Chasing a daunting total of 367 runs did not seem to be feasible for Zahira College Colombo as fell haplessly for a poor total of 70 runs awarding Trinity College the ticket to the quarterfinals as they were declared winners from the 1st innings.
Coming out to bat in the first innings, the Asgiriya pitch went on to favor the hosts as they piled up a mammoth stand of 367 runs for the loss of 9 wickets before declaring. Top scoring for the side was Shanogeeth Shanmuganathan with 71 and Shavindu Amarasinghe chipped in with another valuable 53. Both Hasitha Boyagoda and Tashi Dodanwela went on to get their half centuries that finally allowed Trinity to go past the 350 run mark.
Declaring at 367/9, Zahira College had a peak to climb to make a possible change in the game but all what they could collect from their batsmen were a mere 70 runs. It was tough conditions for the Zahirians who were not accustomed to the Asgiriya playing conditions with Rashmika Dilshan being the highlight in the bowling department picking up 5 wickets.
In an attempt to consolidate their win, Trinity once again opted to bat and raced to a total of 92 runs for the loss of three wickets before allowing the visitors to bat again. The Trinity star batsman Dilan Jayalath had the legacy of entering the 1000 run club when he smashed an unbeaten 59 in the second innings.
As Zahira College were set a target of 389 runs to win to progress on to the quarterfinals of the Singer Schools League, they were once again humiliated by the Trinity bowling department that was led by skipper Raveen Sayer. Sayer went on to demolish the top order of the Zahira batting line up despite efforts from Sajith Sameera who scored 47 runs. Sayer picked up another five wicket haul and finished with figures of 6/39 as the final batting pair for Zahira held their nerve till the end of play as they ended their second innings at 99/9.
Trinity were deprived of an outright win due to the resistance shown by the tail enders in the Zahira batting lineup but it would not bother them too much as the first innings win assured them the quarter final spot.
Score in brief:
Trinity College, Kandy 367/9d
S Shanogeeth 71, Shavindu Amarasinghe 53, Hasitha Boyagoda 51, Tashi Dodanwala 52*,Ishan Samsudeen 3/106, Sajith Sameera 2/70
& 92/3d (15)Dilan Jayalath 59*
Vs
Zahira College, Colombo 70
Iroshan Lakruwan 16, Rashmika Dilshan 5/26, Duvindu Thilakarathna 3/23
&99/9 (36.1) Sajith Sameera 47, Raveen Sayer 6/39
