Sylvestrians field a formidable team
S.M. Jiffrey Abdeen - Kandy Sports Correspondent
St. Sylvester’s College, Kandy will field one of the strongest
combinations in schools this season, as they posses a well knit side
with many all-rounders who could deliver the goods. They have achieved
this the hard way as they do not have a playground of their own. They
only have a small playing field which is only good for practising and
matches cannot be played as the ground itself is very small and devoid
of grass.
Captain - Ruwantha Ekanayaka |
St. Sylvester’s College will be led this year by all-rounder and
fourth year coloursman Ruwantha Ekanayaka. A very good left hand bat who
scored over 800 runs last season and also captured 40 wickets with his
right arm leg spinners.
Another fourth year coloursman Waruna Wijesinghe is the vice captain
of the side. He will spear the attack which brought him a haul of 30
wickets last season. He also scored 650 runs last season and was one of
the mainstays of the side.
The team is coached by former Sylvestrian and Kandy Youths CC captain
Roland Perera, who has returned to coaching St. Sylvester’s College
after a lapse of six years. It must be recalled that cricket at St.
Sylvester’s College took the high spots under the guidance of Roland
Perera in 1994 when they became all-island schools Division One cricket
champions and won the Coca Cola Trophy. That was their best ever cricket
season.
Assisting Roland Perera in his coaching endeavours is another Old
Sylvestrian Gunasekera who coached them on an earlier occasion and also
coached Kingswood College. He has played Sara Trophy cricket for Sri
Lanka Air Force and Kandy Youths Cricket Club.
St. Sylvester’s College cricket team |
In batting Faiz Ahamed has improved leaps and bounds, paying scant
respect to the opponents bowling. This season against President’s
College, he slammed a quick fire 90 in just 35 balls which included six
sixes and 10 fours and over exuberance denied him the chance of scoring
the fastest hundred this season.
Apart from this trio the others who could be relied upon for runs are
Dushan Malalasena, Sumedha Dissanayake, 15-year-old Hansamal Perera (son
of the famous St. Sylvester’s Mervyn Perera), Nimesha Mendis, Dilan Mel.
Waruna Wijesinghe will open the attack with one of the freshers. But it
is their spin attack which has to be feared having a crop of left-arm
spinners like Sumedha Dissanayake, Nimesha Mendis and Dushan Malalasena
who have bowled with venom and guile this season to have their opponents
groping. Two other spinners Dilan Mel, Faiz Ahamed and Indunil
Samarananda too have bowled well this season.
In Ranil Meetiyagoda they have a school head who gives the boys a lot
of encouragement along with the Deputy Principal Sports - A.K.B.
Dodanwela.
The Sylvestrians could look forward to a very successful season this
year.
The others in the pool are Dilip Maduranga, Harsha Wedikara,
Dananjaya Hettiarachchi, Nimesha Piyaratne, Chandula Hasantha, Janitha
Perera, Sandeep Singh, Upendra Kumara, Chamal Samararatne and J
Kugaprashan. |