The second day of the 120th Lovers’ Quarrel saw momentum shift towards Mahinda College as Richmond College found themselves in deep trouble in their first innings. With Mahinda posting 217 in their first innings, Richmond’s response has been anything but smooth, as they ended Day 2 at 144 for 8, still trailing by 73 runs.
After restricting Mahinda College on the opening day, Richmond had high hopes of putting up a strong batting display. However, Mahinda’s bowlers, led by their captain Kaveen Rukshan, had other plans. Rukshan, who fell agonizingly short of a half-century with the bat, made up for it with a stellar bowling performance, picking up four key wickets to dismantle Richmond’s top order.
Nikil Jayaweera was the only Richmond batter to show resilience, top-scoring with 45, while Thamindu Pradeeptha contributed a fighting 22. However, with only two wickets in hand and still trailing by a significant margin, Richmond will need a special effort from their tail-enders to stay in the contest.
With one day remaining, Mahinda College will look to wrap up Richmond’s innings quickly and take control of the game as the battle between these two historic rivals intensifies.
