A keen tussle expected in 'Battle of the Babes' on April 1 and 2

by S. M. Jiffrey Abdeen - Kandy Sports Corr.

ST. SYLVESTER’S - VIDYARTHA: A keen tussle is expected at the 53rd Kandy’s “Battle of the Babes” between St. Sylvester’s College and Vidyartha College which will be played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele on April 1st and 2nd.

Both teams are keen and raring to go at this venue which staged three World Cup cricket matches in March and has all the facilities. This will also be the first time that this match will be taken out of the hill capital. This match was earlier played at Police grounds and later at the Asgiriya Stadium.

Of the 52 battles which had been fought-out, the Sylvestrians are having a clear lead with 14 wins against 3 by Vidyartha College, while the rest of the matches have ended in draws. The Sylvestrians last won in 2009 under Chanaka Colombage through a default by their opponents.

The Sylvestrians were cruising towards victory when play was suspended for bad light. But when the two umpires wanted to resume play, Vidyartha College did not take the field, though the umpires stood a good 10 minutes. This was referred to the Match Referee Bernard Perera who awarded the match to St. Sylvester’s College on grounds of refusal to play by their opponents.

The last Vidyartha victory was way back in 1967 under R. M. Lafir and thus they have to erase a 43-year-old ‘hoodoo’.

Sylvestrians four wins

The Sylvestrians led by Menuka Nanayakkara have had a reasonable measure of success having played 14 matches, winning 4 (Revatha Vidyalaya, Dharmapala Vidyalaya, Kegalu Vidyalaya and Kingswood College) looing five Trinity College, St. Anthony’s College, St. Sebastian’s College, Ananda College and De Mazenod College). They also had the distinction of ‘tieing’ on the first innings against S. Thomas’ College at Mount Lavinia.

To bolster their batting, the St. Sylvester’s team will have skipper Menuka Nanayakkara (530 runs) his deputy Niluka Kandaderage (250 runs). Ruwantha Ekanayake (760 runs), Waruna Wijesinghe (500 runs), Dushan Malalasena (350 runs), Faiz Ahamed (450 runs), Sasanka Nawaratne (350 runs), Sumedha Dissanayake (490 runs) and Hansamal Perera (250 runs).

Waruna Wijesinghe (25 wkts) will open the attack and from the other end, it will be left-arm spinner Niluka Kandaderage (35 wkts). The other spinners in the side are off-spinner Ruwantha Ekanayake (30 wkts), leg-spinner Dushan Malalasena (30 wkts), left-arm spinner Sumedha Dissanayake (32 wkts), left-arm spinner Nimesha Mendis (32 wkts.) and off-spinner Faiz Ahamed (32 wickets). Sasanka Nawaratne with 48 victims will stand behind the stumps.

The team is coached by J. Arnolda and B.K.P.M. de Silva as the Master-In-Charge.

Vidyartha two wins

Vidyartha College will be led by fourth year coloursman Tharindu Ranaweera who has scored around 400 runs this season.

They have played 15 matches, winning 2 (Taxila Horana and Sri Devananda) losing 3 (Trinity, St. Anthony’s and Rahula College, Matara).

For runs Vidyartha will depend largely on their deputy skipper Ushan Wickremasinghe (650 runs), skipper Tharindu Ranaweera (400 runs), Niluka Galapitiyage (680 runs), Ruwan Bandara (650 runs), Tilina Rupasena (250 runs), Samitha Attanayake (375 runs) Keshan Gamage (450 runs) and Kasun Nawaratne (200 runs), Kasun Bandara will keep wickets and has 30 victims to his credit.

Samitha Attanayake (35 wkts) will share the new ball with Isuru Weerasinghe (27 wkts). But the task of getting the opponents will be in the hands of off-spinner Ushan Wickremasinghe (60 wkts) off-spinner Tilina Rupasena (30 wkts), leg-spinner Keshan Gamage (30 wkts), left-arm spinner Chanaka Ratnayake (40 wkts). The team is coached by A. Kuruppu with Jayantha Kumara as the Master-in-Charge.

Teams

St. Sylvester’s College (from): Menuka Nanayakkara (captain), Niluka Kandaderage (vice captain), Thivanka Gunaratne, Dushan Malalasena, Ruwantha Ekanayake, Waruna Wijesinghe, Faiz Ahamed, Nimesha Mendis, Sumedha Dissanayake, Hansamal Perera, Sasanka Nawaratne, Harsha Wedikkara, Harsha Wanigasekera, Indunil Samarananda, Haroun Razick, Dilan de Mel, Dulaj Tennakoon.

Vidyartha College (from): Tharindu Ranaweera (captain), Ushan Wickremasinghe (vice captain), Keshan Gamage, Nilusha Galapitiyage, Ruwan Bandara, Tilina Rupasena, Samitha Attanayake, Isuru Weerasinghe, Chanaka Ratnayake, Kasun Nawaratne, Subhas Senadheera, Ravindu Dissanayake, Pathum Colombage, Muditha Elpitiyage, Diluka Senaviratne.