Moratu Vidyalaya field an average team
Dilwin Mendis Moratuwa Sports Corr
The record holders for most outright victories for a cricket season
with thirteen. Moratu Vidyalaya is fielding an average team. So far they
have played six matches and out of them they have beaten St Thomas,
Kotte, Devananda and Asoka vidyalaya and gained first innings wins over
St Mary’s Kegalle, Gurukula and lost to Panadura Royal on first innings.
Sanka Ramesh (captain) |
Sri Lanka Schools under 19 poolist and Star all-rounder and third
year coloursman Sanka Ramesh is the captain of the side. He is one of
the best all-rounders in schools today and he turns out for Sinhalese
Sports Club in the under 23 cricket tournament.
He bowls right arm leg spin and bats right hand. So far he has taken
41 wickets in five matches with three ten wicket hauls 12 for 92 against
St Thomas, Kotte 11 for 62 versus Gurukula and 10 for 79 against St
Mary’s Kegalle and have scored 155 runs with 46 runs being the highest
score.
Last year he scored 1187 runs and grabbed 103 wickets in fifteen
matches and became the third schoolboy cricketer to achieve this rare
feat. Undoubtedly he is the best all-rounder. So far produced by Moratu
Vidyalaya in their seventy five year old cricket history.
His deputy will be a fourth year coloursman and wicket keeper of the
side Janitha Samarajeeva. He bats right hand and have so far scored 195
runs with the highest score of 53 against Devananda and taken 23 wickets
and three stumpings.
Saminda Maduranga is the reserve wicket keeper and opening batsman
and scored 68 runs against Asoka Vidyalaya and his partner Sanesh
Champika scored 79 against St Thomas, Kotte and both of them are
freshers.
Moratu Vidyalaya cricket team. Picture by Dilwin Mendis |
Ishan Peiris fourth year coloursman is the most successful batsman
for the season and so far he has scored five fifties with 78 runs as the
top score against Gurukula and a fine fielder in any position.
Zafran Preena is a second year player and he bowls off spin and
Harsha Devinda too a right arm off spinner. Both of them are fair
batsmen. Iresh Chamara who is a second year player opens the attack and
a left arm medium pace bowler with 21 wickets he shares the new ball
with Dushan Sulakshana who was the last year under 15 skipper. Madava
Madushanka who bowls right arm medium pace is a third year player and
occasionally share the new ball with Chamara.
Mrs Ruchini Tharanga who is a Physical Training Instructress is the
Prefect of Games and Teacher in Charge of cricket and she is very busy
with all sports activities of the school as Vidyalaya is a mixed school.
Their Coach Prasanna Dissanayake who captained Vidyalaya in 85/86,
86/87 and commenced his coaching stint with his Alma-mater in 1997.
During this one and a half decade he has produced several cricketers
who represented in all the levels of Sri Lanka Cricket. Their one and
only test and one day international cricketer Ajantha Mendis is a
product of Dissanayake. He told the Daily News sports that “the
Principal Lakshman de Silva is extending his fullest cooperation and
support to develop cricket at school and he thanked the members of the
Old Moratu Vidyalian’s Sports Club, parents and the welwishers for their
help and assistance”. |