All roads lead to the historic Test venue, P.Sara Oval on the 3rd and 4th of March where the 83rd Battle of the Saints between St. Joseph’s College and St. Peter’s College will unfold with usual pageantry.
Two fun-filled and thrilling days of cricket can be expected out of these two evenly balanced teams.
Growth of the Encounter
The two prestigious institutions will battle hard for the Rev.Fr Maurice Legoc trophy which was instated way back in 1933 with St. Joseph’s College winning the inaugural clash. Rev.Fr Maurice Le Goc was the rector of both institutions and the trophy for the ‘Big’ match is named in his honor. He first served at St. Joseph’s College and then went on to become the first rector at St. Peter’s College.
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Robert Fernando led St. Joseph’s College in the 1st encounter while George Jayaweera led St. Peter’s College. Eighty two matches have been played between these two great cricketing schools and St. Joseph’s College lead the win tally with 12 while St. Peter’s College have won on 10 occasions.
Sixty one matches have concluded as drawn encounters in the past. St. Joseph’s College last won the 74th Battle of the Saints under the leadership of Ruwantha Fernandopulle in 2008 while St. Peter’s College under the leadership of Vinu Mohotty were awarded the win last year after unruly incidents occurred with the spectators invading the pitch.
The highest score in the ‘Battle of the Saints’ series is by St Joseph’s when they made 382 under the leadership of Ken Serpanchy while the highest Peterite score was under Percy Perera where they accumulated 345 runs.
WATCH LIVE: 83rd Battle of the Saints – Day 1
St Peter’s were bowled out for a paltry score of 36 in 1972 and that remains the lowest score in the series with St. Joseph’s lowest score being the 56 they made in 1938. The highest individual score of the series is 204 by Clive Inman in 1954 and the best bowling figures for an inning is 9 for 41 by Shenal Warnakula of St Joseph’s in 1997.
St. Joseph’s College
The Josephians led by Harin Cooray have played 19 matches this season, winning three games outright while the rest of the gamed have ended in draws. They are one of the few teams to remain unbeaten in the 2016/17 season.
The biggest strength of the Josephians will be their batting lineup which has crossed the 300-run mark on 9 occasions this season. The return of Sri Lanka youth player Revan Kelly, into the lineup after recovering from a back injury, will definitely bolster their batting but the coaching staff’s main concern will be the bowling attack.
St. Joseph’s College on a mission to bring back silverware
2016/17 Season St. Joseph’s College competed in Group D of the Singer U19 Schools Cricket Tournament and out of the 8 tournament matches..
Left-handed number 3 batsman, Nipun Sumanasinghe has been in terrific form for the Josephians this season, scoring 1099 runs in 19 matches with 3 centuries and 5 half-tons. Right-handed stroke-maker Dineth Madurawala has accumulated 850 runs with 4 centuries to his name while all the other middle order batsmen has gone past over 400 runs individually.
Skipper Harin Cooray has led from the front with the ball, taking 79 wickets this season with his left-arm orthodox spin and will be eager to put up a stellar performance this weekend. Fast bowler Ruchira Ekanayake has picked up close to 40 wickets this season while off-spinner Sumanasinghe has grabbed 35 scalps.
Opening batsman Thashan Perera has won his place in the team for this all-important game after scores of 90 and 43* in the ‘Mini Battle’ and will partner up with his twin brother, Havin Perera in the playing XI.
Probable XI
Revan Kelly, Thashan Perera, Nipun Sumanasinghe, Dineth Madurawala, Jehan Daniel, Jehan Fernandopulle, Shewon Fonseka, Pahan Perera, Harin Cooray (Captain), Havin Perera, Ruchira Ekanayake.
WATCH LIVE: 83rd Battle of the Saints – Day 2
St. Peter’s College
The Peterites have recorded 5 outright wins this season in 18 games while recording 9 first innings victories. They have also advanced to the knock-out stage of the Singer U19 Tournament after finishing in second place in the group stages.
Skipper Lakshina Rodrigo has accumulated 885 runs at an average of 46.5 this season but the top run-scorer has been the opening batsman Santhush Gunathilake who has piled up 956 runs in 26 innings with an average of 45.5 including 2 centuries and 7 half-tons.
Vice-Captain Manelkar De Silva and first year player Shalith Fernando have scored over 640 and 730 runs respectively in the middle-order while opening batsman Anishka Perera has racked up over 500 runs.
St. Peter’s College aiming to continue dominance
Santhush Gunathilaka has risen to fame this season after been sidelined through out last year..
The spin twins, Miflal Ameen and Chathura Obeysekara have been lethal throughout the season as they ran through many sides to accumulate over 170 wickets between them. Left-armer Ameen crossed the 100-wicket mark last week and will be itching to go after the Josephian middle order.
The luxury of having both the opening seamers, Santhush and Manelkar (Who have combined to take over 50 wickets) in the top six has given a great advantage to the Peterites to balance their lineup.
Probable XI
Santhush Gunathilake, Anishka Perera, Vinul Gunawardena, Lakshina Rodrigo (Captain), Manelkar De Silva, Shalith Fernando, Ranmith Jayasena, Shivaan Perera, Sachin Silva, Chathura Obeysekara, Miflal Ameen.
Final Say
The first innings restriction to 60 overs will once again spice up the match with a total of 210 overs scheduled to be bowled in total. The pitch will once again play true to its nature, with a natural advantage for the seamers early on and as the game progress, the spinners will come into play. With two in-form teams in action and the security beefed up, expect a thrilling game which will go down to the wire.
