PICTURES BY – HERBERT PERERA
Royal College retained the Mustangs Trophy when they defeated traditional rivals S. Thomas’ College by 16 runs on the DLS method in the 49th annual limited overs cricket encounter played at the SSC Grounds in Maitland Place yesterday.
Chasing a massive 313 runs for victory, Royal put up an equally brilliant batting display to reach 291 for six wickets in 46 overs when the match was called off due to fading light.
The match winner for Royal was middle order batsman Wimath Dinsara, who smashed an unbeaten 109 from 124 deliveries inclusive of six boundaries.
Earlier, opener Jaden Amaraweera hit a landmark unbeaten century to steer S. Thomas’ College to a commanding position.
Jaden hammered an unbeaten 184 from 148 deliveries – the highest individual score in the series – as the Thomians amassed a formidable 313 for four after electing to bat first.
His performance had a great amount of significance as this was the first occasion that a batsman had scored a century in the Battle of the Blues Big Match and in the Mustangs Trophy encounter in the same year.
Jaden made his intentions clear from the start and decided to play the sheet anchor role as he raced to a 47-ball half century with the help of one six and six boundaries and put on an opening stand of 95 with Methuka Gunaratne.
Skipper Avinash Fernando joined Jaden and the pair consolidated their position by adding a further 50 runs for the second wicket in 10 overs.
The Thomians lost Reshon Solomon and Ludeesha Matharage cheaply but Jaden simply kept the momentum with his brisk scoring and reached his hundred in 114 balls inclusive of two sixes and 10 boundaries.
He plundered the Royal bowlers to all parts of the ground and went on to finish with an unbeaten 184, which included 11 sixes and 14 boundaries. His fifth-wicket unbeaten partnership with Raphael Hettige was worth 141 runs.
Chief scores
S. Thomas’: 313/4 in 50 overs (Jaden Amaraweera 184 n.o, Methuka Gunaratne 37, Raphael Hettige 44 n.o)
Royal: 291/6 in 46 overs (Hirun Liyanarachchi 51, Wimath Dinsara 109 n.o, Ramiru Perera 38, Deshan Udawela 25 n.o, Shanil Perera 2/60).
(Courtesy Sunday Observer)
