Wonderful win for Wycherley
View(s):
Wycherly skipper Navin Rajapaksa accepting the Lalith Athulathmudali Trophy
Wycherley International School retained the Lalith Athulathmudali Trophy after securing a resounding 5-wicket win over Colombo International School (CIS), in their 28th Big Match encounter, Battle of the Lions, played on March 15 at the Thurstan College grounds.
CIS, captained by Nikhil Pieris, experienced all-rounder, won the toss and decided to bat first. Wycherley, led by versatile all-rounder, Navin Rajapaksa, struck early by getting the wicket of opener Shiven Laksumanage lbw to Hamdan Moinuddin in the third over followed by two back-to-back run outs which turned the match in their favour. Having put on the back foot, CIS managed to score only 133 before being bowled out inside 41 overs. Vishen Gunasekara was the highest scorer for them with 38 runs.
Chasing a modest target for victory, Wycherley opening batsmen put up a steady partnership of 54 runs before Tanuj Kandarajah was run out for 17 runs. However, 14-year-old, Dojitha Jayawrdena, making his big match debut, steered the team with a knock of 42 runs which included two each of fours and sixes. He was ably partnered by Amrin Ismath, who added 30 runs, as Wycherley sealed the victory in the 35th over.
Principal of Wycherley, Dayan D.L. Fernando and the Principal of CIS, Sarah Philipps, distributed the awards for both teams. While Hamdan Moinuddin of Wycherley received the Best Bowler award for his economical bowling and capturing two wickets, Vishen Gunasekara of CIS carried away the Best Batsman trophy. The Best Fielder was presented to Infaz Riyaz of Wycherley for his two wickets and remarkable fielding and the Man of the Match was Dojitha Jayawardena.
Dayan Fernando, extended his appreciation to their coach, Ranga Weerasinghe as well as the Master in-Charge, Minindu de Mel and Sports Coordinators, Juanita Fernando and Lochana de Silva. In addition, he thanked the CIS Principal, their Sports Director, coach and the team for a great game of cricket.
Presently, out of the 28 matches played, CIS has won 12, Wycherley has won 15 with one match drawn. This remarkable win will be memorable Wycherley as they celebrate the 40th anniversary this year.
Both teams Wycherley and CIS together with officials