The champion St. Joseph’s College comprising Dunith Wellalage (Captain), Shevon Daniel, Dinal Anuradha, Ashan de Alwis, Sheran Fonseka, Mithira Thenura, Yesith Rupasinghe, Shenuka de Silva, Dineth Anthony, Sadeesh Jayawardene, Gagan Chamod, Shenuk Serasinghe, Deshan Seneviratne, Hiran Jayasundara, Lahiru Amarasekara, Sahan Dabare, Hirun Matheesha, Yenula Dewthusa, Sasanka Ranaweera and Kenath Sasmina celebrate with the trophy. (Pic: YK)
A heroic unbeaten 146 from Shevon Daniel complimented by Lahiru Amarasekara’s four for 45, proved to be insurmountable as St. Joseph’s College were crowned champs in the U-19 Division-1 Tier-A limited-overs final beating Royal College by 97-runs at the NCC ground yesterday.
Royal in their target chase, were straight away in trouble losing three wickets for nine runs. However, Sineth Lakwan and Ahan Wickramasinghe thwarted the Joes’ charge momentarily before Lakwan’s carefully constructed 40 was in vain.
Amarasekara was a thorn in the flesh and returned to pick his second and prized-scalp of Wickramasinghe, the tournament’s highest scorer who was unusually calm and quiet when it mattered most.
Though Kavindu Pathirathne struck a consolation fifty, the top-scorer for his side, he was removed for a near run-a-ball 60, shortly before his side folded for 190.
The Joes winning the toss and batting first were never troubled by the Reid Avenue bowlers and raised a 50-run opening partnership before a run-out broke and made the first inroad. Sheran Fonseka was the next to go before he could reach his half-century.
But in a blessing in disguise the resurrecting act of Shevon Daniel and Mithira Thenura started to show its colours with the former, the mainstay of it, cracking a majestic ton. The southpaw exhibited admirable and fearless batting taking the bowlers to the cleaners.
Though Daniel enjoyed a reprieve during his undone knock of 146, he plundered a carnage-like century with the aid of nine sixes and five fours and associated himself in a 136-run stand with Thenura.
St. Joseph’s: 287 for 5 in 50-overs. (Shevon Daniel 146 n.o., Sheran Fonseka 38, Mithira Thenura 34, Dunith Wellalage 30 n.o. )
Royal: 190 in 40.2-overs. (Kavindu Pathirathna 59, S Lakwan 40, Ahan Wickramasinghe 37, L Amarasekara 4-45, D Wellalage 2-50, D Seneviratne 2-12) (PS)