In a sheer display of dominance, the Southern Brigade, Richmond College, Galle, emerged champions of the Inter-School Sixes Cricket Tournament, defeating hosts Prince of Wales’ College, Moratuwa, in a one sided final played in front of a packed crowd. The extravagant tournament, held last weekend at the De Soysa Cricket Stadium, was organized by the Cambrians Old Boys Association to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of Prince of Wales’ College.
The milestone event attracted a star-studded lineup, with sixteen of Sri Lanka’s top-notch cricket-playing schools vying for glory. The formidable fray included Prince of Wales’ College, St. Sebastian’s College (Moratuwa), Royal College, Ananda College, St. Peter’s College, St. Joseph’s College, D. S. Senanayake College, Mahanama College (Colombo), Richmond College (Galle), Dharmasoka College (Ambalangoda), Thurstan College, Wesley College, S. Thomas’ College (Mount Lavinia), Moratu Maha Vidyalaya, Mahanama Vidyalaya (Panadura), and Sri Sumangala College (Panadura).
Following a highly competitive preliminary round on Day 1, eight teams secured their quarter-final berths: Prince of Wales’, St. Sebastian’s, Ananda, S. Thomas’, Moratu Maha Vidyalaya, Richmond, Wesley, and St. Joseph’s.
As the early battles of Day 2 unfolded, the knockout stages delivered high drama. The hosts, Prince of Wales’, dismantled Moratu Maha Vidyalaya, while Ananda College overcame Wesley College. Richmond College comfortably dismissed St. Sebastian’s College, and St. Joseph’s College edged out S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia in the super over after a tied game, to complete the semi-final line-up.
The semi-finals provided two contrasting narratives. In the first semi-final, the hosts were pushed to the absolute brink by a resilient St. Joseph’s College side. In a game that went down to the wire, the Cambrians held their nerves to secure a nail-biting one-run victory to book their spot in the final.
However, the second semi-final was entirely one-sided. The lads from Richmond Hill posted a challenging yet achievable total of 60 runs in their five overs. Despite Ananda College displaying fierce batting throughout the tournament, they were completely dismantled by Richmond’s tight bowling attack, eventually being bowled out for a mere 25 runs.
The high-stakes final saw Richmond College win the crucial toss and expectedly opt to field first. The disciplined Richmond bowling unit immediately found their rhythm, making life incredibly difficult for the hosts to score freely. Thanks to a solitary, gritty knock of 27 runs by the stand-out performer of the tournament, Matheesha Aponso, Prince of Wales’ managed to post a fighting target of 54 runs.
In response, Richmond College left no room for an upset. Stalwart batter Chalindu Karunarathne raised to the occasion, launching a brutal assault by taking 18 runs off the very first over bowled by Anuhas. A brief glimmer of hope appeared for the hosts when Ashen delivered a superb over, conceding just five runs. However, that hope was swiftly extinguished when the tournament’s leading performer, Aponso, was carted for another 18 runs in the third over. Karunarathne provided an unbeaten masterclass, blasting 46 runs from a mere 14 balls by mercilessly assaulting the bowlers. Richmond College comfortably chased down the target in just 3.2 overs to secure the title in breathtaking style.
Although the hosts were unable to crown their 150th-anniversary celebrations with the championship trophy, their valiant run to the final ensured the tournament concluded with a memorable contest. The championship victory undoubtedly belonged to Richmond College, but Prince of Wales’ College could take immense pride in staging a highly successful elite-level school cricket event worthy of its long and proud heritage.
More than just a cricket tournament, the weekend brought together schools, old boys, players, officials, and passionate supporters in a celebration of sporting friendship and school spirit. The revival of six-a-side cricket at this important milestone offered young cricketers a fantastic platform to showcase their talents in a competitive yet highly entertaining environment.
As the final celebrations concluded at the De Soysa Stadium, Richmond College carried home the coveted championship, leaving behind a lasting, fitting tribute to the Cambrians’ historic 150-year journey.
Individual Awards
- Player of the tournament tournament – Matheesha Aponso (Prince of Wales’ College Moratuwa)
- Best Bowler of the tournament – Punal Hansajith (Richmond College Galle)
- Best Batsman of the tournament – Tenusha Nimsara (Richmond College Galle)
- Best Fielder of the tournament– Chalindu Karunaratne (Richmond College Galle)
- Most number of Sixes in the tournament – Matheesha Aponso (Prince of Wales’ College Moratuwa)
- Man of the Final – Chalindu Karunaratne (Richmond College Galle)
Scorecards in Brief
Final
Prince of Wales’ College Moratuwa: 53/3 (5 Overs)
Matheesha Aponso 28, Anuhas 11, Perera 08, Tenura Dias 1/04
Richmond College Galle: 54/0 (3.2 Overs)
Chalindu Karunarathne 46*, Nimsara 07
Richmond College Galle won by five wickets.
Semi Final 01
St. Joseph’s College – 67/3, (5 overs)
Danthanarayana 29, Samash 19, Perera 13, Wijethunga 11/1, Shankar 19/1
Prince of Wales’ College – 69/4 (4.5 Overs)
Aponsu 38, Perera 13, Peiris 06/1, Samash 12/1, Kavinda 15/1
Semi Final 02
Richmond College – 60/3 (5 Overs)
Chalinda 15, Nimsara 12, Jayawardhana 12, Kodagama 11/2, Sellapperuma 10/1
Ananda College – 25 all out (4 Overs)
Sellapperuma 08, Nimsara 08/2,Mihiranga 02/1, Rasindu 05/1
Quarterfinals
1 St. Joseph’s College (58/2, 5 overs) tied with S. Thomas’ College Mt. Lavinia (58/4, 5 Overs)
Super over
S.Thomas’ College Mt. Lavinia (17/0) was defeated by St. Joseph’s College (21/0)
2 Prince of Wales’ College 80/5 (5 overs) beat Moratuwa Maha Vidyalaya 61/2 (5 Overs)
3 St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa (33 all out 3.4 Overs) were beaten by Richmond College (35/1, 2.5 Overs)
4 Wesley College (74/3, 5 overs) was beaten by Ananda College (78/1, 4 Overs)
