DS Senanayake College and Mahanama College will go head to head this Friday and Saturday in the 10th Battle of the Golds at the P Sara Stadium.
It’s still early days for this rivalry between the two schools situated in the heart of Colombo. Both teams have had an off season this year but they will surely be ready to up their game and bring glory to their alma mater at the big match.
History of this rivalry
With a brief history of just 9 years, this rivalry has proved to be one of the more exciting school events for the students of the two institutions. For the past 9 years there has only been one game that produced a result. That result came two years ago at the 8th Battle of the Golds which went in favor of DS Senanayake College. DS was led by Binura Fernando who bowled his team to victory by taking a match bag of 13 wickets. Binura went all the way to earn national colors one year later and he will surely be a good prospect for the national side in the future.
DS Senanayake College
Led by 5th year colorsman and Sri Lanka U19 cap Kavin Bandara, DS has not had a good season this year. With only one outright victory and 5 first innings victories under their belt, they have showed inconsistency in their performances. Skipper Kavin missed out on most matches this season due to national duty but he will play a vital role in the batting department for DS at the big match. Left handed bat Torin Pitigala and Vice-captain Thimila Vidyasekara have been amongst the runs this season and they have a huge responsibility on their shoulders to perform at this big occasion.
DS Senanayake keen to defend their big match trophy
In the bowling department for DS it will be Yureshka De Silva who will lead the attack. Being the highest wicket taker this season for his school, a lot will depend on him to rise up to the occasion just like how Binura Fernando did two years ago. DS has a few spinners who can chip in at any given occasion but they will rely heavily on their batters to perform this weekend.
Mahanama College
This young team is led by 4th year colorsman Thanula Sandesh and have had a similar season to what their arch rivals had this year. Having won only one outright game they have had a disappointing season altogether. In the batting department there are a few players to look out for. Malinda Maduranga and Niduka Welikala, the only centurions this season for Mahanama College, will be expected to do well at the match this weekend. Skipper Thanula has been good in both departments and he will have a huge responsibility in carrying this young team over the line.
Mahanama on a quest to regain lost pride
In the bowling department there have been pretty much the same types of performances for both sides this season. Left arm chinaman Kanishka Gimhan has been the most successful bowler for DS and he is the only bowler who has taken a fifer this season for the boys from Colombo 3.
Final say
Equally balanced sides from the outset but when it comes to playing against traditional rivals it’s a whole different story. We have witnessed some exciting big matches this year so far and surely this battle will be a hard fought one. Expected result would be a draw but cricket is a funny game and it will all come down to who is the better handler of the pressure of a big match.
