St. Benedict’s College and Wesley College ended Day 1 of the 6th Cartman Cup on relatively even terms after an engaging day’s play at the P. Sara Oval.
Having won the toss, Wesley College opted to field first, and were made to work hard by a resilient Benedictine batting top order that showed patience and discipline in the top of the order..
Wicketkeeper-batter Mario Fernando top-scored with a well-compiled 88, anchoring the innings with a calm and measured approach. He found solid support in Tehan Bitar, who contributed with a valuable 55 as the duo laid the foundation for St. Benedict’s.
Mihila Jayaweera added a useful 30 in the middle order to keep the scoreboard ticking, but Wesley fought back well to restrict the hosts to 222 all out in 63.2 overs.
The chief architect of that fightback was Dinuja Samararatne, who produced a fine bowling spell to claim 6 wickets, while the rest of the attack chipped in with timely breakthroughs.
In reply, Wesley College made a steady start to their first innings, reaching 84 for 2 at the close of play. The visitors showed good composure against the Benedictine bowling attack, ensuring they remained well in the contest.
Shamma Jhonathan Fernando led the reply with an unbeaten 42, holding firm at one end, while Rasheed Nahyan contributed 23 before being dismissed. With eight wickets still in hand and a manageable deficit, Wesley will look to build on this start on Day 2.
With the match delicately poised and both sides having their moments on the opening day, an intriguing second day awaits at the P. Sara Oval.
Brief Scores:
St. Benedict’s College 222 (63.2) Mario Fernando 88, Tehan Bitar 55, Mihila Jayaweera 30, Dinuja Samarathna 6/63, Methnula Mayadunne 2/32
Wesley College 84/2 (31) Jonathan Fernando 42*, Rasheed Nayhan 23
Stumps – Day 1
With plenty of action to unfold this on day two, stay tuned to catch all the live action via Sri Lanka’s No. 1 Sports channel ThePapare, Dialog Play app and ThePapare.com,
