Trinity minus 6 key players; Dharmaraja, Sylvesterians seniors need to deliver
It certainly isn’t a case of the writing being on the wall. But the signs are that Kandy’s leading schoolboy side in Cricket, over the past few years, will not have it easy this time around. Last season, Weerasinghe and Jayalath, inter-alia, ensured that runs were plentiful. Sayer and Tillekeratne made certain that opposing batsmen were rolled over. Lahiru Kumara and Shavindu Amerasinghe also played their part in Trinity’s 10 successes. Alas, all 6 have made their exit.
The Captaincy (Sanogeeth Shanmuganathan and Hasitha Boyagoda are in contention) has not been decided on. Both Sanogeeth and Boyagoda have represented Sri Lanka at Junior Level. Both are high-calibre batsmen. In addition, Sanogeeth bowls quickish left arm leg-spin while Boyagoda is an orthodox offie. Rashmika Dilshan, who toured England recently with the Under (U)-19, is the other leading light. The onus is on these 3 players to ensure their team are worthy opponents.
According to Coach Kavinda Jayasuriya, the cupboard is well stocked with promising Juniors. Left hander cum offie Kalana de Zoysa, all-rounder Ruvin Peiris, stumper and batsman Poorna Wanasekera, left arm spinner Vimukthi Nethumal, opener Hasintha Jayasuriya and all-rounder Trevon Percival, all performed creditably in the U-17 matches, and will be staking their claims for spots in the senior team.
Leggie Thiyagaraja Bhanugoban and Mohamed Shoaib played fill-in roles last season, and will be eyeing permanency. Batsmen Chanuka Bandara, Avishka Senadheera, Bhatiya Dissanaike and leggie Buvaneka Ekanayake will be fighting for the vacant slots. High on resources, not short of personnel and a rich cricketing tradition to fall back on, should ensure that Trinity will be no pushovers.
Dharmaraja College
Deshan Gunasinghe who skippers Dharmaraja, made an indelible mark with two batting innings in the 70s and the 90s against Royal two years back. Both knocks came in adversity and were more valuable for that. Last season, the elegant left hander fell from grace, totaling just over 500 runs. A 6th-year player, Gunasinghe can lead from the front in a side with no big names.
Nivantha Herath will be the skipper’s chief ally. Herath made 2 hundreds in 2015/16 and did not lack in consistency. Left-hander Gihan Vitharana occupies the important No.3 spot. He came up with good contributions last season. His off-spin, though little used, was quite effective.
Big built Bavantha Udangamuwe can belt the cover off the ball. He failed last year, but came good at U-17 level. It’s up to him to show that he can do it on the big stage. Pacie Chaturanga Aludeniya chipped in with a few wickets in 2015/16, including 3 in the Big Match. He will share the new ball with either Dulaj Bandara or Chanuka Dilshan. Rukmal Dissanaike, who excelled as a left arm spinner in the U-17 matches, will lead the spin attack. Lakshita Weerasuriya (left arm) and leggie Kalana are the other spinners. Skipper Gunasinghe, who bowled left arm medium 2 years back, will switch to spin in case of an emergency.
Gunasinghe points to Dulaj Bandara and Lakshita Weerasuriya as 2 players who have the talent to go far.
Kavinda Tillekaratne will be behind the stumps. The skipper’s target is to make the 2nd round of the tournament. They missed out on it last year. There is also a small matter of making amends for a mediocre performance in last year’s Big Match, and an indifferent one in the limited overs game. The skipper, who says he has all bases covered, looks forward to the season with a quiet confidence. Senaka Dissanaike Big Match Double Centurion and Sri Lanka U-19 player who toured Australia alongside Aravinda de Silva, Asanka Gurusinghe and Roshan Mahanama continues to coach the team.
St Sylvester’s College
Many schools in Kandy have been affected by the on again, off again age rule controversy. St Sylvester’s is one of them. This season they will be minus 3 stalwarts, last year’s skipper Malith Prematilleka, leggie Sivakumar Tyron and all-rounder Thenuka Liyanage, among others. Fifth-year player Manuja Perera leads the team. His brother Hansamal led the team 2 years back. Manuja is a genuine all-rounder. He bowls with pace and hostility, and being very tall, can obtain a lot of lift. As a front-line batsman, he can play in 2 styles. If the chips are down, he can dig in and go for the long haul. If not, he can go on the attack. Tusith Soysa, a good left arm spinner, is the deputy.
Soysa is accurate and gives very few freebies. Big mode Nimsara Attaragalla bowls at a very brisk pace. In addition, he is also a front-line batsman. Wicketkeeper cum opener Avidu Herath, who led the U-17 team, is a neat player. He has been threatening a big knock and it should come this season. Opener Chandula Jayakodi, who was very consistent in the U-17 games, should get his come uppance. Similarly, Kanishka Jayasekera did well as an off-spinner at U-17 level. Batsmen Kavindu Munaweera, Sashika Viraj and Thareesha Wickremaratne will be pushing for places.
Leggie N. Pavitran was a consistent wicket-taker in the U-17 matches. Sidath Nugegoda is a lively left arm pacie. Manjith Rajapakse, who switched schools, should establish himself as an all-rounder. Others in the squad are Usindu Nissanka (left arm spin) Udara Yatawatura, Vinod Yasintha, Irosha Ratnayake and Viduranga Nirmal. Coach Jaliya Weerasinghe, who recently acquired a coaching certificate in Australia, has a difficult task filling the gaps.