The history of Trinity-Antonian limited overs series

By Afzal Laphir

The Limited Over Cricket Encounter between Trinity College and St. Anthony’s College Kandy for Sir Richard Aluvihare Trophy will be played for the 40th time this Saturday (11 June 2022) at Asgiriya. The teams will be led by Chamidu Wickremasinghe (SACK) and Akram Muthalib (TCK). 

The series that commenced in 1980 at Asgiriya, under the captaincy of Angelo Liyanage (SACK) and former national star Ravi Ratnayake (TCK), has been a regular fixture over the last four decades except for 2001, 2020 and 2021. Out of the 39 matches played so far, TCK has 18 wins, SACK 17 wins, one game was tied (2014) and three other encounters ended without a decision due to rain (1993, 2003 and 2008). The Antonians kicked off the series in great style by winning the first nine of the eleven games, but Trinity has clawed back since to take the lead, starting with consecutive wins in 1991 and 1992 by the narrowest of margins against formidable Antonian sides. 

Trinity’s recent domination includes a run of seven games without being beaten since 2013 (six wins and a tie) with the last Antonian win coming in 2012 under Kanishka Ranaraja. On this occasion, the Katugastota boys turned the tables on the much-fancied Trinity outfit led by Niroshan Dickwella to win by 10 runs, a week after being soundly beaten in the Big Match. This outcome resembled the year 1992 when Trinity registered a win in the one-dayer after losing the Big Match outright.

The only tie in the 39 games played todate came in 2014 at Katugastota, when Trinity’s Srimahan was run-out off the second ball of the last over. Apart from the tied game, there were many other close encounters, but none closer than the one-wicket wins registered by SACK in 1989 at Katugastota, helped by 30 extras conceded by the visitors and by TCK, just two years later, in 1991 mainly through a brilliant all-round performance by AK Ekanayake (58 and 4/42). In terms of victories by runs, TCK’s 2-run win in 2011 and their 3-run win in 1992, both at Asgiriya, are the narrowest of them all. 

Marlon reigns supreme

The Trinity-Antonian limited-over series record books should register Marlon Von Hagt’s name in indelible ink, as his tally of 447 runs (at 89.4, two hundreds, two fifties) is unlikely to ever be surpassed. With scores of 84 in 1980, 111 runs in 1981, 70 in 1982, 139 in 1983 and 43 in 1984, Marlon had the rare distinction of being the highest scorer in each of the first five games of the series, from either team. His 139 (135 balls, 15 fours, 4 sixes) at Katugastota remains the highest individual innings in the history of Trinity-Antonian limited overs games. Such was Marlon’s dominance in this innings that no other batsmen from either side reached 20. In addition to the one-day runs, Marlon has also accumulated over 450 runs in six Big Matches, giving him over 900 runs in total against Trinity in First XI cricket. He has indeed been a thorn in the flesh of the Trinitians.

Hasitha Boyagoda scored the solitary century for Trinity, during his match-winning knock of 109 at Katugastota in 2018. Antonian Kanishka Uggalpaya’s 108 in 2015 is the only century registered at Asgiriya in the limited-over series, from either team.