviers and Sri Sumangala, but lost to St. Thomas, Royal, St. Joseph’s and, surprisingly, to Kalutara Vidyalaya – a Division two side.
More than the bowling, it is the batting that has been their bug-bear. They have been dismissed for less than 182 on fourteen occasions. They stopped the 200 run mark six times. The redeeming feature is that they are batting better now than at the start of the season.
On the face of it, the Anthonians will have a lot of work to do. But they have shown on previous occasions that they will not simply lie down and die.
St. Anthony's (from): Mohamed Alfer, Theeksha Gunasinghe, Virajith Jayasinghe, Dion Stouter, Romesh Premaratne, Lakjeeva Wijebandara, Sandaruwan Dharmaratne, Sunera Jayasinghe, Thamashana Abeykoon, Janindu Nimsara, Sateesh Wikcremaarachchi, Mokshana Wickremanayake, Kavindu Yapa Bandara, Dilanka Wijeratne.Prasad Ranawaka (Coach), Lenin Jayasinghe (MIC)