Ananda take honours on opening day
Ananda College took honours of the opening day of the 87th Battle of the Maroons against traditional rivals Nalanda College as the match looks well poised to an unexpected result at the SSC ground in Colombo yesterday.
Nalanda were sent into bat by their Big Match opponents only to be bowled out for 197 by tea and Ananda, when stumps were drawn on the first day, were well placed at 55 for the loss of one wicket. Ananda trail the first innings by 142 runs and with nine wickets in hand they could set the tone for a result oriented match when play resumes today.
Nalanda batsman Nimanka Ratnayaka stood tall for his side with a fighting knock of 44 - Pic by Amila Gamage
Individual stars were a handful in this year’s encounter with teamwork coming into the fore from both sides. From Ananda’s end spinner Supun Waragoda turned out to be the cynosure while opener Nimanka Ratnayake took the honour from Nalanda’s end.
With a low total from Nalanda and a defensive approach from Ananda, at the time of stumps, are still premature facts to predict of a certain outcome. The first session of the second and final day could be crucial for the game’s tune and if both sides decide to play safe, the game will certainly end in a dull draw for the 11th consecutive year.
Opener Rahal Avishka remained unbeaten on 28 but he had faced 68 deliveries hitting four boundaries while Nisal Francisco faced 34 deliveries for his 15 not out, which included three fours. Overall Ananda batsmen faced 21 overs and Nalanda used six bowlers to experiment on possibilities of claiming early wickets.
Ananda did well to dismiss their rivals shortly after tea. Ananda winning the crucial toss decided to field and gave their rivals to bat on a green top. But from the inception their opponents went on a run crawl. Ananda made the initial breakthrough when Nalanda’s total was at 14. Paceman Kavishka Anjula had opener Thanura Hettiarachchi nicking to keeper Niran Haggalla for three.
But a solid 64-run partnership between Nimanka Ratnayaka and Lakshitha Manasinghe for the second wicket frustrated the Anandians. Of the two, Ratnayake played a solid knock of 44 off 83 balls before falling to Waragoda’s right arm off-breaks. He was caught at covers by Ananda skipper Nisal Francisco. Ratnayake had six fours to his innings.
Then wickets tumbled at regular intervals with Anandian bowlers pressurizing their opponents. After a 29-run partnership for the third wicket, Manasinghe was caught by Waragoda off Ananda’s previous year skipper Shammu Ashan’s right arm off-break for 35. Manasinghe for his 35 runs, took a painstaking 111 balls. Then Waragoda had his second wicket when Malinda Amarasinghe was caught by Kamesh Nirmal for 37. Amarasinghe faced 61 balls and belted seven fours. Nalanda looked perilous at 127 for 4, but Kasun Sandaruwan and skipper Dasun Seneviratne steadied the innings with a 34-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
Nalanda lost their fifth wicket at 161, when Sandaruwan was adjudged plumbed leg before off slow left arm orthodox bowler Dileepa Jayalath for 13. The Nalandians lost two quick wickets in succession to be in dire straights at 161 for 7. Suhanga Wijewardena was caught by keeper Haggalla off Jayalath for a duck and Kasun Bandara was run out after a superb direct throw at the stumps by Ashen Sigera from mid on. Skipper Seneviratne tried his best to hold the innings together with Dilan Suraweera. Seneviratne made 21 and was caught by Gimhana at point off Ashan. Seneviratne had two fours and a lusty six in his 18-ball innings. But Nalanda could not reach the 200-run mark when Waragaoda scalped the wickets of Suraweera and Asel Kulathunga in quick succession. Supun Waragoda had a great game with a superb bowling spell of 4 for 13 from 12 overs with five maidens.
The match continues today.
Scoreboard
Nalanda College 1st innings
Thanura Hettiarachchi c Haggalla b Anjula 3
Nimanka Ratnayaka c Francisco b Waragoda 44
Lakshitha Manasinghe c Waragoda b Ashan 35
Malinda Amerasinghe c Nirmal b Waragoda 37
Kasun Sandaruwan lbw b Jayalath 13
Dasun Seneviratne c Gimhana b Ashan 21
Suhanga Wijewardena c Haggalla b Jayalath 0
Kasun Bandara run out (Sigera) 1
Dilan Suraweera c and b Waragoda 20
Asel Kulathunga st Haggalla b Waragoda 14
Kalana Perera not out 1
Extras (b2, nb6) 8
Total (all out; 71.1 overs) 197
Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Hettiarachchi), 2-78( Ratnayake), 3-107 ( Manasinghe), 4-127 (Amerasinghe), 5-161 (Sandaruwan), 6-161 (Wijewardena), 7-161 (Seneviratne), 8-166 (Bandara), 9-196 (Suraweera), 10-197 (Kulathunga) Bowling: Kaveeshka Anjula 13-1-62-1 (6nb), Dinuka Gimahana 5-1-11-0, Asel Sigera 10-2-20-0, Sammu Ashan 18-6-45-2, Dileepa Jayalath 14-3-44-2, Supun Waragoda 11.1-5-13-4
Ananda College 1st innings
Rahal Avishka not out 28
Kalana Perera c Manasinghe b Wijewardana 4
Nisal Francisco not out 15
Extras (b4, lb1, w3) 8
Total (1 wicket; 21 overs) 55
Fall of wickets: 1-25 (Perera)
Bowling: Malinga Amarasinghe 5-3-2-0, Kalana Perera 5-1-27-0 (1w), Dinidu Wijewardana 3-0-12-1 (2w), Kavindu Bandara 4-2-7-0, Asel Kulathunga 3-2-1-0, Dilan Suraweera 1-0-1-0