Minuwangoda Stallions win inaugural championship
Champions - Minuwangoda Stallions
Minuwangoda (Galle) Stallions emerged champions of the Mahinda College Premier League (MCPL) cricket tournament played at the college ground in Galle. Minuwangoda Stallions beat Dangedara Gladiators by 38 runs in the final, in which Navod Paranavithana, the star cricketer produced by Mahinda College in the recent times, clobbering an unbeaten 85 to see his team post 182-6 and restrict the Gladiators to 144-8 in the 12-over per-side game.
Four teams — Minuwangoda Stallions, Dangedara Gladiators, Eliot Road Vikings and Karapitiya Tuskers — participated in this tournament. Each team included college Under-19 players, three past cricketers and two or three juniors from the school’s lower age group teams. Minuwangoda Stallions and Dangedara Gladiators advanced to the final according to the points table on the first round, which was played under league basis.
Captains of the four teams
The tournament was conducted with the intention of lifting the spirit of the young cricketers of Mahinda College, who have been deprived of sporting activities for almost an year since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each team had a mixture of past, senior and junior cricketers playing together, with youngsters having the privilege of learning about the game from seniors and first class cricketers on field.
Sri Lanka Twenty20 player Thikshila de Silva, Romesh Buddhika, Chalana de Silva, Rajitha Priyan, Gayan Sameera, Kevin Koththigoda, Indeera Gallage, Pasindu Dilshan, Shohan Kariyawasam, Asanka Lakshan, Shohan Kariyawasam, Vinura Dulsara and Reshan Kavinda played this tournament as past cricketers from the school.
Thikshila fe Silva of Minuwangoda Stallions, was adjudged Player of the Tournament and Navod Paranavithana, the skipper of Minuwangoda Stallions, was adjudged Player of the Final. Hiruna Mandila Gallage of Minuwangoda Stallions was adjudged Emerging Player of the Tournament.
Thikshila de SIlva won the Player of the Tournament award
Vijith Lokunarangoda, Senior Vice President of OBA and Chairman of ‘Thuru Saviya Fund’ graced the occasion as chief guest at the awards ceremony. Gamini Jayawardhane, the Principal of Mahinda College, L.P. Weeraman, Deputy Principal (Sports), Raja Athukorarala, Vice President of OBA and Chairman Sports Committee, Kamal Nishantha, Shiran Halwathura and Nalin Asanga members of Sports Committee, Jagath Samarakoon, Junior Master-in-Charge also were present at this event.
This tournament was organised under the guidance of Gamini Jayawardhane, the principal of Mahinda with the able assitance of Y. Nishantha Kumara, Senior Master-in-Charge, Dhanushka Denagama, Cricket Coach and Assistant Coaches Kalana Thisanka and Avishka Dilshan.
| Results: | |
Eliot Road Vikings 159/6 (12) (Kevin Koththigoda 83n.o., Kavidu Lakshan 22, Dhanuja Induwara 21, Chalana de Silva 2/33) Dangedara Gladiators 124/9 (12) (Osindu Kularathne 43, Tharusha Dilshan 29, Anuradha Maduvinda 26, Sithira Helitha 3/08, Asanka Lakshan 2/19)
Minuwangoda Stallions 110/8 (12) (Hiruna Mandila 34, Kavindu Ediriweera 13, Shakya Sampath 3/12, Romesh Buddhika 2/7, Reshan Kavinda 2/13) Karapitiya Tuskers 84 all out (9.5) (Kawsitha Kodithuwakku 28, Romesh Buddhika 23, Kosala Udayanga 12, Danindu Chamikara 4/9)
Minuwangoda Stallions 99 all out (12) (Thikshika de Silva 40, Hiruna Mandila 16, Kavindu Ediriweera 14, Tharusha Dilshan 3/10, Pasindu Dilshan 2/14) Dangedara Gladiators 99/8 (12) (Anuradha Maduvinda 15, Subhanu Rajapaksha 14, Osindu Kularathne 14, Chalana de Silva 10, Pasindu Dilshan 10, Indeera Gallage 3/14, Hiruna Mandila 2/9, Thikshila De Silva 2/14)
Karapitiya Tuskers 145/5 (12) (Romesh Buddhika 52, Kawsitha Kodithuwakku 30, Dinura Kalupahana 26, Shohan Kariyawasam 26) Eliot Road Vikings 85/8 (12) (Chethiya Gunasekara 18, Kavidu Lakshan 17, Ranmina Hettiarachchi 13 n.o., Dinuar Kalupahana 2/9, Shakya Sampath 2/20)
Dangedara Gladiators 151/7 (12) (Shehan Hasaranga 47, Subhanu Rajapaksha 29, Pasindu Dilshan 21, Tharusha Dilshan 13, Rajitha Priyan 2/29) Karapitiya Tuskers 110/8 (12) (Inura Kalupahana 52, Reshan Kavinda 15, Pramesh Madhubhashana 11, Pasindu Dilshan 3/21, Kaveen Rukshan 2/17, Chalana de Silva 2/20)
Eliot Road Vikings 136/6 (12) (Gayan Sameera 42, Dhanuja Induwara 42, Rashmika Madhusanka 30, Kevin Koththigoda 19, Danindu Chamikara 2/26) Minuwangoda Stallions 142/4 (11.2) (Sandew Induwara 38n.o., Navod Paranavithana 35, Thikshila de Silva 33, Kavindu Ediriweera 24)
Minuwangoda Stallions 182/6 (12) (Navod Paranavithana 85n.o., Hiruna Mandila 31, Sandew Induwara 25, Danindu Chamikara 15, Subhanu Rajapaksha 2/34) Dangedara Gladiators 144/8 (12) (Vinura Dulsara 46n.o., Osindu Kularathne 41, Shehan Hasaranga 31, Thikshila de Silva 2/18, Shehan Sandeepa 2/3, Shenuka Dangamuwa 2/7) |
Teams line up to welcome the chief guest - Pix courtesy Mahinda College Media Unit
