The 73rd Battle of the Golds to kick off on 28th March

The 73rd Battle of the Golds cricket encounter between Sri Sumangala College (SSC, Sumangalians) and Moratu Maha Vidyalaya (MMV, Moralians) will take place at De Soysa International Cricket Stadium, Moratuwa, on 28th, 29th and 30th March 2025. This is the first time the big match will be played as a 03-day match. The 32nd One Day Encounter will take place on 06th April  2025.

The first encounter between the two schools dates back to 1934, and it’s believed to be the 11th oldest big match in the country. Of the 72 big matches played between the two schools until 2024, Sumangalians won 08 and Moraliyans 07, with the rest being declared draws.

The first victory for Sumangalians was in 1962 under the captaincy of S. Sigera, while the first victory for Moraliyans was in 1956 under the captaincy of T. Hapugoda.

The last time Sri Sumangala College won the Battle of the Golds was in 2007 under the captaincy of Iresh Pushpakumara, and for Moratu Maha Vidyalaya, it was in 2010 under the captaincy of Anuruddhika Kalhara.

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Among the many successes of Sri Sumangala College, Iresh Pushpakumara’s 08 wickets in an inning in the 2007 big match is the best bowling figure in history, and Roshan Wimalasena’s 153 in 1996 is the highest score in history. In the 1981 big match, Ravin Wickramaratne set another record by scoring an unbeaten 104 runs and taking 5 wickets with a hat trick. Interestingly, Wickramarathna has also been elected as the Vice President of Sri Lanka Cricket.

A few other victories for Sumangalians include 1975 Captain Tissa Eleperuma representing the Ceylon Team before the test status was granted, 1983 Captain Don Anurasiri being the first Sumangalian to present Sri Lanka’s test cricket team, who was subsequently followed by 1995 Captain Indika Gallage and 2001 Captain Dilruwan Perera. In 2023, 2023 captain Vishwa Lahiru was selected to represent the Sri Lanka U19 National Team and in 2024 in the U19 World Cup.

A few other remarkable cricketers in the local playing field who began their cricketing career at Sri Sumangala College including Kaushal Silva, Kithruwan Vithanage and Oshada Fernando.

Moratu Maha Vidyala holds the unique record of becoming the one and only school in Sri Lanka which has produced national cricketers both in men’s and women’s categories. Sarath Fernando and Bernard Perera of Moratu Maha Vidyalaya represented the nation before Sri Lanka obtained the test status.

Ajantha Mendis from Moratu Maha Vidyalaya who reintroduced mystery to spin bowling, was the first test player to represent Sri Lanka followed by Nishan Madushka. Further, former Sri Lankan player, Hasantha Fernando played up to under 15 in Moratu Maha Vidyalaya and Lucky Roger represented the Sri Lankan under-19 team in 1988. Inoshi Fernando and Upeksha Thabrew represented the nation in women’s cricket who are old girls of Moratu Maha Vidyalaya.

The one-day encounters, which began 32 years ago in 1993, have resulted in 16 victories for Sumangalians, 12 for Moraliyans, 02 matches where no decision was taken and a match not played in 2001.

Duranka Silva will captain Sri Sumangala College. Isuru Fernando will lead Moratu Maha Vidyalaya. He is the brother of Sri Lanka national player Nishan Madushka.

Both the Principals, Raweendra Pushpakumara of Sri Sumangala College and Ruwan Arambepola of Moratu Maha Vidyalaya along with the Head coaches Asela Perera (Sri Sumangala College) and Sanjaya Dissanayake (Moratu Maha Vidyalaya) are making every effort to maintain high discipline on all three days.

In the 2024/2025 cricketing season, Sumangalians have performed incredibly well. Sumangalians have played 13 matches in the U19 Division I Tier B tournament and has secured 04 match wins and 03 first-innings wins and reached the Quarter-Finals.

For Sri Sumangala College Neksha Iddamalgoda and Captain Duranka Silva scored more than 500 runs, Anuhas De Silva and Akila Wedamilla scored more than 400 runs, Senira Wijegunasinghe and Sandeep Wijeratna scored more than 300 runs, Bihanga Silva and Rusith Jayawardana scored more than 200 runs. Duranka Silva, Neksha Iddamalgoda, and Anuhas De Silva made centuries.

From the bowling department, Mevindu Kumarasiri bagged more than 60 wickets, Sadew Hettiarachchi and Rusith Jayawardana grabbed more than 40 wickets, and Bihanga Silva grabbed more than 25 wickets.

Moratu Maha Vidyalaya concluded their season with a strong performance across 12 matches, securing 2 outright wins and 4 first-innings victories. However, they faced challenges with 1 outright loss and 5 first-inning defeats.

The team’s captain, Isuru Fernando, delivered an outstanding individual performance, achieving the remarkable milestone of scoring over 1,000 runs and

claiming more than 30 wickets during the season. His exceptional innings of 300 runs against Zahira College, Colombo, stands as the highest individual score in the

Under-19 season this year. Additionally, Moratu Maha Vidyalaya’s total of 539 runs in a single match represents the highest team score of the season.

Further highlighting the team’s success, Sanjana Senevirathna contributed significantly with over 900 runs, while Nishantha Fernando emerged as a key bowler, taking more than 50 wickets throughout the season. These achievements underscore

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the team’s depth and talent, making it a memorable campaign for Moratu Maha Vidyalaya.

Dialog Axiata will be the title sponsor for this year’s Battle of the Golds encounter.

Both the Big Match and One Day Encounter will be telecast LIVE on Dialog Television – ThePapare TV HD1 (Channel Number 126), as well as a live stream on ThePapare.com and the Dialog ViU App.

Sri Sumangala College, Panadura was founded in 1909 at Rankoth Viharaya in memory of Ven Weligama Sri Sumangala Thero, who played an important role in Buddhism on the island result of the Panadura Vadaya. One of the oldest schools in the country, this national school is one of the largest Buddhist schools in Sri Lanka, with a student population of over 4000 in 13 Grades.

In 1924, Sri Lanka Bauddha Samithiya Ltd was founded by MJC Fernando as Chairman with the objective of establishing a Buddhist school to uplift Buddhist Education in Moratuwa. Then Governor of Ceylon Sir Herbert J Stanley laid the foundation stone for the College in June 1929 and on 19 January 1934 Moratu Vidyalaya was declared open with 67 students enrolled.

SriSumangalaCollegeSquad : Duranka Silva (Captain), Senira Wijegunasinghe (Vice Captain), Akila Wedamulla, Mevindu Kumarasiri, Neksha Iddamalgoda, Rusith Jayawardana, Bihanga Silva, Sandeep Wijerathna, Sadew Hettiarachchi, Sadika Hewage, Anuhas De Silva, Lelum Weerasinghe, Visal Hansitha, Methum Fernando, Chaniru Fernando, Dinusha Fernando

MoratuMahaVidyalayaSquad : Isuru Fernando (Captain), Shehara Fernando (Vice Captain), Sanjana Senevirathna, Sithum Silva, Hasindu Gimsara, Oshada Diniyuru, Savindu Shehara, Sathsara Mihiranga, Vihanga Nethsara, Sadun Sudarshana,Malith Perera, Sadaneth Yahampath, Nishitha Dulanjana, Sachthra Pathirana, Sasindu Peris, Visal Sri Sathsara.