Richmond confident of putting up a good display

103rd Battle of the Lovers on March 28 and 29:

Chris Dhambarage

Richmond College with three good victories to their credit are confident of putting up a good performance when they confront their traditional rivals Mahinda College in their 103rd annual Battle of the Lovers inter school cricket encounter which will be worked off on March 28 and 29 at the Galle International Stadium.

Richmond College have just completed a successful season where they had the better of Sri Rahula College by eight wickets, Dharmasoka College Ambalangoda also by eight wickets and Sri Devananda College Ambalangoda by five wickets.

The team will be captained by fifth year player and all rounder Asitha Weerasuriya who has scored over 400 runs and captured 27 wickets with his right arm off spinners in the current inter school season.

He has three half centuries to his credit with a best effort of 72 against Prince of Wales College Moratuwa.

Second year player Supun Wijewardena is the vice captain of the side having scored over 250 runs as a left hander and has claimed 27 wickets this season.

He also represented the under 17 Southern Province cricket team in 2006. Third year player and left hander Yohan de Silva is another key player in the side having scored over 200 runs during the current season.

Fourth year player and opening batsman Kasun Pussewela is also one of their most experienced players in the side having scored over 200 runs.

Richmond College will also be depending on the promising Yasodha Lanka who had the honour of captaining the under 15 side last year. In addition he was named as the most outstanding player during the under 13 inter school tournament in 2005.

Yasodha has lived upto expectations having scored over 350 runs in the current season and is also a useful left arm seam bowler. Second year player and left arm spinner Lahiru Godakanda is one of their key bowlers having picked up over 15 wickets this year.

However second year player and right arm opening bowler T. Nadeera is their main strike bowler having captured a total of 27 wickets.

Second year player and right hand opening batsman Mahesh Niroshan is one of their leading run getters in the current season having accumulated over 400 runs including two half centuries with a best performance of 72 against Dharmasoka College Ambalangoda.

In addition second year player and their wicket keeper batsman Chinthana Wedamulla has been quite outstanding behind the stumps having held on to 35 victims this year.

Among the newcomers fresher Kusal Prabodha is undoubtedly the pick of the players having scored over 400 runs in the current season. Opening bowler Lahiru Rajantha has also shown a lot of promise having captured 28 wickets.

Out of the 102 matches played so far in the series Mahinda College are ahead with a total of 22 victories while Richmond College are one behind with 21 victories to their credit.

Richmond College recorded their previous victory way back in 1969 under the captaincy of P. Jayawardhana. However Mahinda College triumphed in the year 1978 under the captaincy of Dulip de Silva.

The highest individual score in the series is 162 scored by P. H. K. Ranasinghe of Mahinda College in 1972, but in the same year, Richmond's Prasad Kariyawasam also did well to make a score of 153.

In addition the best bowling performance in the series was 10 wickets for 44 runs by Somasiri Ambawatte of Mahinda College in 1953. Richmond's R. M. M. de Silva took 8 for 19. The highest total was by Mahinda when they reached 359 in 1972.

Richmond College: (from): Asitha Weerasooriya (captain), Supun Wijewardana, Yohan de Silva, Kasun Pussewela, Lahiru Gadakanda, T. Nadeera, Mohesh Niroshan, Kusal Probodha, Lahiru Rajantha, Hemali Muththettuwatte, Tisun Rangana, Visith Weerasinghe.