With the big match season a few days away from its commencement, let’s take a look at who have been the highest on the list of numbers in the Battle of the Brothers.
Since the inception (1964) of the Battle of the Brothers there have been many youngsters from both schools who have shone with bat, ball and in the field for Thurstan and Isipathana as they kept growing towards producing more prospects for Sri Lanka cricket.
The first century came in the very first encounter as Priya De Mel of Isipathana made 136 unbeaten runs in the very first big match. Centuries were few and far between as it took 26 years for a Thurstanite to make a century. It was Kamal Mahendra in 1990 who made 146 not out.
List of Centurians
THURSTAN
- 1990 Kamal Mahendra 146* (278 min, 214 balls)
- 1993 Chaminda Jayasinghe 105* (285 min, 223 balls)
- 2001 Dhammika Premadasa 101*(144 min, 102 balls, 10×4)
- 2006 Shehan Perera 107* ( 124min. 131 balls, 15×4 )
- 2012 Sanjeewa Salgado114 (163min. 123 balls 19×4)
- 2016 Kasun Abeyaratne 147 (446mts. 348balls, 17×4)
ISIPATHANA
- 1964 Priya de Mel 136* (112 min)
- 1988 Sandun Lugoda 102* (290 min)
- 2002 Saman Nishantha150*(348 min., 18 x 4)
- 2005 Vishuddhi Kaluwitharana 102* (250 min,14 x 4)
- 2009 Pranama Sri Vimukthi 108 (264 min, 11 x 4)
- 2012 Deshan Jayakumar 126 (234min.232 balls 11×4)
Incidentally Priya De Mel’s century was in his first ever big match and the first ever big match in the Battle of the Brothers. Three other Pathana lads followed De Mel’s footsteps and they are yet to be joined by a Thurstan College lad.
ISIPATHANA
- 1964 Priya de Mel 136* (112 min)
- 2002 Saman Nishantha150*(348 min., 18 x 4)
- 2005 Vishuddhi Kaluwitharana 102* (250 min,14 x 4)
- 2009 Pranama Sri Vimukthi 108 (264 min, 1x 6,11 x 4)
In the bowling department, Vernon Caldera of Thurstan was the first ever bowler to bag a 5-for in the Battle of the Brothers as he picked 5/21 in the first year of the encounter. Three years later K. L. S. K. Sirisena of Isipathana was the first to reach and go beyond the five wicket barrier, managing 7/79.
Best Bowling Performances (4 or more wickets in an innings)
THURSTAN
- 1964 Vernon Caldera 5/21
- 1964 Vernon Caldera 4/48
- 1965 R. K. S. Sureshchandra 4/20
- 1966 Ranjith Guluwita 4/41
- 1966 Priya Paranavitane 4/57
- 1967 Ranjith Guluwita 6/102
- 1968 Dilip Gunawardena 4/44
- 1968 Saliya Wijewardena 4/41
- 1970 Sudantha K. Vidanage 4/52
- 1970 Sudantha K. Vidanage 4/30
- 1972 D. Jayantha Pathirana 5/32
- 1972 D. Jayantha Pathirana 4/50
- 1979 Chanaka Weerakoon 5/33
- 1980 Sirosha Gunatilaka 5/38
- 1981 Deepal Madurapperuma 5/55
- 1982 Varuna Samarasinghe 4/31
- 1984 Suranjith Dharmasena 6/41
- 1985 Saman Akarawita 5/50
- 1985 Kishan Dharmasena 5/16
- 1990 Nishantha Dias 4/35
- 1990 Kapila Weerasinghe 5/43
- 1991 Kesara Jayasinghe 5/14
- 1991 Mackenzie Perera 4/20
- 1992 Jayajeewa Karunaratna 7/28*
- 1994 Chamara Liyanage 6/57
