The Singer Schools U19 Division 1 League finale is scheduled for the 8th and 9th of May at the Colts Grounds, with two unlikely finalists in St. Joseph’s College, Colombo and Trinity College, Kandy set to take on each other.
If you asked anyone at the start of this tournament about who would battle it out for the championship, not many would have guessed these two schools though they have produced some brilliant cricketers in the recent past in the likes of Niroshan Dickwella, Lahiru Kumara from Trinity and Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Roshen Silva and Dimuth Karunaratne from St. Joseph’s.
The Lions from Kandy played it smart in their semi-final against Prince Of Wales to scrape through on bonus points, while the Josephians held their nerve after a stern test from Mahanama College with their vice-captain Nipun Sumanasinghe leading the way.
Live : St. Joseph’s College vs Trinity College – Singer U19 Division One Two-Day Tournament – Final
It has been a long wait due to weather conditions and other unavoidable reasons before this final was scheduled, and compatriots at Team Kandy for the SLC provincial tournament, Hasitha Boyagoda and Jehan Daniel, two outstanding individual players, will lead their respective schools in this grand final for one last time.
St. Joseph’s College
The boys from Darley Road, who finished 6th on the overall points table, have been brilliant during the knockout stage so far. They first beat the recently crowned Limited Over champions Richmond College in the pre-quarterfinal stage, before overcoming the Sebastianites in the quarter-final. Their bowling has been impressive right throughout the season as it showed in a rain-hit semi-final, where they registered a crucial first innings win against a spirited Mahanama College unit.
Revan Kelly hit the 1000 run mark this season but has had a very quiet time ever since, other than a half-century in the Josephian-Peterite Limited Over game. He’s a man with SL U19 experience and his batting efforts at the top of order will be very crucial for the Josephians in this big final.
Josephian vice-captain Nipun Sumanasinghe hardly hits the headlines, but he has been an impressive performer for them ever since he made his first XI debut.
His experience will be vital for the Josephians and if he can come good just like he did in the semi-final with both bat and ball, they will be a tough team to beat.
Read : All-round Nipun Sumanasinghe guides Joes into final
The Josephians have the luxury of their skipper Jehan Daniel who is a sensation in school cricket and currently representing Team Kandy in the SLC Provincial Limited Over Tournament. He was the vice-captain of the SL U19 World Cup campaign in New Zealand and has made valuable contributions for the Josephians since he got back including another match-saving knock in their big match a couple of months back.
“It is a golden opportunity for me to end my school cricket career on a high by bringing a trophy to my alma mater. Trinity is always a tough opposition to face but we will throw everything we have at them since it’s our final game for the season and the final school game for the final year players including myself”, said Jehan Daniel who shared his views with ThePapare.com
Dunith Wellalage might be 15 years old but he has shown the maturity of a seasoned pro throughout the season and led the Sri Lanka U15 team in Malaysia to the championship in a four-nation tournament where he was also named Man of the Series. His left arm tweakers will be quite a handy option for skipper Daniel, while he has been St. Joseph’s floater in the batting order and a player for all situations.
St. Joseph’s Squad: Revan Kelly, Johanne De Zilva, Nipun Sumanasinghe, Jehan Fernandopulle, Jehan Daniel (Captain), Dineth Jayakody, Sachintha Ravindu Mahindasinghe, Lakshan Gamage, Dunith Wellalage, Miranga Wickramage, Ashain Daniel, Aaron Gunaratne, Dilesh Perera, Dinal Anuradha.
Trinity College
Trinity College had a smooth run up to the semi-final stage, recording wins against St. Aloysius College, Galle and Nalanda College, Colombo in their respective pre-quarterfinal and quarter-final. They were in a tricky situation in their semi-final before a poor declaration by Prince Of Wales played into their hands to secure a spot in the final by 0.03 bonus points.
Read : Trinity-Prince of Wales semi-final ends in a thriller
Skipper Hasitha Boyagoda has been their star player for the past couple of years and he even proved it during the U19 World Cup in NZ with an all-time highest score of 191 in a youth ODI when he smashed the Kenyan bowling all around the park. The onus will be on him to lead the Trinity batting efforts, while his leadership skills will be tested against a stiff opposition and his right arm off breaks could come in handy for Trinity College.
Hasitha Boyagoda speaking to ThePapare.com said “First of all as a team we are happy to be in the finals of this tournament. We have a well balanced side with many consistent performers. We will be looking to give a good fight against our opponents who have a good side as well”.
The left arm pace of Thisaru Rashmika Dilshan will be quite handy against a fragile Josephian top order and he has plenty of experience behind his back, having played Youth ODI cricket. He has led the SL U19s to victory with brilliant opening bursts with the new ball and the Josephians will have to play him out if they are to make a substantial score.
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Kavishka Senadeera and Vimukthi Nethumal have been Trinity’s trump cards in the spin department as both of them have shared over 120 wickets between them this season. They will have to live up to their potential if they are to trouble a strong Josephian middle order led by their experienced skipper, Jehan Daniel.
Trinity Squad :Hasitha Boyagoda ( Captain ), Trevon Weerasooriya ( Vice Captain), Thisaru Dilshan, Vimukthi Nethumal, Pubudu Bandara, Hasintha Jayasuriya Abhishek Anandakumara, Ruwin Peiris, Narendranath Askok Kumar Avishka Senadeera, Ashan Lokukattiya, Kavishka Senadeera, Poorna Wansekara, Osanda Herath, Jeff Weerasinghe, Uvindu Wimaladarma, Chanuka Kumarasingha.
The final will be telecasted LIVE on ThePapare.com, Dialog Television Channel no.1 and Dialog MyTV from 9.30am onwards.
