Hirun heroics power Royal’s Mustang Trophy win
Royal's Hirun Liyanaarachchi reaches his ton - Pix by Eshan Fernando
Opener Hirun Liyanaarachchi delivered an epic display under pressure, smashing a match-winning 105 to steer Royal College to a commanding 4-wicket victory over traditional rivals S. Thomas’ College in the 48th Mustangs Trophy limited-over clash at the SSC yesterday. His knock, which included 13 boundaries and a six, propelled Royal to reclaim the coveted trophy, marking their 24th win in the series, edging past S. Thomas’ tally of 23.
Chasing a modest 221, Royal found themselves in early trouble at 5 for 2. But Hirun, unfazed by the early wobble, joined forces with Vimath Dinsara to steady the ship. Their 50-run stand in 66 balls blunted the Thomian attack before Vimath fell after a well-compiled 67-run partnership.
Undeterred, Hirun built a 29-run stand with skipper Ramiru Perera before stitching a match-defining 60-run partnership with Anush Polonnowita. HIrun’s century came off 122 balls, a knock of sheer determination and class, before he perished at 196-6 in the 43rd over. That was the last bright moment for the Thomian bowlers, as Thevindu Wewalwala and Yasindu Dissanayake calmly knocked off the remaining runs, sealing the victory with an unbroken 27-run stand.
Earlier, put in to bat, S. Thomas’ made a cautious start with openers Avinash Fernando and Jaden Amaraweera adding 33 before being separated. The Thomians then built two crucial partnerships—Jaden and Sadev Soysa put on 58 for the second wicket, followed by a 59-run third-wicket stand between Jaden and Dineth Goonawardena.
Jaden anchored the innings with a gritty 70, peppered with seven boundaries. But after his dismissal as the fifth wicket, S. Thomas’ innings unraveled. They lost their last five wickets for a mere 56 runs, limping to 220. A lack of firepower in the final stretch cost them dearly. With Hirun leading from the front, Royal’s well-paced chase ensured they walked away with the Mustangs Trophy, reaffirming their dominance over their arch-rivals.
Royal won the Mustang Trophy for the 24th time
| SCORECARD | |
| S. Thomas’ College Avinash Fernando c Perera b Polonnowita 17 Jaden Amaraweera c Geeganage b Malaviarachchi 70 Sadev Soysa lbw b Perera 32 Dineth Goonawardena run out 25 Mithila Charles c Dinsara b Malaviarachchi 00 Reshon Solomon c Malaviarachchi b Perera 27 Sachithra Gunasinghe st Geeganage b Perera 06 Kavindu Dias c Geeganage b Rahimdeen 17 Darien Diego lbw b Rahimdeen 07 Minon Warnasuriya run out 01 Abheeth Paranawidana not out 01 Extras (w13, nb1, lb3) 17 Total (all out; 49.1 overs) 220 Fall of wickets: 1-33 (Fernando, 8.5ov), 2-91 (Soysa, 22.2ov), 3-150 (Goonawardena, 33.2ov), 4-151 (Charles, 33.5ov), 5-164 (Amaraweera, 37.1ov), 6-186 (Gunasinghe, 40.3ov), 7-197 (Solomon, 42.5ov), 8-218 (Diego, 48.1ov), 9-219 (Dias, 48.4ov), 10-220 (Warnasuriya, 49.1ov) Bowling: Anush Polonnowita 7-1-26-1, Sandul Abeywardana 9-1-35-0, Khalid Rahimdeen 6-0-24-2, Ranuka Malaviarachchi 9.1-0-41-2, Vimath Dinsara 5-0-26-0, Ramiru Perera 10-0-45-3, Thevindu Wewelwala 3-0-20-0
Royal College |