Sachitha Jayathilake with a match-winning 71 runs helped S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia to fight back and record a remarkable two-wicket victory over St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa in their Inter-school Under-17 Division-I cricket final played at the Oval yesterday.
Chasing a target of 204 runs to win, the Thomians were struggling at 79 for five wickets at one stage before Jayathilake held the late-order together with a measured knock which took them to title victory after 14 years.
The match featured several Sri Lanka Under-17 players and with Jayathilake’s gritty knock left many wondering as to how a cool-headed batsman who handled pressure with maturity could not get in to the Sri Lanka Under-17 team that toured England recently.
Chasing the target, openers Dulanja Silva and Tharindu Rathnayake scored contrasting knocks of 47 (in 95 balls) and 25 (with four fours and a six) before the top-order crumbled to 79 for five in the 20th over. Jayathilake joined Silva to consolidate the innings with a dogged 47 runs stand for the sixth wicket. But departure of Silva made life difficult for the late middle-order on a pitch that helped spinners.
Left-arm spinner Pramesh Fernando kept troubling Thomians but Jayathilake turned the tide as he put on a seventh wicket stand of 71 runs with skipper Ravindu Thilakaratne (13 n.o. in 36 balls). Jayathilake faced 83 balls for his knock and cracked six sixes and four fours. He was run out seven runs short of victory but Sajana de Silva made sure that bad light didn’t come to play when he cracked two consecutive boundaries against Pramesh to seal victory with four overs to spare.
Earlier deciding to bat first, St. Sebastian’s made 203 runs thanks largely to an aggressive 41 runs by Sachintha Silva who consumed just 26 balls for his unbeaten knock. They were also the beneficiaries of some 35 extras.
Brief Scores:
St. Sebastian’s 203 for 7 in 50 overs (Avishka Fernando 14, Muditha Fernando 31, Kusal Lakthilina 30, Sandaruwan Fernando 22, Nimesh Bandara 19, Sachintha Silva 41n.o; Dulanja Silva 2/15, Sachitha Jayathilaka 2/47, Tharindu Rathnayake 2/27)
S. Thomas’ 205 for 8 in 45.5 overs (Dulanja Silva 47, Tharindu Rathnayake 25, Sachitha Jayathilake 71, Ravindu Thilakaratne 13 n.o.; Avishka Fernando 2/32, Pramesh Fernando 4/40).
