Panadura Royal – a talented side

Dilwin Mendis - Moratuwa Sports Correspondent

Royal College, Panadura commenced participating in inter-school cricket in 1974 when Ranjith Vithane was the principal and the then Master in Charge of cricket was the present principal H Sarathchandra Silva.

Their initial coaches were G Ranasinghe and Sisira Handunge and the first captain being Chandana Dilip.

Since introducing cricket to Royal Panadura they came up the hard way and it was not a bed of roses. They had to toil hard and parents were supporting and even now the cricketers Parent Association helps a lot.

The present coach former Moratu Vidyalian, Moratuwa Sports Club and Kalutara PCC cricketer Sumith Prasanna is coaching the Panadura Royalists for the last twenty years.

There are only two coaches in the island who are members of a school staff and performing the Master in Charge task and they are Rohana de Silva former Sri Lanka Schools Tournament. Secretary and Sumith Prasanna. Rohana de Silva is the present coach of Revatha.

According to Prasanna the Principal H Sarathchandra Silva is extending his fullest support with the prefect of games T W Mahindarathne.

Prasanna could boast of his performance in that during this period Panadura Royalists had won 21 championships in various tournaments.

They won the outstation Best School Award in the under 19 age group in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and the first school to win this trophy for three successive years and they swept the board and won all most all the awards in three years.

Special mention should be made of their one and only Test and ODI Cricketer and all-rounder Chamara Silva who is always helping his alma-mater and the Sri Lanka ‘A’ cricketer Manoj Chanaka too is helping them and he had a fine record representing the Sri Lanka Schools in under 13, 15, 17 and 19 teams.

Janitha Hewawasam, Kasun Samarasinghe, Thenuka Dhananjaya, Akila Lakshan and Shivantha Madushan has represented the school in the Under 17 Sri Lanka Schools while Madava Nimesh captained the under 15 team which toured Malaysia.

So far during this season they have played seven matches and they are unbeaten and they beat formidable Ananda College, St Benedict's, Dharmaraja and Vidyartha on first innings and the rest were drawn.

This season they play sixteen matches including the Big Match versus their rivals St John's Panadura.

Out of the twenty matches played they are leading with five to one and the rest were drawn and in the fifty over matches so far nine matches were worked off they are leading with six games to three.

Thenuka Dananjaya (captain)

Dulith Gayan (vice captain)

The big match will be played at Panadura Esplanade on 15th and 16th March and the one day on March 17 at the same venue.

This year they field a strong team with fifth year coloursman, left arm leg spinner Thenuka Dananjaya captaining the side. Last year he took 104 wickets and in the year 2011 he toured India with the under 17 schools team.

His vice captain will be a third year coloursman and a right handed bat Dulith Gayan who bats at number three and so far he has collected 294 runs including three half centuries.

Asitha Fernando is a fourth year coloursman who opens the attack with Akila Lakshan who is a second year coloursman. Asitha is a left handed middle order bat while Akila too bats right hand and last year he was awarded the Best Outstation Fielder Trophy and represented the under 17 schools team.

The right handed opening bat Damindu Ashan is a third year coloursman and a prolific run getter and stamper of the side opens batting with a third year coloursman and a right hand bat Madava Nimesh.

So far Damindu Ashan has collected 394 runs and taken 33 victims behind the stumps. He toured India with the under 17 schools team and so far this year he has scored 605 runs in the ongoing division one tournament scoring an unbeaten 205 against Vidyartha which is the highest ever score in this tournament.

His partner Madava Nimesh has topped the 500 mark for this season and last year he scored 751 runs and in the last year's Big Match he scored an unbeaten 150 runs and he led the under 15 schools team to Malaysia.

Third year coloursman and all rounder Ashan Padmakumara who bats right hand is an off spinner and so far he has claimed 25 wickets and has passed the 200 mark.

Second year coloursman Pavan Madurajith is also a useful off spinner.

In addition there are three all rounders. Vimukthi Madushan, Hashan Vimukthi and Himesha Ranganath are left arm spinners and the skipper uses them when necessary.

Rusiru Ravishanka is a left arm pace bowler while Duleep Gayan bats at number four and Yasith Chamod is also a middle order bat and both of them are safe fielders.