Kingswood eager to play in Div. one
by Hafiz Marikar
The Kingswood College cricket team who performed impressively last
season is hoping to continue the good work this year too with their well
knit combination. Kingswood is one of the oldest cricket playing schools
in the country and they hope that the coming cricket season will be a
fruitful one with a formidable batting line-up, and a penetrative
bowling attack that surely will give their opponents a run for their
money. This year too they are in the Division II, hoping to do well and
come back to division one in the SLSCA conducted tournament.
, Kingswood College cricket seems to be on the road to recovery. The
school was founded by an old Trinitian L.E. Blaze on May 4, 1891. At
that time the school was called "The Boys High School" and later became
Kingswood College. Though they first played rugger, it was in the field
of cricket, football, athletics and hockey they were known better.
The school has produced several top cricketers, . Their most
important cricket match , is against their rivals Dharmaraja College,
which is the oldest cricket encounter in the hill capital and the second
oldest annual school cricket encounter in Sri Lanka. The first match was
played in 1893; Kingswood College team captained by A.E. Spencer, both
teams had staff members in the team.
The game was played at the Bogambara Stadium, which is no longer a
venue for cricket.
The first schoolboy Big Match where the students of either school
took part was played on 1st of July 1899 with J.C. de Mel captaining
Dharmaraja and T.B. Marshall leading Kingswood. So far 110 matches have
been played and Dharmaraja leads the tally with 33 wins against 19 by
Kingswood with 58 matches ending in a draws
Since 1958 Kingswood has not beaten their rivals. In 1958, Maurice
Fernando, brought honor to Kingswood and Kandy, when he was unanimously
chosen as the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year by a panel comprising
eminent cricketing personalities. Maurice won the contest displacing
Thomian Lareef Idroos who was placed second.,among the other contenders
were another Thomian and the famous Sri Lanka skipper Michael Tissera,
Sarath Silva (Nalanda College).
This year the lads from Randles Hills are fortunate to have the
service of old Antonian Indika Fernando as coach. Fernando played for
St. Anthony's Katugasthota from 1994 to 1996, as a right-hand bat and a
right-arm leg- spinner.
The Kingswoodians are led by Captain Avishka Chandrasiri a fine all
rounder, and is deputy is Vimukthi Wijesiriwardhana another fine player,
the other players who have impressed at practice are Janith Thennakoon,
Yasod Kavinda, Jayampath Mahanama, Amila Jayaweera, Rangana Rathnayake,
Ganidu Kamburugamuwa, Sajith Samarasinghe, Dulin Wijenarayana, Saumya
Piyasena, Hasitha Nawarathne, Kushan Yatigammana, Dhanjaya Maduranga,
Uthpala Jayalath, Kushan Withanarachi, Binura Rajapakse, Deegayu Bandara,
Kasun Madawa, Venuka Pussapitiya, Madawa Dananjaya and Mahidula
Edirweera who have formed a pool of players for the season.
Fixtures,
Traditional and tournament matches for 2016 -
September 14/15 St. Sylvester's College in Kandy, 20 to 25 Murali
harmony cup tournament in Jaffna. October 6/7 Devananda College in
Ambalangoda, 14/15 St. Anthony's College at Katugastota, 20/21 P. De S.
Kularathne College in
Kandy, 25/26 Vidyartha College in Kandy, November 3/4 Wesley College
in Colombo, 11/12 Trinity college at Asgiriya, 2017 January 5/6 Taxila
College at Pallekele, 12/13 St. Sebastians College Katuneriya at
Pallekele, 19/20 Kegalu Vidyalaya at Police grounds, 26/27 St. John's
College Panadura at Pallekele. February 2/3 Sri Dharmaloka College at
Kelaniya. 16/17 Richmond College in Galle, 23/24 D.S. Senanayake College
Pallekele, 27/28 St. Anne's College in Kurunegala. March 17/18 vs
Dharmaraja College 111th (Big match), 26 vs Dharmaraja College (one
day)
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