Double celebration for Rajans

S.M. Jiffrey Abdeen – Kandy Sports correspondent

When Dharmaraja College cruised to a seven wicket victory over their traditional rivals Kingswood College in their hill capital's 106th “Battle of the Maroons” last Saturday at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, it was double celebration for them.

First it was their second successive win in the big match which to some extent cast into obscurity, the stalemate of draws which was a regular feature in the recent past and next they proved beyond doubt that their last year's win was no flash in the pan.

Their next reason for jubilation was the fact that their little left arm spinner Aravinda Withanarachchi reached the season's tally of 100 wickets and he was the first Rajan to achieve this feat for a school which has a cricketing history dating back to the 1890's.

They say that fortune favours the brave and this is exactly what the Rajans did on the second day of this big match. By positive play they turned around the match which at the end of the first day was destined to end in a draw.

It is no doubt true that the Kingswoodians went as underdogs and would have in all probability preferred to escape with a draw or to pick from the old adage. “One who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day”. On the first they put up a dogged display to score 215 runs after batting for 91 overs. Only ten wickets fell on the first day. The task in the hands of the Rajans on the second day was gigantic as they had to not only overhaul this total but also get their opponents out again before pasting victory. Though they had the potential, but time was an important fact.

It was positive thinking by the and they did not go home with a draw and bathe themselves in personal glory.