Defending champions St Peter’s College started their 2013 Murali Harmony Cup campaign with a crushing 7-wicket wicket over last year’s runners-up Jaffna Combined Schools on Friday.
The opening day of the tournament was dominated off-the-field by the presence of cricket legends Sir Ian Botham and Mahela Jayawardena, who opened the tournament together in Kilinochchi, but St. Peters stole the cricketing headlines with a brilliant batting display.
Set a stiff 201 run target after a solid batting effort from Jaffna, St Peter’s cruised home with an incredible 5.4 overs to spare as D. Timidya smashed 58 from 17 balls with a total of seven sixes. His opening partner H. Upendra scored 77 from 34 balls.
The second game in Jaffna was also a high-scoring affair with Anuradhapura Central amassing 235 for 4 in their allotted 20 overs against a combined Mannar-Vavuniya XI thanks to a 35-ball unbeaten 107 that included 10 sixes from K. Weeranga.
Mannar-Vavuniya Combined struggled in reply as they were bowled out for 118 in 18.1 overs as C. Shaminda picked up 3 for 19.
The Murali Harmony Cup is a 20-team reconciliation cricket tournament staged in to promote unity, goodwill, teamwork, the spirit of fair play and, more importantly, service to disadvantaged rural communities in post-war Sri Lanka.
The tournament has been jointly organised by former Sri Lanka cricketer Muttiah Muralidharan’s charity the Foundation of Goodness, travel company Red Dot Tours and the Sri Lanka Army.
The 5-day event featuring U19 schoolboys and U23 women cricketers is being played at five grounds across Northern Sri Lanka in the towns of Jaffna, Oddusuddan, Mankulam, Kilinochchi and Vavuniya from 1-5 November.
Elsewhere on the opening day, there were easy wins for Cricket Seenigama and Trinity College in Kilinochchi and also Dharmasoka College and St. Sebastian Katuariya at the IODR Oval in Oddusudan.
Summary Scores
Kilinochchi Central College (Mens)
Kilinochchi Combined v Cricket Seenigama
Kilinochchi Combined 67 all out in 13.4 overs (J. Jenushan 28, C. Lakshan 4-16, P. Nishantha 3-16) v Cricket Seenigama 70 for 1 in 10.1 overs (Y. Tharindu 30 not out).
Cricket Seenigama won by 9 wickets.
MOM: C. Lakshan
Trinity College v Trinco-Batti Combined
Trinco-Batti Combined 80 all out in 18.2 overs (M. Dicksan 20, C. Sudaraka 2-10) v Trinity College 82 for 2 wickets in 9.1 overs (R. Chandraguptha 41)
Trinity College won by 8 wickets
MOM: R. Chandraguptha
IODR Oval, Oddusuddan (Mens)
Mullaitivu Combined Schools v Dharmasoka College
Mullaitivu Combined 101 for 9 wickets in 20 overs (SM. Ifrash 33, S. Jayamal 3-17) v Dharmasoka College 102 for 5 wickets in 13.2 overs (H. Vidarshan 32)
Dharmasoka College won by 5 wickets
MOM: S. Jayamal
Uva Combined Schools v St. Sebastian Katunariya
Uva Combined 80 all out in 15.3 overs (L. Pradeep 19, S. Tharaka 3-7) v St. Sebastian 87 for 5 wickets in 14.5 overs (NL. Fernando 28 not out).
St Sebastian Katunariya won by 5 wickets
MOM: S. Tharaka
St. Patrick’s College, Jaffna (Mens)
Jaffna Combined v St. Peter’s College
Jaffna Combined 200 for 6 in 20 overs (J. Jenathan 57, T. Sathiyan 37, C. Obeyesekere 4-30) v St. Peter’s College 202 for 2 in 14.2 overs (D. Timidya 58, H. Upendra 77, J. Liyanage 46)
St. Peter’s College won by 7 wickets
MOM: H. Upendra
Mannar-Vavuniya Combined v Anuradhapura Central
Anuradhapura Central 235 for 4 in 20 overs (K. Weeranga 107 not out in 35 balls with 10 x 6’s) v Mannar-Vavuniya 118 all out in 18.1 overs (K. Thanushan 28, C. Shaminda 3-19)
Anuradhapura won by 117 runs
MOM: K. Weeranga
About the Murali Harmony Cup
The 2013 Murali Harmony Cup is being played at five grounds across Northern Sri Lanka in the towns of Jaffna, Oddusuddan, Mankulam, Kilinochchi and Vavuniya from 1-5 November. It is a reconciliation and community-building Twenty20 cricket tournament featuring U19 schoolboys and U23 women cricketers designed to promote unity, goodwill, teamwork, the spirit of fair play and, more importantly, service to disadvantaged rural communities. Twelve boys’ teams and eight ladies’ teams from across Sri Lanka are playing two matches every day at each ground, with the finals on 5 November at Kilinochchi Central College.