- 1994 Sameera Samarasinghe 5/11
- 1995 Chamara Liyanage 4/43
- 1998 Suresh Perera 6/54
- 1999 Thushara Perera 4/42
- 1999 Mohammed Fiyaz 4/61
- 2000 Mohammed Fiyaz 4/41
- 2000 Nisal Randika Gamage 4/45
- 2001 Tharindu Deepal 4/38
- 2003 Asela Umayangana 4/43
- 2007 Umesh Karunaratna 4/53
- 2008 Geeth Kumara 6/27
- 2008 Umesh Karunarathna 4/58
- 2009 Ravindu Wijerathna 4/37
- 2011 Rajitha Perera 4/50
- 2013 Pamoth Gunawardana 4/68
- 2015 Rusira Munasinghe 5/56
ISIPATHANA
- 1965 Nihal Gunawardena 4/59
- 1966 A. Upali Seneviratne 4/28
- 1967 K. L. S. K. Sirisena 7/79*
- 1969 Jayantha Paranathala 6/43
- 1970 B. Balasubramanium 4/20
- 1973 A. J. Rumy 4/54
- 1974 H. K. Sisira 4/35
- 1974 M. Alahakoon 4/58
- 1975 A. M. Fawzie 4/18
- 1975 Priyalal Perera 5/30
- 1976 A. M. Fawzie 6/26
- 1976 A. M. Fawzie 4/34
- 1977 M. Alahakoon 4/58
- 1978 Mohin Buhari 4/24
- 1979 J. de Silva 4/41
- 1979 J. de Silva 4/35
- 1980 R. de Silva 4/17
- 1980 Oscar Wanigasekera 4/47
- 1984 Anura Abeywickrema 5/70
- 1986 Sanjeewa Weerasinghe 5/27
- 1986 Ruwan Wickremasinghe 4/16
- 1987 K. G. Priyantha 4/46
- 1987 Sandun Lugoda 4/39
- 1988 Priyantha Ranasinghe 4/67
- 1989 Imran Mohammed 4/40
- 1991 Rohan Dias 5/13
- 1993 Kosala Welgamage 4/42
- 1994 Ramachandran Sridhar 5/73
- 1995 Amal Wanigasekera 6/28
- 1995 Nuwan Zoyza 5/28
- 1996 Nuwan Zoyza 5/45
- 1996 Nuwan Zoyza 5/51
- 1997 Suresh Perera 4/101
- 2003 Chanuka Perera 5/65
- 2003 Anushka Bandara 4/24
- 2003 Chaminda Prasad 4/28
- 2008 Lilan Fernando 4/84
- 2009 Dinusha Fernando 6/67
- 2009 Anushka Samaratunga 4/64
- 2010 Dinusha Fernando 5/75
- 2010 Samitha Sulochana 4/44
- 2012 Harith Wanigarachchi 4/84
- 2013 Kelum Bastianz 4/44
- 2016 Pramodh Maduwantha 4/60
(* Highest wickets taken for the Series)
‘Catches win Matches’ a popular saying in cricket. Amitha de Costa is a man who bagged 4 catches in 1964 and a record that stands to date in the big match. There have been 2 lads from Pathana and 5 lads from Thurstan who have come close to breaking the record but have only managed to fall short by a single catch.
Fielding (3 or more catches)
THURSTAN
- 1968 2nd Inn Amitha de Costa – 4
- 1970 1st Inn Daya Boteju -3
- 1975 1ST Inn Suhada Fernando – 3
- 1990 2nd Inn Lulitha Wickremarachchi – 3
- 1998 1st Inn Arjuna Dayananda -3
- 2012 1st Inn Minhaj Jaleel – 3
ISIPATHANA
- 1969 1st Inn H. R. J. de Silva -3
- 2009 1st Inn Chamara Waduge -3
Wijeyaratne was the Thurstan wicket keeper who managed 8 victims in the 1965 game taking 6 catches and 2 stumpings. Fellow keeper Thushara Rupasinghe managed the same feat in 1991 taking 8 catches in an innings.
Wicket Keeping (6 or more victims)
THURSTAN
- 1965 Mahinda Wijeyaratne 8 (2 Stumps & 6 Catches)
- 1985 Upul Lokubalasuriya 7 (4 Stumps & 3 Catches)
- 1991 Thushara Rupasinghe 8 (8 Catches)
ISIPATHANA
- 1974 Lanka Perera 6 (3 Stumps & 3 Catches)
- 1989 Arvinda Fernando 6 (6 Catches)
