Ananda College has once again asserted its dominance in the all-island school’s baseball arena, emerging as undefeated champions at the Under 20 Championship 2025. The prestigious competition, concluded at the Diyagama Baseball Grounds, saw Ananda players delivering an outstanding performance, solidifying their place at the pinnacle of the school’s baseball. After giving a brave fight, the mighty Royalists went down in the final to clinch the runners-up trophy.
Though baseball is a developing sport among schools, the months of rigorous training and commitment by the players made the tournament a success and a more exciting event.
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Competing from Group A, the champions started their journey to the crown with thumping wins over Richmond College (10 – 03), Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala (15 – 01), Ranabima Royal College (10 – 00), and Parakramapura Maha Vidyalaya (11 – 06) in the preliminary round and walked into the qualifiers along with Parakramapura Maha Vidyalaya.
On the contrary, the runners-up, Royal College, started their campaign with a shocking defeat against the strong D.S. Senanayake outfit. But they recovered well during the rest of the preliminary matches to secure their place in the qualifying games (vs Galewela Central 01–15, vs Mahinda 03–16, vs Medirigiriya Central 00–11).
D.S. Senanayake College also secured their place in the qualifiers by staying unbeaten with massive wins against Royal College (06 – 12), Madirigiriya Central College (16 – 05), Galewela Central College (01 – 31) and Mahinda College.
The tournament saw a franchise league qualifiers system against traditional semifinals, and in qualifier 1, after a tense battle, Ananda edged out D. S. Senanayake College with a score of 4 – 3 to secure their place in the final. In the eliminator game, Royal College had a walk in the park against rising Parakramapura Maha Vidyalaya. The high-stake qualifier 2 encounter was a hard-fought battle, and after a nail-biting finish, Royal College took sweet revenge over D. S. Senanayake College for their shocking defeat in the tournament opener.
In the prestigious final, the spirited Ananda College side confronted the Royal College, and the final never lived up to its expectations. Ananda lads clinched the title with ease demonstrating their strength, talent, technical precision, and competitive spirit.
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This monumental achievement came as a result of the expert guidance and mentorship of Coach Naween Anuradha and Assistant Coach Sasanga Pawan. Further, the team captain, Manuth Jayasinghe, and three vice captains, Imesh Udawatta, Udana Sathsara and Yasandu Kiriella, were exceptional during the tournament, and their unmatched skill, experience and leadership have been instrumental in shaping this magnificent victory. With this remarkable achievement, the Ananda College baseball team made history as unbeaten champions after their last triumph way back in 2006 under the leadership of veteran Shalitha Perera.
Though strong Royal College and D. S. Senanayake College started the tournament as title contenders, they had to be satisfied with 1st and 2nd runners-up titles, respectively. The 4th place went to Parakramapura Maha Vidyalaya, Padaviya, and their performance and spirited effort should be definitely commendable, as they came from underprivileged backgrounds to give a strong challenge against some big names in local school baseball.
The victorious Ananda College Team
Manuth Jayasinghe – Captain, Imesh Udawatta – Vice captain, Udana Sathsara – Vice captain, Yasandu Kiriella – Vice captain, Jayanidu Premathilake, Lochana Manuhas, Navindu Thushan, Shehara Nilaksha, Dinuja Dineth, Sahas Randew, Sandaru Malshan, Tharul Mesandu, Pawan Mihiranga, Isuru Kumara, Sahuru Dineepa, Praveen Supul, Malindu Kasthuriarachchi, Binaga Dulmeth, Head Coach – Naween Anuradha, Assistant Coach – Sasanga Pawan, Master in charge – R. A. A. Ranasinghe
Results of the Qualifiers
Qualifier 1
Ananda College 04 – 03 D. S. Senanayake College
Eliminator game
Royal College 21 – 04 Parakramapura Maha Vidyalaya, Padaviya
Qualifier 2
Royal College 05 – 03 D. S. Senanayake College
The Final
Ananda College 10 – 00 Royal College
Individual Awards
Most Valuable Player – Manuth Jayasinghe (Ananda College)
Best Catcher – Senula Edirisinghe (Royal College)
Best Pitcher – Uditha Chandira (Royal College)
Best Batter – Udana Hemasinghe (Ananda College)
Best Fielder – Imesh Udawatta (Ananda College)
The 1st Runners-up – Royal College Team
The 2nd Runners-up – D. S. Senanayake College Team
