Rahula, Matara win Olcott Memorial Cricket Sixes

by Priyan DE SILVA- Matara Sports corr.

CRICKET: Rahula College, Matara won the six-a-side cricket tournament for school cricketers at the 13th Colonel Henry Steele Olcott Memorial Cricket Championship held at the Uyanwatta Stadium, Matara on Monday. Teams from Ananda, Nalanda, Dharmapala, Maliyadeva, Dharmaraja, Dharmasoka, Mahinda and Rahula the eight leading Buddhist schools in the island play in this annual tournament normally played prior to the main Olcott Memorial Tournament in which teams from the OBAs vie for the Colonel Henry Steele Olcott Challenge Trophy.

Preliminary round:

Nalanda College 73 beat Mahinda College 62, Dharmapala College 53/1 beat Ananda College 51, Rahula College 74/4 beat Dharmasoka College 69/5, Maliyadeva College 70 beat Dharmaraja College 57/5

In the semi-finals:

Dharmapala College 40/2 beat Nalanda College 36/0,

Rahula College 86/0 beat Maliyadeva College 56/4

Final:

Rahula College 93/1 in 5 overs, (Vihanga Kalhara 53, Piyushan Kulathunga 24 not out, Asanka Sameera 1/08)

Dharmapala College: 40/5 in 4.5 overs (Vihanga Kalhara 2/10,

Piushan Kulathunga 1/03, Nadun Tharanga 1/08, Harsha Rajapaksha 1/09)

The Rahula team; Vihanga Kalhara (captain), Nadun

Tharanga, Piyushan Kulathunga, Harsha Rajapaksha, Sameera Chathuranga, Tharindu Narasingha, Mayura Galappaththi and Shehan Kahandugoda

The Dharmapala team; Lasith Lakshitha (captain), Malitha Madushan, Ashan Udara, Sahan Chamikara, Roshan Rathnayaka, Chameen Imalka, Imasha Liyanage and Asanka Sameera.

Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda :68/1 defeated Mahinda College, Galle 61/5 to win the plate championship played among the losing teams of the first round.

The Dharmasoka team comprised of Gihan Mihiranga (captain), Duminda Kannangara, Yohan de Silva, Dhanura Halbage, Adeesha Dilanjana, Ramesh Mendis, Chamath Gunasingha and Buddhi Tharaka.