Waduge steers Trinity to retain title for second successive year

By M. Shamil Amit

COLOMBO (Daily Mirror) - Supun Waduge continued his batting form as he made a match winning knock of 60 to steer defending champions Trinity College, Kandy record a two wicket win over St. Joseph’s College in the final played at the Thurstan grounds today and to lift the Under 19 Division One Tier ‘A’ limited over tournament title for the second successive year.

The low scoring final saw Trinity in their run chase of 136 runs undergoing some anxious moments as they did have it easy whilst undergoing the same fate as their opponents.

They got off to an inauspicious start losing their first wicket in the first ball. Supun Waduge along with Vathila Udara put on a brief stand of 26 runs before they were separated with the dismissal of Udara and by the 11th over the Trinitians lost two more wickets and was in a spot of bother on 43 for 4.

Skipper Manula Kularatne joining Waduge took the side to safety as they made stiff resistance and then went on to post their 50 runs stand but six runs later right arm spinner Nushan Perera made the breakthrough for the Josephians with the wicket of Kularatne ending a valuable stand of 56 runs for the fifth wicket.

Left arm spinner Yenula Dewthusa dealt a double bow to the Trinitians when he grabbed the wickets of Waduge whose 60 in 84 balls comprised six boundaries and a six and Rajindu Tilekeratne as Trinity slid to 111 for 7.in the 33rd over before racing to the target in the 40th over to retain the title for yet another year.

The morning session saw St. Joseph’s invited to take first lease of the wicket being unable to make any headway as Trinity skipper and left arm pacie Manula Kularatne made the breakthrough by separating the opening pair with the wicket of Abishek Jayaweera with the score on 18.

It was a setback for the Josephians as the pair had been involved in a match winning start for the side. Much was expected from their top batsman Hirun Kapurubandara and his dismissal cheaply for 18 having associated a brief stand of 25 runs for the third wicket with Aveesha Samash saw them falling back.

They lost three quick wickets for the addition of 29 runs as they slid from 44 for 3 to 73 for 6 with Trinity’s bowling trio Dinuka Tennekoon, Malith Ratnayake and Tharana Wimaladharma doing the damage.

Despite Maanasa Madubashana along with his skipper Lahiru Amarasekera being involved in a rescue act it was not going to be sufficient as the separation of the pair with the score on 117 having put on 44 runs saw Wimaladharma and Tennekoon cleaning off the tail end batting to bowl them out for 135 runs.

Result:

• At Thurstan – Trinity won by two wickets

St. Joseph’s 135 in 50 overs (Lahiru Amarasekera 21, Aveesha Samash 20, Hirun Kapurubandara 18, Maanasa Madubashana 37 n.o.: Tharana Wimaladharma 3/22, Malith Ratnayake 2/26, Dinuka Tennekoon 2/36)

Trinity 139 for 8 in 39.3 overs (Supun Waduge 60, Jayavi Liyanagama 16 n.o.: Yenula Dewthusa 3/32, Nushan Perera 2/25)