Dashing opener Ramesh Mendis hit a trail blazing unbeaten double hundred to put Dharmasoka College Ambalangoda on course to an easy outright victory over Revata MV Balapitiya.
The opening day of their inter school under 19 cricket tournament match which commenced at the Surrey ground in Maggona today.
The former Sri Lanka youth player was in tremendous form as he struck a career best unbeaten 203 from just 134 deliveries with the aid of half a dozen of sixes and 23 boundaries to help Dharmasoka College amass a huge 426 for 5 wickets in their first innings.
Mendis was associated in a massive 324 runs fourth wicket partnership along with Kavish Kumara who also took the maximum use of some mediocre bowling from the opposition to smash a run a ball 122 with one six and seventeen boundaries.
The other significant feature in the Dharmasoka College innings was the fact that they occupied the crease for only 61 overs which means that that the Sokians have maintained a superb run rate of nearly seven runs per over throughout the innings.
In reply Revata MV were really up against the spin of Udara Deshan who ran through their batting for a mere 56 runs while claiming a career best five wickets for just seven runs with Thilan Maduranga and Ushan Nimantha providing the back up support.
Revata MV finished the day at 21 for 1 wicket in their second innings after being forced to follow on and they still have a daunting task of scoring a further 349 runs to avoid an innings defeat.
Dharmasoka: 426-5 decl (Ramesh Mendis 203 n. o, Kavish Kumara 122)
Revata MV: 56 (Udara Deshan 5/7, Thilan Maduranga 2/13, Ushan Nimantha 3/10) and 21-1
