Vidyartha in seven wicket win

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

Vidyartha College's left arm spinner Chanuka Ratnayake captured a match bag of 14 for 75 to spearhead his side to a seven wicket win over Pangnananda National School, Raddoluwa in the school's Under 19 Cricket Tournament match played at Police ground, Kandy yesterday.

Seventeen year old Chanuka Ratnayake was virtually unplayable captured 5 for 12 to dismiss the Raddoluwa School for a paltry 53 runs in the first innings.

In the second innings he bowled even better to capture 9 for 65 which is the best ever bowling figures returned by a Vidyarthian beating Sarath Ranaweera's 9 for 106 against Trinity College in 1998.

He just missed the opportunity of capturing all ten wickets in the innings when the other wicket was snapped up by skipper Muditha Elpitiya. His figure of 9 for 65 in all the best returned by a schoolboy bowler this season.

This was Vidyartha College's third win for the season and they have improved with every match.

Sri Pangnananda National School 53 all out in 37.3 overs (Kanishka Fernando 11, S. Pushpakumara 14, Chanuka Ratnayake 5 for 12, Isuru Weerasinghe 2 for 11) and 140 all out in 54.3 overs (Asanka Attanagoda 25, Dilan Fernando 19, Sajith Pushpakumara 36, Pasindu Madawa 11 not out, Chanuka Ratnayake 9 for 65, Muditha Elpitiya 1 for 15).

Vidyartha College 164 all out in 45.1 overs (Ravindu Dissanayake 15, Kasun Nawaratne 14, Heshan Dissanayake 47 not out, Malaka Wickremaratne 18, Isuru Weerasinghe 22, Dananjaya Nirasha 2 for 25, Pasindu Madawa 5 for 33) and 36 for 3 in 8 overs (Malaka Wickremaratne 13 not out, Kasun Nawaratne 12).