The 26th edition of the Battle of Sri Jayawardenapura between St. John’s College, Nugegoda and Ananda Sastralaya, Kotte got underway today (31st March) at the P. Sara Oval Grounds, Colombo, with Ananda Sastralaya taking the upper hand at the end of the opening day’s play.
After winning the toss, Ananda Sastralaya elected to field first, and the decision proved to be a masterstroke as they bundled out St. John’s College for just 107 runs in their first innings.
The star of the innings was Poshitha Madanayaka, who produced a sensational spell with the ball. He was virtually unplayable, finishing with outstanding figures of 5 wickets for 11 runs in his 9-over spell, putting St. John’s College under immense pressure right from the start.
In reply, Ananda Sastralaya made the most of their advantage and managed to secure the first innings lead, posting 139 runs. The top score came from opening batter Teekshana Yahampath, who contributed a valuable 33 runs at the top of the order.
For St. John’s College, Imeth Sathsilu stood out with the ball, returning impressive figures of 4 wickets for 51 runs, helping to prevent the lead from growing further.
Trailing by 32 runs, St. John’s College began their second innings cautiously and reached 18 runs for 1 wicket by the close of play on Day One.
Brief Scores
St. John’s College, Nugegoda – 107 (34.1) Thenuka Dullewe 25, Poshitha Madanayaka 5/11, Banuja Chamathkara 2/28 & 18/1 (9)
Ananda Sastralaya, Kotte – 139 (46.2) Teekshana Yahampath 33, Ganidu Dineth 28, Imeth Sathsilu 4/51, Tishan Damindu 2/1, Kavindu Dilshan 2/21
Stumps – Day 1
 at the P. Sara Oval Grounds, Colombo, with Ananda Sastralaya taking the upper hand at the end of the opening day’s play. ){kind=link}