St. Anthony’s College, Katugasthota have booked their spot in the finals of the Singer U19 Division 2 Tournament 2018/19 after beating Piliyandala Central in the semi-finals last Tuesday.
The Anthonians missed the exact opportunity last year when they lost a thrilling semi-final against St. Anne’s College. They have managed to hang on to the bus this time around though, as they recorded a thumping win against Piliyandala Central College at Thurstan grounds on Tuesday (12th March).
Photos: St. Anthony’s College Kandy U19 Cricket Team Preview 2018/19
St. Anthony’s College has done an outstanding job this season with 8 outright win and 5 first inning wins in the season. They are unbeaten in the tourney so far and only suffered first inning defeats at the hands of St. Peter’s College, Colombo, and St. Benedict’s College, Kotahena in their traditional fixtures.
Skipper Theeksha Gunasinghe has been a key factor for the rise of the Anthonians this season. He led by example as the wicket-keeper batsman has scored over 1000 runs this season. He is heavily credited by the coaches for his excellent work with the bat and managing the team.
“I have coached in several schools previously, he is one of the best players I have seen in terms of knowledge of the game.” – said Mr. Suneth Gunathilake – Head Coach – St. Anthony’s College, Katugasthota who took charge of the Anthonian team just before the start of this season.
The coach also added “It’s good for the school, good for the boys. This is the result of our unity and as a team we played the game hard, that is what helped us win this. Credits to the captain and the vice-captain. It’s them who took control of the team and kept them bonded. We got great support from the school, the principal, the staff and the old boys too.”
St. Anthony’s College was relegated to division 2 cricket in the year 2014. Since then they have been trying desperately to get to this mark. According to SLSCA, the two teams that reach the final will be promoted to the higher level and the two teams that finish at the bottom of the table will be relegated to a lower division.
Hence, as the first finalist of the tournament, there is nothing to lose for the Anthonians from here on. They shall prepare themselves for the big league next year!
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