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Former Royal skipper Dimitri Siriwardena being conducted back to the dressing room after the winning run was scored.

After a fifteen - year wait
ROYAL SALUTE @ SSC
By Harry Jayachandra
Revenge is sweet especially when it is done the right Royal way. After 15 years the Reid Avenue boys labelled as underdogs by many pundits, defied all odds to defeat S. Thomas’ by seven wickets in their school big match which concluded at the SSC grounds yesterday.

Going into the final day with a lead of 149 runs, the Royalists bowled out the Thomians for 295 runs.. Thomian grit and Royal’s inability to finish off the tail, were the main features of the second innings. Royal’s opening bowlers Charitha Fernando and Yasitha Abeykoon struck early. They dismissed Thomian skipper Navin Perera and Ashan Peiris with only 28 runs on the board. Prolific opener Sashreeka Pussegolla and Nizam Mazahir then put on 57 runs for the third wicket before the latter was out to an unnecessary stroke.

In a sense this was the story of the Thomian innings given that they were playing on a batsmen’s paradise. Pussegolla made 73 while Dhanushka Colombage top scored with 81 runs. Then the Thomian tail wagged furiously with number eight batsman Jehan Thahir remaining unbeaten on 50. More importantly he shared in a stand of 43 runs with Devinda Fernando. The key feature of the partnership was that they played out 18.5 overs nearly taking the game away from Royal. The wickets were shared by Wijeratne, Abeykoon, Fernando, Mowjood and Nanayakkara.

Unwittingly the Thomians did not reckon on coach Chulaka Amarasinghe’s aggressive approach and Royal’s determination to avenge last years loss. Needing to score 142 runs to win in a maximum of 23 overs, the Royalists went at it with as if their very lives depended upon it. Openers Sukitha Senaratne and Malinga Maligaspe put on 32 in just three overs. After seamer Ashan Peiris was put to the sword in the very first over, Thomian skipper opted to use spinner Dhanushka Colombage to share the new ball.

The move seemed to have paid off when Colombage tempted Senaratne down the track and present stumper Fernando with the easiest of chances. Sri Lanka’s under 15 wicket keeper Kushal Perera was pushed up the order. His judicious running and audacious stroke play helped bring the run rate down to below six.

With the total on 67 Maligaspe gave Colombage his second scalp by driving straight back at him. Enter Dimitri Siriwardene. Despite a shaky start he increased the tempo. With Royal needing just 21 runs for victory, Perera went for an unnecessary hook and was caught at deep square leg. Vice Captain Dulanjaya Wijeratne joined Siriwardene took Royal home with 1.5 overs to spare. Coach Amarasinghe in the process had the duel honour of leading Royal to victory when he was captain, and this in his first year as coach.

His bold move to pick Kushal Perera as the stumper ahead of the more experienced Maligaspe, paid of handsomely with Perera having a near perfect outing behind the sticks. The only disappointing feature of the match was the crowd. After Royal had brought down required rate to around 5.5 runs per over, pitch invasions became frequent. The spectators were obviously trying to get the match called off as they kept on removing the bails and stumps. Furthermore with light fading fast, Thomian skipper Perera in a last ditch effort to save the match, brought back seamer Ashan Peiris. The move backfired as the Royal batsman enjoyed the ball coming on to the bat.

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