Jaffna Central was 43 for 1 in their first innings after bundling out their arch rivals St. John’s College for 217 on day 1 of the 112th Battle of the North at Jaffna Central grounds.
The hosting skipper Thasopan won the toss and put the Johnians to bat first. Sowmiyan got them off to a quick start with a run a ball 22 but two quick wickets pushed them onto the back foot.
Opening batsman Sheropan and Elshan Denushan put together a composed partnership of 69 off 147 deliveries. Sheropan went onto make 65 runs which included 5 boundaries.
Photos: Jaffna Central College vs St. John’s College | 112th Battle of the North – Day 1
After the lunch break, St John’s lost their way quite a bit thanks to some disciplined bowling by the home side. Jaffna Central leg spinner, Viyaskanth turned the game on it’s head with a double strike. He found the edge of Sheropan and then followed it up with the big wicket of Jathusan.
Viyaskanth’s spell put the breaks on St John’s innings but a few good cameos down the order got St John’s to a respectable total of 217 runs for their first innings. He ended with best figures of 4 for 58 while skipper Thasopan chipped in with 3 for 34.
Jaffna Central came out to bat at a tricky stage of the day but they did well to see off the initial burst from St John’s pacers. Vice captain Kapilraj was the only striker as he dismissed Viyaskanth for 5. There were a few anxious moments for the batsmen but they survived until the day’s end without any more damage to their innings.
