Trinity retains its colours

by Hafiz Marikar

Trinity College with four wins from five games this season will be a force to reckon with as they live up to their reputation as one of the oldest cricket playing schools in the country which produced several top class players and formidable teams.

This season they began brimming with confidence and are determined to remain as a major force in the schools arena.

Trinity opened the current season with a game against Maliyadeva College and the contest was ruined by rain. But the next four games against St.Aloysius College, St. Anthony's College Wattala, De Mazenod College and D. S.Senanayake College produced wins and their next outing pits them against St.Servatius College in Matara this week.

They will meet St. Peter's College,Wesley College, Nalanda College and Bandaranayake College before the end of the year and confront Dharmapala College, St. Benedict's College, St. Joseph's College, Dharmaraja College, Ananda College, Isipathana College and Royal College in 2016 culminating in the big match against St. Anthony's College on March 11 and 12.

Last season Trinity pocketed ten wins and have the potential for a repeat performance. This year Trinity's batting depends much on players like Nushan Weerasinghe who scored a century in the third game. Last year's skipper Ravin Sayeer is one of their leading wicket takers.

Opening batsman Sangeeth Shanmuganathan is also a fine stroke-maker and along with Weerasinghe Trinity has a dependable opening pair.Then there is Shavindu Amerasinghe and Dilhan Jayalath who are top order batsmen with many good scores.

Hasitha Boyagoda is also shaping up well and has done his best with the bat and the ball. Sayer too is handy with the bat as is Navin Ekanayake the stumper while Lahiru Kumar and Duvindu Tillekaratne can also play their part with the bat.

The others who should handle the bat well are left hander Thasila Dodanwela and Thiyagaraja Banugoban.

Trinity's bowling will depend much on players like Lahiru Kumara a paceman who is in the Sri Lanka under-19 squad. Rasmika Dilshan is touted as an intelligent opening bowler who comes off after capping a fine Under-17 tournament.

In addition there is Hasitha Boyagoda, Shavindu Amerasinghe and Avindu Tillekeratne who grabbed over sixty wickets last season. Weerasinghe was tipped to lead the side but last year's captain Ravin Sayer was given the green light to continue. Weerasinghe functions as his deputy with Sampath Perera as coach.

Perera captained DS Senanayake in 1993 and subsequently coached them from 1999 to 2008 before accepting an invitation from Kumar Sangakkara to start a career at Trinity. He is an Australian qualified coach with Kavinda Jayasuriya is his assistant.

Trinity took to cricket in 1893 and in three years time their cricket flourished winning three, drawing two and losing one. Their first school match was against Royal College in 1893, then against S. Thomas' College in 1898 and in that same year played against Ananda College followed by games against Wesley College in 1903, St. Joseph's College in 1908, St Anthony's College in 1914, St. Benedict's College in 1915 and Zahira College in 1928.

The list grew as they took on schools like Dharmaraja College, St. Peter's College and Kingswood College.

Trinity College squad:

Ravin Sayer (captain), Lahiru Kumara, Dilan Jayalath, Avindu Tillekaratne, Hasitha Boyagoda, Sanogeeth Shanmuganathan, Nareen Ekanayake, Shavindu Amarasinghe, Thasila Dodanwela, Thiyagaraj Bhanugoban, Yasaran Pitawella, Sachira Gaminda, T. Chandraratne, Rashmika Dilshan, Sahimika Wadiyatilleke, C. Bandara.