A monumental essay was written at BRC when Sri Lanka youth player and Isipathana College wicketkeeper Vishad Randika steamrolled with a staggering 199 during their U 19 tournament quarterfinal clash against Royal College. The remarkable knock also equaled the previous record held by Roshan David of Wesley College in 1990 for the highest individual score by any opponent against the Reid Avenue boys.
Batting first, the Royalists were bundled out for a paltry 95 in 44 overs. The formidable Isipathana outfit, which dismantled Royal earlier in the season for a mere 72, this time too stood firm, ramming through the line up from ball one. Lahiru Dilshan and Pramodh Maduwantha shared 7 wickets between them.
Isipathana were in a spot of bother at the start when Helitha Withanage dismissed captain Salinda Ushan for a duck before Lasith Embuldeniya sent Kalana Perera for 23. However, fortunes were short lived for the visitors as Heshan Fernando’s cameo derived 53 runs while Isipathana ended the day with first innings points to book their semi-final berth.
The entire Day 2 belonged to the Sri Lanka youth star Vishad Randika as he pulverized the Royalists with sizzling strokeplay, exploiting the already demoralized and depleted attack. He paired up with Pramodh Maduwantha who scored a flashing 83 and Pathum Nissanka who added another 68.
A taxing outing for the Royal camp was further tormented when Vishad’s unruffled dominance gradually throttled him towards a double ton, a herculean feat no opponent has achieved against Royal. But his marathon finally ceased when he was trapped by Charuka Hatharasinghe for 199, agonizingly short of a well-deserved 200. Isipathana declared at a mammoth 461/9 ending a grueling run for Royal.
Royal’s second innings was again in trouble when Naveen Withanapathirana, Ronuka Jayawardene and Pasindu Sooriyabandara were back at the hut leaving them 32/3 but skipper Geeshath Panditharatne and Thiran Dhanapala built a solid platform for the visitors. Geeshath reached 1000 runs for the season with a boundary over square leg before he was dismissed by Iwanka Sanjula for 33. Thiran went on to make an unbeaten 47 as Royal ended the game 110/4 at close.
Chief Scores –
Royal College 1st innings – 95 all out (43.2 overs) (Pasindu Sooriyabandara 22, Helitha Withanage 16, Naveen Withanapathirana 11; Lahiru Dilshan 4 for 29, Pramodh Maduwantha 3 for 22)
Isipathana 1st innings – 461/9 dec (120.3 overs) (Vishad Randika 199, Pramodh Maduwantha 83, Pathum Nissanka 68; Charuka Hatharasinghe 4 for 102, Lasith Embuldeniya 2 for 132, Malith Kariyawasam 2 for 47)
Photo album – Royal College v Isipathana College
Royal College 2nd innings – 110/4 at close (36 overs) (Thiran Dhanapala 47*, Geeshath Panditharatne 33; Iwanka Sanjula 2 for 36, Pramodh Maduwantha 1 for 24)
Match result – Match drawn (Isipathana enter semi-final with first inning points)
