From a daunting follow-on to a sporty declaration, from an achievable target to a thrilling finish, this game had it all.
It was back to back centuries for the 16-year old Pasindu Sooriyabandara but this was special, it was a grueling showdown, taking back memories to 2011 when Milan Abeysekera, then fresher, grappled his way to a valiant 90 to save the Royalists from a 190-run deficit against St. Peter’s.
Always perceived as a tough encounter for Royal, it was indeed so, as they were scuffling for survival. But Royal recovered from a follow-on; in fact setting a target for St. Peter’s which they nearly accomplished.
As hundreds of Royalists flocked to support their heroes in the final home game of the season, Reid Avenue depicted a carnival atmosphere. St Peter’s decided to take the first lease of the wicket, as they laid the foundation for a promising start with opener Inesh Fernando reaching a half ton early in the innings. However, backed by the vibrant crowd support, the Royalists charged their way to take few quick wickets leaving the Peterites 115/4 at lunch.
After lunch, Ranmith Jayasena took the responsibility of building the innings for the visitors. His fearless and delightful stroke play muscled them from an onerous position to a relatively comfortable shelf before he was rattled by Charuka Hatharasinghe for a well-made 82. The Peterites ended on 250. For Royal, Charuka Hatharasinghe worked his magic again, bagging 7 for 39.
The visitors carved early inroads with two early wickets which removed both openers in quick succession. A brilliant run out by Taneesha Weerakoon to dismiss Ronuka Jayawadena was followed Manelka De Silva who trapped Naveen Withanapathirana for 4. The recovery was commenced by Pasindu Sooriyabandara and skipper Geeshath Panditharathna who added 75 runs for the 3rd wicket. A soft dismissal saw Pasindu leaving for 30 while Thiran Dhanapala the deputy was brought into the task to rebuild the innings. The pair looked confident despite constant pressure by the Peterite bowlers. But in a vital breakthrough, both the captain and his deputy were dismissed timely as Geeshath and Thiran were sent back for 47 and 33 respectively.
Capitalizing on the momentum, they piled up the misery for Royal, capturing 3 more wickets in the dying stages of the day, leaving them struggling on 133/8 at stumps, still needing 17 runs to avoid a follow on.
The next day morning, saw Royal being bowled out and asked to follow on with a 117 run deficit. An early wicket did not hamper the Royalists as Pasindu commenced his outstanding venture alongside Ronuka Jayawardena. Later, skipper Geeshath joined with a supportive role to accumulate precious runs for recovery. The pair annexed 51 runs for the 3rd wicket before a controversial hit wicket incident sent Geeshath back to the pavilion in his last innings at Reid Avenue.
Pasindu, the lone fighter continued to build on the slender lead with Ganith Sandeepa at the other end. The youngster maneuvered his way to a staggering century with a maximum over deep square leg, a memorable ton when the chips were down. Ganith scored an explosive 40 run cameo as Royal propelled their way to 280/5 before making a sporty declaration.
The target was set at 165 in minimum of 26 overs. The home team was in a spot of bother when the Peterites were cruising at one point, needing a relatively obtainable 65 off 10 overs. Hashan Wanasekara and opener Inesh Fernando was on overdrive, revealing their intentions as they unleashed dauntless willows to curb the bowlers. But however, the Royalists led by Charuka Hatharasinghe gained wickets at crucial junctures with tight bowling to slow down the momentum. Thirty runs were demanded in 24 deliveries which became 20 runs off 2 overs, subsequently leaving
Chief Scores –
St. Peter’s College 1st innings – 250 all out (65.5 overs) (Ranmith Jayasena 82, Inesh Fernando 52, Shelon Rodrigo 23; Charuka Hatharasinghe 7 for 39, Himesh Ramanayake 2 for 30, Ganith Sandeepa 1 for 55)
Royal College 1st innings – 134 all out (33.4 overs) (Geeshath Panditharathna 47, Thiran Dhanapala 33, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 30; Taneesha Weerakoon 3 for 18, Vinu Mohotti 3 for 31)
Royal College 2nd innings (F/O) – 280/5 dec (66 overs) (Pasindu Sooriyabandara 125*, Ronuka Jayawardena 47, Ganith Sandeepa 40*; Taneesha Weerakoon 3 for 78, Ravindu Silva 1 for 26)
St. Peter’s College 2nd innings (Target: 165) – 149/7 (32 overs) (Hashan Wanasekara 38, Inesh Fernando 32, Manelka De Silva 30; Himesh Ramanayake 2 for 24, Charuka Hatharasinghe 2 for 24, Lasith Embuldeniya 2 for 62)
Result – Match drawn
