A valiant response by hosts Royal to a formidable total by rivals Ananda forced a draw as well as first innings points for the home team. The result also meant that the L.D.H. Peiris trophy will remain at Reid Avenue for the next year.
Winning the toss, Royal captain Geeshath Panditharathna invited Ananda to bat first. Star player Sammu Ashan who is on national duty was absent for the Anandians but little did it hinder their progress as skipper Nisal Francisco’s half ton spearheaded a daunting total. Later, a dominant 79-run stand between Asel Sigera and Kavishka Anjula saw them reaching 200/4 in 51 overs before Sigera recorded a well-made 50. However, in a vital breakthrough, Himesh Ramanayake’s pace finally broke the stand while Lasitha Embuldeniya unleashed his nifty spin to turn the tables.
The visitors who made sure Embuldeniya could not carve early inroads were curbed by the shift of moment which saw the fall of quick wickets, forcing them to declare at 253/9.
Resuming from their overnight score of 79/2, opener Ronuka Jayawardene initiated the Royal response with his 47 before deputy Thiran Dhanapala braced in with an impressive 84 alongside Ganith Sandeepa who chipped in with a half century which took Royal to 263/8 at declaration.
Ananda’s second innings stood at 194/6 at close.
Chief Scores –
Ananda College 1st innings – 253/9 dec (65 Overs) (Asel Sigera 61, Nisal Francisco 60, Kavishka Anjula 45; Lasitha Embuldeniya 4 for 77, Shan Tennekoon 2 for 22, Helitha Vithanage 2 for 32)
Royal College 1st innings – 263/8 dec (73.4 Overs) (Thiran Dhanapala 84, Ganith Sandeepa 51, Ronuka Jayawardena 47; Asel Sigera 3 for 89)
Ananda College 2nd innings – 194/6 (53 Overs) (Rahal Avishaka 63; Helitha Vithanage 2 for 45)
Result – Match drawn
