Chilaw Marians reign again

Chris Dhambarage

Chilaw Marians Cricket Club have started the new inter club cricket season just in the manner they concluded it last year. The reigning Premier League Division One champions added another trophy to their cupboard by winning the SLC under-23 title last week.

This was another clinical performance from the young Chilaw Marians CC team who rallied around through their excellent team work backed up by total commitment and determination.

They believed in themselves that they could regain the title which they last won in 2007 and once they got a good start they virtually sailed through the rest of the opponents before adding the finishing touches in a spectacular manner.

Chilaw Marians CC went into the final brimming with confidence having earlier downed their rivals and the defending champions NCC in a league tournament fixture.

One sided

In fact the final turned out to be a completely one sided contest as Chilaw Marians CC reign supreme with bat and ball throughout the three days. They have made it a habit to reach the final almost every year and this was the fifth occasion that they had clinched the SLC Under-23 tournament.

Chilaw Marians CC of course started playing premier cricket from the 1999/2000 season and since then they have made vast strides and emerged as a major force while producing a number of outstanding cricketers into the Sri Lanka Under 19, Academy, Development Squad and Sri Lanka ‘A’ team.

Their track record is quite amazing having reached a total of 26 Cup finals and emerged champions on 21 occasions during this short period of time. And they have achieved all these goals and overcome the challenges on the field even without a playground of their own.

The person behind Chilaw Marians CC’s success during this period is their hard working coach Mahesh Weerasinghe who has been associated with the club for more than a decade.

Veteran coach

The 39 year old veteran coach has been instrumental in forming a champion side almost every year from the day he took over the duties and this time he has performed that role to near perfection.

Weerasinghe believe that team spirit and the unity among the players were the main source of ingredients that helped them to clinch the Under 23 title. The other main reason for their success was that every player was willing to make a sacrifice and produce his one hundred percent on the field.

As a result sometimes it was even difficult for the coach to select the final eleven for a match because there were at least a couple of players who were equally brilliant for the job. The team balance was quite perfect and their ability to bat right down the order was an added advantage.

No player was able to really dominate the proceedings because each player was second to none and they all performed their duties quite magnificently. The batting revolved around Geeth Alwis, Buddhi Samarawickrema, skipper Umesh Karunaratne and Geeth Kumara.

Variation

In the bowling department too Chilaw Marians CC had plenty of variation and support with skipper and right arm off spinner Umesh Karunaratne leading from the front.

He had enough bowlers to back up in the form of former Sri Lanka youth cap and right arm off spinner Madhuka Liyanapathirana, leg spinner Geeth Alwis and paceman Arosha Janoda.

Weerasinghe paid tribute to his captain Umesh Karunaratne who was able to handle the side quite effectively at different match situations. But more importantly he maintained discipline both and off the field while setting up a good example for the test of his team members.

Chilaw Marians CC of course continued with their practices and training at the Thurstan College grounds and played all their home matches at neutral venues. They are very much grateful to the Thurstan College ground authorities headed by Priya Paranavithana and Sujeewa Ranaweera for their assistance and cooperation.

Encouragement

In addition the Chilaw Marians CC General Secretary Godfrey Dabarera was always behind the team and his words of encouragement certainly made a huge impact on the team performances.

Chilaw Marians CC coach Mahesh Weerasinghe noted that fast bowler Arosha Janoda and left hand batsman Geeth Kumara were the two key players who made a big contribution towards their success in the final encounter against the NCC.

Twenty two year old Janoda a former Isipatana College player came out with his best performance in the tournament while returning excellent figures of six wickets for 46 runs. This effort certainly brought a dramatic change into the game as Chilaw Marians CC successfully defended their total of 242 runs before recording a first innings victory.

Career best

Middle order batsman Geeth Kumara also had a splendid outing as he powered his way to score a career best knock of 181 in the second innings. Even then his first innings score of 98 runs was even more significant as he was the only batsman to offer any resistance against the NCC bowling attack.

The Chilaw Marians CC Under 23 squad: Umesh Karunaratne (captain), Lahiru Weragala (vice captain), Arosha Janoda, Geeth Alwis, Madhuka Liyanapathirana, Samean Kandanarachchi, Buddhi Samarawickrema, Shihan Kamileen, Sanath de Silva, Geeth Kumara, Ishara Wickremasinghe, Nuwan Nanayakkara, Sajith Sameera, Romesh Krishantha, Nimash Weragala, Mahesh Weerasinghe (coach), S. K. Silva (assistant coach), M .M. A. Rohitha (fielding coach), M. C. Mohideen (manager).