A most looked forward to event in Moratuwa, the Battle of Golds is ready to launch at the Tyronne Fernando Stadium on the 15th and 16th of March. The One-day encounter will be played on the 17th of March.
Photo Album: St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa U19 Cricket Team Preview 2018/19
Moratuwa has always embraced cricket with crazy passion and immense love for the sport. Two main hubs which keep this craze going is St. Sebastian’s College and Prince of Wales College. The two schools will unleash themselves into a fight between bat and ball and the whole of Moratuwa will scream either one of their names enthusiastically. That’s the ‘Battle of The Golds!’
History at a glance
The first encounter of its kind dates back to 1933. Since then 68 encounters have been staged and 9 games have produced results. The Cambrians are ahead in the tally with 6 wins against the 3 wins of the Sebastianites.
Photo Album: Prince of Wales College U19 Cricket Team Preview 2018/19
Cambrians drew first blood in the series as they recorded the first win in 1935. They kept the streak alive for two more years. And then, the big match was not played for 15 years between 1938 to 1953. The Sebs had to wait till 1962 to taste victory in the series.
Prince of Wales has not won a game since 1977 while St. Sebastian’s College recorded their last win in 2011.
179 runs by Nilantha Bopage of Prince of Wales in the year 1991 stands as the highest score by an individual in an innings at the Battle of the Golds while the 8 for 53 by left-arm spinner Anuk de Alwis in 2009 remains the best bowling figures.
The One-day encounter was inaugurated in 1981 but it also saw a pause from 1983 to 1987. In the 33 One-day encounters played between the two schools, the tally stands at 17 – 13 favouring the Sebs.
The Sebastianites are on a winning streak in the limited over game, having finished on top in the past 4 years while the Cambrians last recorded a win in 2013. The 2014 game ended in a thrilling tie.
The Cambrians (POW)
Being lead by their senior-most player, Suwath Mendis, Prince of Wales College are a tightly knit side with players excelling in every department of the sport. Mendis is a 4th-year coloursman. The left-handed top order bat is a consistent performer and does a lot of work in silence. His right-arm leg-spin is an added advantage which puts him up in the list for automatic selection. He is a player who can make his presence felt in any team. Suwath has scored over 600 runs and has over 70 wickets under his belt this season.
Prince Fernando will operate as the mainstay in the batting department while Tharindu Amarasinghe will also be one to watch out for.
The left-arm magician from Moratuwa, Kaumal Nanayakkara will walk into the stadium with confidence, after collecting a staggering total of over 100 wickets this season. He has been sensational with the ball in hand. He will be the man trusted by Mendis to lead the bowling attack for Prince of Wales.
Young gun Vinuja Ranpul will also be someone to look out for in the big match, given his performances this season.
The Sebastianites
Junior National coloursman, Nuwanindu Fernando is in the driver’s seat for St. Sebastian’s College. The 4th year player brings a great deal of experience into the team with his international and first-class experience. The tall right-hand batsman has got a solid say over his bat and can be very useful with his off-spin. The batting all-rounder is unstoppable if he gets going.
Young Dunith Jayathunga has been the star with the bat for St. Sebastian’s College this season, being a member of the 1000-run club. The technically solid right-hander can be a batting delight to watch for anyone who is interested in the sport.
Janishka Perera is another youth national player and a genuine all-rounder who can roast the bowlers and tease the batsmen.
It is a left-arm spinner who will lead the bowling attack for St. Sebastian’s College also. Vinuja Ranasinghe who is the highest wicket-taker for St. Sebastian’s College will be a terrible headache for the Prince of Wales batsmen.
Final Say
Prince of Wales College has had the better season from the two teams so far. They are now through to the quarter-finals of the Singer U19 Division 1 Cricket tournament. The confidence levels will be very high in the Cambrian camp with the kind of season they have had.
Live – St. Sebastian’s College vs Prince of Wales’ College – 34th One Day Encounter
St. Sebastian’s College did not perform to their maximum potential this season. With players like Nuwanindu, Janishka, and Dunith, this team was definitely a second-round contestant. So, if these players perform to their true potential, it is going to be a tough battle between the two teams.
It will be interesting to see what will Prince of Wales come up with to deplete the batting-heavy St. Sebastian’s and what the Sebs will bring out to counter the spin of Prince of Wales.
Watch all the live action of the One-Day Encounter between Prince of Wales College and St. Sebastian’s on Dialog Television Channel No.77, MyTV, and ThePapare.com from 9.20am
onwards.
