Royal College tasted victory after what was a disappointing week following their defeat in the three-day encounter. Hirun Liyanarachchi architected Royal’s memorable win, regaining the Mutangs Trophy lost in the previous year.
Royal skipper Ramiru Perera elected to bowl first on a luscious green surface prepared by the Singhalese Sports Club ground staff, mirroring the conditions from the 146th Battle of the Blues. Both captains emphasised that the first hour of play would be crucial in shaping the outcome of the game.
S. Thomas’ openers, after being invited to bat first, put up a decent start. However, Avinash Fernando gifted his wicket away with a rash stroke, bringing an early breakthrough for Royal.
Big Match hero Sadev Soysa joined Jaden Amaraweera to build a superb 58-run partnership. Soysa departed for 32, but Amaraweera went on to play the innings of his life. Despite the chaos unfolding at the other end, Amaraweera remained composed, scoring a crucial 70 to take the Thomian total to 220. Big Match centurion Dineth Goonewardene and Reshon Solomons also chipped in with valuable contributions of 25 and 27, respectively.
For Royal, skipper Ramiru Perera was once again the standout bowler, finishing with figures of 3 for 45. Fresher Khalid Rahimdeen also played a key role in the latter part of the innings, picking up two wickets and restricting the run flow in the death overs.
In reply, S. Thomas’ bowlers were all over the Royal batters. Skipper Kavindu Dias led from the front, dismissing Rehan Peiris, the centurion from the three-day encounter, and Isula Geeganage for ducks. However, despite the enterprising start by the Thomian bowlers, Vimath Dinsara and opener Hirun Liyanarachchi didn’t hold back their attacking instincts. Dinsara made a quickfire 30, bringing the Royalists back into the game.
Meanwhile, Liyanarachchi had his own plans, scoring at his own pace and controlling the game like a seasoned pro. He built small partnerships with Ramiru Perera and Anush Polonowita, steadily taking the Royalists closer to the target. These partnerships were carefully orchestrated by Liyanarachchi, who made S. Thomas’ bowlers lose their guard without realizing it.
Liyanarachchi, in combination with Thevindu Wewalwala, took Royal College to within touching distance of the target. Unfortunately, Liyanarachchi fell after a brilliant catch by Sachitha Gunasinghe in the mid-on region.
With the skies growing grey and raindrops beginning to fall, Wewalwala was joined by Yasindu Dissanayake at the crease. The pair guided Royal to a memorable victory, overcoming the disappointment of their defeat in the three-day encounter earlier in the week.
With plenty more excitement to come this big match season, stay tuned to Sri Lanka’s No.1 Sports Channel, ThePapare, for all the live action!
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaden Amaraweera | c Isula Geeganage b Ranuka Malaviarachchi | 70 | 123 | 8 | 0 | 56.91 |
| Avinash Fernando | c Ramiru Perera b Anush Polonnowita | 17 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 58.62 |
| Sadev Soysa | lbw b Ramiru Perera | 32 | 40 | 4 | 0 | 80.00 |
| Dineth Goonewardene | run out (Hirun Liyanarachchi) | 25 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Mithila Charles | c Vimath Dinsara b Ranuka Malaviarachchi | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Sachithra Gunasinghe | st Isula Geeganage b Ramiru Perera | 6 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 60.00 |
| Reshon Solomons | c Ranuka Malaviarachchi b Ramiru Perera | 27 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 128.57 |
| Kavindu Dias | c Isula Geeganage b Khalid Rahimdeen | 17 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 62.96 |
| Darien Diego | lbw b Khalid Rahimdeen | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Minon Warnasuriya | not out | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Abheeth J Paranawidana | run out (Vimath Dinsara) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Extras | 17 (b 0 , lb 8 , nb 1, w 8, pen 0) |
| Total | 220/10 (49.1 Overs, RR: 4.47) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anush Polonnowita | 7 | 1 | 26 | 1 | 3.71 | |
| Sandul Abeywardene | 10 | 1 | 40 | 0 | 4.00 | |
| Khalid Rahimdeen | 6 | 0 | 24 | 2 | 4.00 | |
| Ranuka Malaviarachchi | 9.1 | 0 | 41 | 2 | 4.51 | |
| Vimath Dinsara | 4 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 5.50 | |
| Ramiru Perera | 10 | 0 | 45 | 3 | 4.50 | |
| Thevindu Wewalwala | 3 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 6.67 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rehan Peiris | c Jaden Amaraweera b Kavindu Dias | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Hirun Liyanarachchi | c Sachithra Gunasinghe b Kavindu Dias | 105 | 129 | 13 | 1 | 81.40 |
| Isula Geeganage | b Kavindu Dias | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Vimath Dinsara | c Mithila Charles b Abheeth J Paranawidana | 30 | 44 | 3 | 0 | 68.18 |
| Ramiru Perera | c Dineth Goonewardene b Darien Diego | 11 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Anush Polonnowita | c Jaden Amaraweera b Mithila Charles | 23 | 35 | 2 | 0 | 65.71 |
| Thevindu Wewalwala | not out | 25 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 92.59 |
| Yasindu Dissanayake | not out | 18 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 128.57 |
| Extras | 11 (b 2 , lb 0 , nb 0, w 9, pen 0) |
| Total | 223/6 (46.4 Overs, RR: 4.78) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abheeth J Paranawidana | 10 | 1 | 27 | 1 | 2.70 | |
| Kavindu Dias | 8.4 | 0 | 57 | 3 | 6.79 | |
| Minon Warnasuriya | 4 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 4.50 | |
| Jaden Amaraweera | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 4.50 | |
| Darien Diego | 10 | 0 | 46 | 1 | 4.60 | |
| Dineth Goonewardene | 7 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 6.57 | |
| Mithila Charles | 5 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 4.00 | |
