Rajans possess a winning combination

Dharmaraja, who had a good season in 2006/07, will be led this year by left hander Bhuvaneka Ekanayake who is in the under 19 World Cup pool of twenty five. The skipper made 560 runs and had 35 victims behind the stumps in the past season. He was in the under 19 pool last year, too, but could not find his touch in the trial games and thereby lost his chance of making the final eleven.

Big match rivals Kingswood has good reason to fear the stroke-playing skipper as he made scores of 60 and 83 in the last two big matches. In an attempt to concentrate on his batting, Ekanayake has given up duties behind the stumps.

Chandimal Ratnayake - 620 runs and 20 wickets last season - will be the vice captain. This season he has built on that platform and has made 220 runs in the three games played so far, inclusive of 3 fifties. The Rajans hope that his good run with the bat will continue.

Left arm spinner Tharindu Perera was the most successful bowler in 2006/07. He will have a heavy work-load as the general belief is that bowling is their weaker suit. Left handed opener Chamila Ambagaspitiya (450 runs, 3 fifties) is hopeful of improving on that performance. Prasad Amarakoon is another front-line batsman who played with reasonable success last year. He also purveys some medium pace.

Runs can also be expected from Theekshana Welagedera, a stumper cum batsman, and from Harsha Udara. The pace bowling is in the hands of Tharindu Dandeniya, Tharindu Balasooriya and Tharaka Silva. Balasooriya is a lfet armer. Yohan Seneviratne (right arm leg spin), Ramesh Bandara (left arm spin), Rahula Ekanayake and Prathab de Silva (off spinners) complete the spin attack. Pasindu Deniyewatte, a reserve keeper and a left handed opener, is the utility player.

Last season the Rajans played thirteen games, beat Zahira, St Anthony's and Dharmapala and drew the rest. In the current season they have played Dharmapala, Dharmasoka and Zahira and have enjoyed mixed fortunes. The Rajans will be missing the services of last year's skipper Rukshan Suriyaarachchi, the previous year's captain Upesh Wijesiri, Thilina Batangala , Samitha Rajapakse and Sameera Ranatunga. In particular, filling the boosts of first two will be difficult.

Senaka Dissanaike, a Sri Lanka Under 19 player who toured Australia with Aravinda de Silva, Roshan Mahanama, Asanka Gurusingha and Marlon Von Hagt, continues to coach the team. Senaka says that the performances thus far have been barely satisfactory and is urging his players to come upto scratch. The Rajans last won a big match in 1980 under Janaka Mendis, skipper Buvaneka Ekanayake is confident that they can repeat the feat in 2008. - AK