Rajans field a fine all-round side

S.M. Jiffrey Abdeen- Kandy Sports correspondent

Dharmaraja College, Kandy could look forward to a successful inter-school cricket season this year as they have a good all-round side.

Rajans will be led this season by junior national cricketer and fourth year coloursman Sandun Weerakkody who is an attractive left hand bat who scored over 750 runs last season and this year he has already passed the five hundred run mark including a top score of 150 against St. Thomas College, Matale.

Third year player and opening bat Viraj Karaputugala is the vice captain of the side. But this year he may opt to bat at No. 3 at which he feels more comfortable. He missed a number of matches last season and this year he has been among the runs.

Rajans won the big match against Kingswood College last year breaking a 30 year old hodoo. This year they hope to repeat this success.

Rajans have a good playing field at Lake View which had been developed during the last few years and the development of the grounds included the expanding of the grounds and the provision of turf wickets. Therefore the Rajans will no longer alien to turf wicket and this should help to improve their cricket. The team gets all the encouragement and guidance by its sporting Principal S.M. Keerthiratne.

The team is being coached by former Old Rajan and Kandy cricket Club cricketer Ananda Wijesekera who had a stint of coaching in Malaysia before returning to the country. Ananda Wijesekera captained the Rajans in 1971 and also scored a hundred in the big match.

The Master In Charge of the team is Sarath Ekanayake, a very amiable personality and the Rajans are indeed lucky to have an official of this calibre who plays a major role in motivating the side especially when the team is in a crisis situation.

Apart from the captain his deputy, the others who should be among the runs are Deneth Lanka, Arvinda Withanarachchi, Nuwan Karunaratne, Sasith Gunasekera, Lochana Wijesiri, Chandimal Silva, Lasith Weeraratne, Sasith Gunasekera it must be recalled that last year scored 900 runs including a brilliant 148 not out against Vidyartha College which included several sixes and some of them clearing the grounds. But he is still to strike form this season. He was also in the junior national squad along with Nuwan Karunaratne.

The pace attack will be opened by Nuwan Karunaratne and Sasith Gunasekera or Chandimal Silva. But the Rajans will rely heavily on their spin attack to deliver the goods. Left arm spinner Arvinda Withanarachchi (48 wkts) and off-spinner Deneth Lanka (45 wkts) were very impressive last season bearing the brunt of the attack. The other slow bowlers are left arm spinner Lakshan de Silva, and leg spinner Lochana Wijesiri.

The others in the squad are Kavinda Ratnayake, Dimuthu Liyanage, Nipuna Herath, Danuka Prabath, Dhanushka Wiejwardena and Lochana Ekanayake.