St. Servatius’ College, Matara emerged victorious as they demolished St. Anthony’s College, Katugastota by 209 runs in the Singer Schools U17 Division I Limited Over final which was worked off today (30th) at the Moors grounds.
St. Servatius skipper Keshara Nuwantha won the toss and opted to bat first on a dry looking surface. The lads from Matara started their innings on a terrible note as Navodya Wijekumara took the 1st wicket of the final with the very first delivery, dismissing Kavindu Dulakshitha for a duck. The St. Anthony’s bowlers were superb with their lines and lengths as St. Servatius were in a spot of bother at 40/4 in the 15th over.
Pushpitha Dilshan and Shashika Dulshan got together and put up an excellent 87 -run partnership for the 5th wicket as the Matara lads got back on track in the 30th over. Pushpitha ended up on a classy 56, while Shashika ran himself out for a well-made 45.
After losing 5 top order batters for 127, they came back strongly in the latter part of the innings smashing 151 in 17.1 overs to post a formidable 278 all-out in 47.1 overs. Chihan Kalindu and Thathsara Silva gave the finishing touches with useful contributions as St. Servatius took the upper hand in the game. Chihan made a brisk 39 off 32 balls, while right-hander Thathsara blasted the bowling with a quick-fire 48 off 17 deliveries that included 3 massive sixes and 6 boundaries. Right -arm seamer Sasith Hirudika was impressive with the ball as he grabbed 3/42 in his 10 overs.
Chasing 279 to lift the title, St. Anthony’s College struggled as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Skipper Keshara Nuwantha of St. Servatius’ started creating problems for the Antonian batters with his off-breaks as he claimed 3 quick wickets to reduce them to 5/55 in the 15th over. The Antonians were eventually bundled out for a disappointing 69 in the 23rd over as St. Servatius’ College, Matara clinched the U17 title in style.
Skipper Keshara Nuwantha ended up taking 5 for 10 in 5.3 overs and left-arm spinner Shashika Dulshan took 3 for 5 in 3 overs to outclass their counterparts.
Brief scores
St. Servatius’ College 278 all out in 47.1 overs – Pushpitha Dilshan 56, Thathsara Silva 48, Shashika Dulshan 45, Chihan Kalindu 39, Keshara Nuwantha 28, Sasith Hirudika 3/42, Navodya Wijekumara 2/36.
St. Anthony’s College 69 all out in 22.3 overs – Theekshana Gunasinghe 22, Mohommed Rukshan 17, Keshara Nuwantha 5/10, Shashika Dulshan 3/5.
Result – St. Servatius’ College, Matara won by 209 runs
