Vidyartha - a vastly improved side

S.M. Jiffrey ABDEEN, Kandy Sports Correspondent

Vidyartha College, Kandy, is one school from the hill capital who could stake a claim that they are one of the vastly improved sides this year when compared to their last year's performance.

The master-in-charge of cricket of the school Jayantha Kumara said that last year they struggled to win one match and escaped with a draw in the big match and this year we have turned around to win four matches outright and our performance will do the talking." He praised the efforts of their coach Susantha Basnayake who has done an excellent job in motivating the cricketers.

As mentioned by the master-in-charge Vidyartha College have scored four outright wins and just missed scoring another three especially against St. Thomas College, Kotte, when over four hours of play was lost and they had to capture only four of their opponents wickets in the second innings to win the match by an innings. They were 57 runs ahead at this point.

Vidyartha College will be led this year by fourth year coloursman Niluksha Galapitige, a top all-rounder who has led the side well. He has scored 680 runs this season. He is also a more than useful bowler and a rare one of his kind who could bowl left arm spin and right arm off spin.

The deputy skipper of the side is Thilina Rupasena, another top class all-rounder. A very aggressive bat who has scored 550 runs and also captured 70 wickets with his right arm off spinners.

Tharindu Ranaweera who captained the side last year has not performed up to expectations scoring 250 runs and his off spinners has brought him 39 wickets. It must be mentioned that he has missed about six matches due to injury.

Opening batsman Ruwan Bandara has been the 'find' of the season scoring 970 runs including three centuries and could well be the first cricketer from Kandy to reach 1,000 runs this season.

The others who have performed well with the bat are Keshan Gamage, Samitha Attanayake, Muditha Elpitiya, Ravindu Dissanayake and Kasun Nawaratne.

The pace attack will be opened by Isuru Weerasinghe and Samitha Attanayake followed by Kasun Nawaratne and Muditha Elpitiya. Spin attack is Vidyaratha's strength as they have a glut of spinners in off spinners Tilina Rupasena, Tharindu Ranaweera, Ravindu Dissanayake and Sherad Buddhika. They also have a number of leg spinners in Keshan Gamage, Niluksha Galapitage and Chanaka Ratnayake.

Ruwan Bandara is the stumper of the side with Kasun Nawaratne as his understudy. The others looking for places are Dasun Nawaratne, Chinthaka Lokuliyana, Sameera Wickremasuriya, Pathum Colombage, Sahan Amerasinghe, Kanishka Herath, Upulitha Rajapakse and Thisara de Silva.

The team is coached by former Antonian cricketer Susantha Basnayake who has moulded the side into a fighting outfit after taking over the coaching of the side this season.

Master-in-charge Jayantha Kumara is a keen follower of the game and has been a fine motivator. He is exuberant over the performance of the cricketers and showered all praise on the cricket coach Susantha Basnayake for a job well done. He virtually came from obscurity and does not believe in dropping big names.

Ananda Upatissa is Deputy Principal cum Prefect of Games who has been another long standing officials of the school, who was played a major role in uplifting the standard of cricket, rugby and other sports.