Kavindu Kaushalya’s fantastic six-wicket haul led De Mazenod College, Kandana, to register their first win of the U19 Schools Cricket Tournament 2023/24, while Richmond College, Galle, secured a 101-run win over Nalanda College, Colombo.
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De Mazenod College, having won the toss, opted to bowl first against St. Benedict’s College, Colombo. This decision proved to be a wise one as left-arm spinner Kavindu Kaushalya made an immediate impact in the very first over. The 17-year-old prodigy took the first six wickets of the innings, conceding only 39 runs in 13 overs. This remarkable spell included the crucial wicket of St. Benedict’s skipper and Sri Lanka U19 player Sharujan Shanmuganathan.
Unfortunately for the batting side, they never recovered from this disastrous start and were eventually bowled out for just 48 runs in 20 overs. Kaushalya was the architect of this collapse, finishing with figures of 6/13 in 8 overs, which included a couple of maidens. Dinidu Sasmitha also played a pivotal role, cleaning up the tail with a three-wicket haul without conceding a single run.
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De Mazenod’s opening pair of Janith Karindra and Neshan Dias quickly achieved the modest target of 48, reaching it in just 10.4 overs. Karindra remained unbeaten on 32 off 31 balls, hitting one four and three sixes. This dominant performance led De Mazenod College, Kandana, to a comfortable 10-wicket victory at their College Grounds.
In another encounter, Richmond College, Galle, managed to post 217 before being bowled out in 48.4 overs against Nalanda College, Colombo. Opening wicketkeeper-batsman Chehan Subasinghe played a crucial role with a well-crafted 77-run innings, while Sharon Abhishek fell just three runs short of his half-century. On the bowling front, Hasith Rathnayake and skipper Sajitha Vithanage each claimed three wickets.
Chasing a target of 218 to win, Nalandians got off to a shaky start, losing half of their side with only 43 runs on the board. Manupa Manmitha (34) and skipper Vithanage (29) attempted stabilising the innings by adding 57 runs for the 6th wicket. However, they still fell well short of the target and were eventually bowled out for 116, giving Richmond College a comprehensive victory by a significant margin. Kaveesha Induwara was the standout bowler, securing a four-wicket haul, while Yuri Koththtigoda and skipper Malsha Tharupathi each bagged two wickets.
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Brief Scores:
St. Benedict’s College, Colombo 48 (20) Onesh Micheal 13*, Sharujan Shanmuganathan 10, Kavindu Kaushalya 6/13, Dinidu Sasmitha 3/0
De Mazenod College, Kandana 49/0 (10.4) Janith Karindra 32*, Neshan Dias 14*
Match Result – De Mazenod College, Kandana won by 10 wickets.
Richmond College, Galle 217 (48.4) Chehan Subasinghe 77, Sharon Abhishek 47, Hasith Rathnayake 3/16, Sajitha Vithanage 3/35, Sadew Samarasinghe 2/35, Sahan Lithmina 1/23
Nalanda College, Colombo 116 (39) Manupa Manmitha 34, Sajitha Vithanage 29, Kaveesha Induwara 4/17, Yuri koththigoda 2/8, Malsha Tharupathi 2/22
Match Result – Richmond College, Galle won by 101 runs.
